This post is dedicated to all the omnivores who think vegans are judgmental and to the vegetarians who, for reasons I still cannot comprehend, continue to consume dairy and eggs. As you all know, vegans are notorious for letting you know they’re vegan. Hand us an appetizer and, even if it’s vegan, we’re going to tell you we’re vegan. We wear shirts that let you know we’re vegan. Wind us up about the meat, dairy, and egg industries and watch us go! It’s really pretty annoying. But, I have a solution.
As a service to all the vegetarians who cannot commit and the omnivores who don’t see why eating meat (or cheese … or eggs benedict) is cruel, I submit: “How to Shut Up a Vegan.” Patent pending.
I know this will work on me, so I assume it will work on other vegans, as well. To get us to stop talking about being vegan and to stop us from reminding you that what you eat is directly tied to animal rape, torture and murder … I ask the following:
Come with me on a farm visit. Two actually.
Let’s start our day at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. Come meet the animals you so willingly consume or consume their excretions and hatchings. Watch them as they frolic and socialize. Get to know their names. Get a tour, wipe the poop off your boots, and stop in to the gift shop. I will buy you a souvenir t-shirt that you can wear to our next stop. A working farm. I’ll drive.
Now … choose your animal! Chicken, pig, or cow?
Let’s start with chickens. Watch as the chickens are cooped up in cages just barely big enough for them to breath. See how their beaks were cut off? Or how they’ve been so fattened that they can’t stand up? Now, walk with me as we see the male chicks being ground up alive. Alive. Peeping as their little skulls are crushed. Fun, huh?
Our next stop is the pig pen. Did you know most bacon comes from a pig that is not even a year old? Ever watch the movie “Babe”? Now, watch as they dunk the pig alive, hung by its hind leg, into a vat of boiling water as it squirms, squeals, and eventually dies. Or, witness the innocent pigs trying to avoid a bolt being driven into their brain. Notice how they all move into the corner? Terrified? This is as humane as it gets, people.
Now, onto the dairy farm. Dairy industry = meat industry. There is no difference. Want to help rape the cow? Or, would you rather be the assistant who attaches a chain to the newborn calf as the mother cries out in agony over her baby being dragged away? Not to worry! You can help get her pregnant again so she will continue to make milk for you (so you can enjoy that gooey grilled cheese sandwich). It’s even more fun when the newborn calf is male. He can be locked into a small plastic box and later killed for veal.
Don’t eat veal? Well, good for you … look how compassionate you are.
So, do you want to shut me up? I will stop preaching. I won’t even talk about the health advantages of being vegan. Nor will I write about cruelty to animals or animal rights. I will stop. I will turn off this blog. Forever.
If, after you witness this horrific treatment of helpless animals, you still decide to support the meat, dairy, and egg industries. If you can continue going about your life, unaffected and unchanged … then, I will stop. You will have shut up a vegan (warning: there are plenty more behind me).
Go vegan.
meatyveganblog.wordpress.com 
Thanks to professional wrestler Austin Healey Aries, this blog post set a new reader record! Thanks, man!
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Fantastic! I’ve been vegetarian since I was 6 years old, and vegan for a year now (I’m 31) – and while I was vegetarian I hardly ate anything that comes from animals in any way, so becoming vegan was SO easy. My brother is still only vegetarian, but he is getting closer and closer to 100% clean vegan. Thank you for this hilarious post, I absolutely loved it! Laughed a bit here and there, even though it is horrible and cruel what you are talking about. You are awesome and I will copy this “recipe” whenever I am in a food situation with omnivores 🙂 That will make them shut up 😉
Best regards, Mia
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Thanks for your nice comment and congratulations on being vegan. My post later today is titled, “You Can Have Results or Excuses … Not Both.”
Reminding people that their future is in their own hands. Set aside the animal cruelty aspect (which I never will) and being vegan has SO many health advantages, people can control their destiny.
Thanks again! Share my blog with your brother!
Eric
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Hi again – I’m now a true follower of your blog and I have already shared with my brother – he can’t not enjoy this as much as me 😀 I read your new post and I loved it – am sharing your blog with people at work now, and the omnivores are laughing 😉
Keep up the great work!
Mia
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Mia,
Thank you! And welcome aboard the MeatyVegan (vegan) gravy train!
Eric
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Hi MeatyVegan,
I tried to go strict vegan and over the course of roughly 14 years my eczema got progressively worse until I was so self-conscious I didn’t even want to leave the house (it was worse when I didn’t eat eggs). I desperately, desperately wanted my gut and my politics to be in sync, and stayed on top of the latest vegan / vegetarian research, but last year after a great deal of dietary research on traditional diet, I finally abandoned ship and went on the GAPS diet.
Within about 1 month I lost 15 pounds of sugar weight, my energy patterns evened out and it became easier for me to sleep and maintain focus throughout the day. Chunks of old plaque started falling off my teeth and I no longer saw blood in my stool. My eczema cleared up within weeks and I haven’t had issues since. This is the healthiest I’ve ever been.
I am so grateful to veg politics because it enabled me to see my impact on the planet and my role in the food supply honestly – I became a much more conscious person because of my choice to go vegan as a teenager. But as I got older I learned that neither my health nor my body are political. Ultimately I have had to completely rethink the idea of harm / cruelty, taking these out of the political context I was projecting upon nature.
Today I feel that as long as CAFOs exist there will be a place in the world for radical veganism – a clear need, even – and I will ALWAYS side with vegans against such flagrant disrespect against beings I KNOW are conscious and sentient.
But with the dramatic improvements I have seen in my health by moving away from a diet bereft of animal fats and pastured meat and eggs (never fed subsidy crops, which I feel is a form of abuse to animals, “dietary abuse”), I feel that my ability to be healthy is threatened by vegans who are unwilling to acknowledge or respect individuals and their individual constitutions.
While you and I pursue different lifestyles and political views, I hope we can stand together to end undue and dangerous FDA / corporate influence over the food supply. The way our food supply is set up isn’t working, I’m sure we can both agree there. If I were anywhere near you, I would gladly meet you and go visit a farm – both a nasty CAFO and a local farm along the lines of Joel Salatin’s “Polyface Farm” – but I hope you never shut up. You’re speaking your truth, it has a legitimate place in the world, and I respect you for it, regardless of whether it’s right for me.
I just wish more vegans could respect and understand where *I’m* coming from. For me it a choice between health and politics, and my health comes first.
P.S. I understand that you feel it is wrong to eat either chicken or egg, but it would be more honest to distinguish between the way animals are raised on CAFOs vs. smaller, more humanely-run farms. The detestable practices you’ve outlined are not universal in raising food animals. Wrecking chickens’ beaks is a factory farming thing, not something you would be as likely to see on a pasture farm. I would not eat something so abused, or support food producers that used such barbaric practices.
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Andy,
Wow. Thank you for this thoughtful response and I am happy to hear your health is back on track. Obviously, my blog is both meant to entertain AND inform, and having someone like you add their personal experience is what this is all about.
I’d love to know what a vegan doctor or nutritionist would say to your comment (since I am neither). From everything I’ve been told and I’ve been learning, a 100% plant-based diet is the healthiest way to go.
Perhaps I will invite someone else to reply to this comment.
Thanks for the support and for taking the time. I really appreciate it.
Eric
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Eric,
As I am too poor to afford healthcare, diet has become my primary means of attaining and ensuring health. I’ve had to rely on my own experiments and research, paying attention to what worked and what didn’t (knowing full well that sometimes I’d get sicker before I got better). At this point I would be wary of the political bias that infuses a vegan doctor/nutritionist’s recommendations.
I’ve read a lot of research that says the same – “a 100% plant-based diet is the way to go”. But that research just didn’t bear out in my own experience, using my body as the laboratory. It could be that my body was simply a poor laboratory for the vegan experiment, and maybe there are ways to do it for someone with my individual dietary needs, but essentially “veganism as universal cure-all” turned out to be an oversimplified picture.
I have many friends who have had a much different experience with going vegan – they’ve lost weight, their skin is flawless, etc. – but that hasn’t been universal. I’ve found that one does well to prioritize individual constitution, that doing so sets boundaries on what one “should” eat. Of course, politics may be more important to a person than their health, and they may be willing to sacrifice theirs to a degree in the name of an ideal. I think there is beauty in that, if it serves a viable need. For me it didn’t.
The vegan diet tends to be fairly high-fiber, but if your gut epithelium is in bad shape, fiber will tear it up even more. And a diet high in sugar – grains, beans, and starches will factor into that – will implant flora in the gut that thrive on sugar and prevent healthier flora from taking root. (At the beginning of the GAPS diet, I had to starve these out.) When the gut epithelium is healthy, it produces vitamins and minerals for which we see epidemic deficiencies today, including A, B, D, and magnesium.
On a vegetarian or vegan diet I always needed a multivitamin, and felt weak when I didn’t have one, but these days I don’t need one at all. 🙂 I’ve used homemade bone broth, which is rich in gelatin, in tandem with homemade fermented foods to get here. It’s not for everyone, but WOW has it worked for me.
Apparently GAPS is can really help people with cognitive disorders too, notably autism, ADD/ADHD, dyspraxia, depression, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Closer to home, my girlfriend was able to get off anti-depressants after several years through GAPS (huge deal!) 🙂
Food politics can get really messy; it’s easy to step on each others’ toes when making decrees about a “universally appropriate diet”, but it’s important to take a step back from the politics, look at the testimonials on both sides. Consider that neither side invalidates the other, and that if a strict vegan diet were right for everyone, presumably it could have a similar impact on the cognitive disorders mentioned above. (No idea if this has been tested, but it should be.)
I’d be happy to continue this discussion with anyone else you may invite in. These are all important issues and I think health-conscious omnivores, vegans, and vegetarians should all be able to get on the same page – ideally to wrest control of the food supply from biotech companies like Monsanto, the FDA, etc.
I wasn’t sure what kind of reply I’d get, Eric, but thank you for being cordial and inviting discussion!
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I eat fish. I catch it, clean it and cook it. I have no problem with that.
I raise my own chickens for eggs. I eat the eggs. I have no problem with that.
This post is one bad assumption after another trying to guilt people into thinking like you. You assume people are ignorant..some are…but some aren’t.
Will you shut up now?
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I think someone is getting too much protein. 😉
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lol good one
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God you are insufferable steve
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Chickens are independent, sentient, feeling animals and they are not here for you to use. Still you use them. We have a problem with that (as do the exploited chickens, I’d guess).
Fish are independent, sentient, feeling animals and they are not here for you to murder. Still you murder them. We have a problem with that (as do the murdered fish, I’d guess).
If you still think that other animals are objects without their own lives, families, wishes to live, objects for you to steal from and slaughter, then you’re the ignorant one. No assumptions required.
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Here, here. Glad someone else stepped up. All excellent points that this reader seems to ignore. Is that where the word “ignorant” comes from?
Had a VERY long and drawn out disagreement with someone about humane slaughtering of animals. She honestly thinks there is such a thing. Convinced that because the beef, pork, or chicken she eats is free range or grass fed (or, as this reader puts it raised himself), that somehow murdering them and eating them is justified.
If they stopped for one minute and looked into the eyes of a piglet. Or a calf. Or a chick. Moments before they are “humanely” slaughtered … it makes me sick to think they can’t make the connection.
Thanks for coming by and commenting.
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1)The chickens he raises and feeds probably enjoy a better life than any in the wild.Is it not ok to eat an unborn chicken for nutrition, but ok to kill and throw away an unborn human? Besides, Fish, as one of the most primitive vertebrates, barely have enough brain and nerve cells to process what is going on. Are you serious about “families”? Fish lay their eggs, watch them until they hatch in some cases, and then leave them to fend for themselves. Their is no sense of loss if one’s “sister” fish dies. Hell, if they’re hungry, they’ll eat each other.
2)The “meat factories” described in this article are certainly cruel, but fishing/hunting for mature game that has lived in the wild, grown up, had offspring, and roamed free its whole life is no different than if the animal was killed by any other predator. A bullet to the vital organs or head is certainly a much quicker and less painful death than being slowly eaten alive or dying of disease or starvation as so many animals do.
3)Who are you to judge when you probably do not have the faintest clue what is involved in raising and keeping chickens as this man does, or in fishing for meat. I would bet my life you have NEVER had any first hand experience with either of those things.
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Weak. I was hoping for at least some defense of your argument.
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Wow, you are ridiculous. Yes there are cruel farms out there but they are few. Those few are the ones who make the news.
I grew up on a farm, raising cute little cows and piggies. When those cows and piggies were full grown, we had them for dinner. The animals on my farm as well as every farm I know, treats their animals just fine.
However, I’ve never been a huge meat eater so for 7 years I became a vegetarian and for a short time, even a vegan. Like some of the others who have commented. I also had some health issues due to the lack of protein, fat and jump in sugar intake. I was also extremely lethargic. After many doctors appointments where I was basically told I needed to eat more protein, specifically meat, I went to a specific vegan doctor. He gave me an extremely strict diet to follow to be healthy and a shit load of pills. If you have to take a ton of pills then something isn’t right.
Eventually, I decided that lifestyle wasn’t for me and slowly added meat back into my life and that solved all of my health problems.
What I’ve learned about Vegans and vegetarians is that they are not well educated. They are up on a high horse that they are better than everyone else. Yet are always sick or easily injured. Being sick and injured sounds like a sad way to live life.
Do me a favor, go have a cheeseburger and save the plants!
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Let me get this straight. You somehow rationalize that since your animals were full grown and you call them “cute” … that justifies killing and eating them?
And, you went to a vegan doctor who gave you a shitload of pills? Did you think about getting a second opinion? Other than B12, any and all vitamins, minerals, and protein can be derived from a plant-based diet. Any. And all.
Eat all the meat protein you want. It causes cancer as well as heart disease. Me, on the other hand, will stick to plants.
You can actually get educated at http://www.NutritionFacts.org. Dr. Greger is a legitimate vegan doctor and all your questions will be answered there. I’m not a doctor but I play one on TV.
I am vegan. And very healthy. And glad you found my blog!
MeatyVegan
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Point of information.
B12 is a bacteria found in dirt. It gets into animals because they eat food from dirt. Vegan food? From dirt. Also, B12 deficiency usually indicates another underlying condition, which dietary and medical professionals can help you discover and sort out. Which may include B12 supplements.
Also! Many cereals and other products, such as Soymilk, are fortified with B12, B9, and all the other nutrients that people make excuses to consume meat for. The only single example I know of that proves to be a tough nut to crack is EPA and DHA Omega 3s, (though ALA Omega 3s are quite abundant in vegan foods containing chia, hemp seed, flax seed, etc etc.) Still, I don’t see why these can’t be synthesized for supplements.
Anyway, thanks for the topic, MeatyVegan. I rather enjoyed it, and your thoughtful replies to supporters and naysayers alike. 🙂
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Lev,
Thanks for the 411 and for dropping by to bestow us with your own knowledge. It’s always good to get smarterer.
I go by Dr. Greger (NutritionFacts.org) and watched his amazing presentation back in July. Also got to see Dr. McDougall in person. BOTH doctors agree that the protein argument is ridiculous. The vitamin D “issue” is solved by standing outside every so often. AND, that vegans should take a B12 supplement.
That is the only extra they recommend and the only one they feel we could need some catching up on. So I do. I get 120% of my B12 in my once daily.
Done.
I eat kale. An quinoa. And just enough tofu to get everything else I need. My hemp milk is loaded. My cereal is fortified. My lunches are healthy with nuts and noodles. My dinners are so delicious and filling … I am never hungry.
As you know … we can get it ALL from plants and some of these commenters who say otherwise just miss eating meat.
Thanks again! Keep coming back and keep commenting!
MV
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Great article, and powerful statement. Carnivores and Omnivores love to consider vegans as radical, yet we’re not the ones consuming animals killed violently. It’s one of many reasons I wrote “Steven the Vegan”, to teach compassion for animals.
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You wrote “Steven the Vegan”?! That’s one of my favorite books! And I’m not even kidding. Read it to my son once a week!
If you browse my blog, you’ll see a review of the Ruby Roth’s books where I mention YOUR book.
I am humbled.
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I’ve been vegan for 2 years now and was vegetarian for quite a while before that. I’ve never felt better. I didn’t do it for health though. I started reading about carnism and a good book that my brother gave me called “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer and realized that I couldn’t call myself an animal lover if I didn’t love and care about all of them.
However, I still don’t understand the defensive omnivores and why they get so mad at vegans. I live in a town where these country people love their meat. I don’t start arguments with them or openly criticize them except for the one co-worker who tried to trick me into eating meat. Why? She said to prove that it wouldn’t hurt me… She’s a christian so I offered the agreement that if she would spit in the bible, then I would eat a piece of meat – my reasoning being that it wasn’t that eating meat would hurt me, it’s that it’s an issue of ethics and belief. She hasn’t spoken to me since which doesn’t bother me. It’s a lifestyle choice and for reasons unknown, some others make the choice to let it bother them.
Another thing I have trouble understanding is how eating meat solves health issues. Another commenter mentioned a lack of protein and fat as a cause of some health problems. I don’t understand how extra protein (which turns to fat), saturated fats, and cholesterol could possibly improve one’s health. I’m not a doctor or nutritional expert but that kind of sounds like a way of justifying eating meat. I’m not trying to start a fight or anything here as I have heard of this before, most notably from the Dalai Lama. I was startled to find out that he was an omnivore because the Tibetan doctors told him to eat meat for his bad liver and gallbladder. Seems a bit odd but again, I’m no doctor.
http://samvidbeauty.com/2013/02/a-lesson-from-the-dalai-lama-on-meat-eating/
Thank you MeatyVegan for this blog. Living in an area where veganism is almost unheard of is hard. The net is often the only place I have to turn for discussions and reinforcement.
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You’re welcome.
And, thank YOU.
Omnivores, and vegetarians for that matter, ignore the truth and look the other way. They are trying to justify their actions and lash out when they know their argument is no longer valid.
Anyone who claims they need more protein and that the protein they need is animal protein, is simply someone unwilling to go the extra mile in saving animal lives. It’s ludicrous and they are in denial.
Thanks again.
MV
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I first went vegan a bit over seven years ago (I am now 22). Since then, I have gotten blood work done regularly and every time I get my results, I am told that I have MORE protein than the average meat eater.
“Lack of protein” is just a silly excuse made by people too lazy or careless to go vegan.
Also, I take no vitamins or pills to supplement my diet and I am just fine! 🙂
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It has been proven that saturated fats are not linked to heart disease, processed ployunsaturated/hydrogenated vegetable oils are and dietary cholesterol has no negative effects on blood cholesterol, given that the foods are from pasture raised and/or organic sources. Further more, saturated fats make it so that you can absorb vitamins A, B, D, K, etc. and minerals like calcium and iron, etc. Even omega-3s require saturated fat to be absorbed. Too much protein is bad for your health. So knock off that notion that saturated fat and cholesterol from high quality sources is bad for you, the 90s are long over. Also, did you know that people with high cholesterol live longer and that people with low cholesterol usually are more suicidal and depressed. The most dangerous criminals often times have low cholesterol. There are vegan ways to get saturated fat by the way, organic virgin coconut oil is the best source and can help you absorb vitamins and minerals. Unfermented soy, however, inhibits this at times and messes with your body’s hormones. I got thyroid disease from eating too much soy on a mostly veggie diet. Also too many carbs increases triglycerides causing you to store fat, gain weight and have higher chance of cardiovascular disease i.e. fats don’t make you fat, too many carbs do(mostly refined like white sugar, flour and starchy vegetables and fruit). Bottom line, Ancel Keys’ loss of credibility has been long over due, trying to pass that biased Seven Countries *coughs*22 countries*coughs* BS off as science. Saturated fat makes up half of every cell in your body, if you replace that with rancid gm veg. oils, you might as well start digging because you’ll be in the ground soon enough. I should know, I was on my way there until I switched to an omnivorous whole foods diet. Live and let live, shunning people because they chose a diet that works for them(with the exception of cannibalism) isn’t humane, it’s manipulative. On both sides too, I won’t judge a vegan for choosing their way of life because it just simply is none of my business, like religion or sexual orientation. Be an advocate of peace like one of commenters on here said, with peace comes exceptance and tolerance for everyone.
I would see the killing of animals strictly for their fur, tusks, etc. banned on every corner of the Earth if I could. That is a practice that is totally disgusting and direspectful to not only the animals but future generations who may never see them because of the sefishness of a few profit-obsessing, immoral idiots.
But again, saturated fat is necessary for proper cell function and vegans can get a great source from coconut oil and coconuts. This also is good if your just looking to loose weight or are looking for more healthy fats to incorporate into your diet.
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Stick to your plants and i will stick to what I enjoy. Its that simple. Just shut up, yes your a vegan who the fuck cares. Why focus all this energy positive doing towards saving woman in third world countries from being abducted and forced to be sex trade workers, why not be advocate for peace. There are humans dying for us you right now so no I don’t give a shit about no chic or some little pig. So please shut the fuck up.
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I think someone needs to cut back on the animal protein.
Thanks for commenting!
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Take a walk with me, to a happy local farm, where the cows graze on beautiful green pastures, the pigs forage the nearby forests, happy as can be and the chickens run around the pastures with plenty of space eating anything they can find. All the animals on this farm live healthy and happy lives. THIS is where my animal products come from. I am what you call an ethical omnivore, and I, in no way support anything you’ve just described above. My health is more important than pride. Now, I will take you into a world where everyone is vegan. I see the over use of petro-chemicals(fossil fuels) for fertalizer(livestock provide the best fertilizer for organic produce through their droppings), further poluting our precious Earth. I see an over production of (gm)soy products rendering many with reproductive issues, thyroid problems, nutrient deficientcies and many other health problems. Fact: Asian cultures didn’t consume soy for thousands of years after they first cultivated it which in time they learned that fermenting soy and consuming it as miso or soy sauce, etc. was much safer. Tofu will mess with your thyroid and reproductive system(organic soy is very good for your skin typically, however). And I see a world where the livestock that many vegans say they are trying to save, on the verge of extinction because, I’m sorry, no one is going to keep cows as expensive pets. All the evidence in human history says that humans evolved as omnivores(oppurtunists) and we didn’t even gain the intelligence and brain power we have today until we started eating meat and other animal products. If you want to be vegan, that’s your personal decision, but the fact is, it doesn’t support organic farming because you need livestock for that, so it’s not better for the environment and it doesn’t do better for the animals because veganism globally would drive them to extinction. Also another fact is that almost all groups, even they are vegetarian, i.e. Hindus, consume some animal products like eggs. Most of the people on this Earth would not survive as vegans, they would get dreadfully sick. I think the world would be a lot better if all the CAFOs and mass-monoculture disappeared and everyone sustainably grew their own food, of course, and everyone ate local, humane and farm raised whole foods. Like I said, veganism is an individual choice and like religion, better kept to yourself. It’s rude and arrogant and ignorant to assume and accuse that just because someone eats animal products, they’re beneath you and cruel and don’t care about the treatment of life. I love animals. I don’t call my dogs and cats pets, they’re my family members and I volunteer at my local animal shelter. I also love the Earth and wish to see the end of “big oil”. Sustainable agriculture(permaculture) requires livestock and livestock must be eaten to ensure that the land is not overcrowded and stripped of its nutrients and left unable to feed anyone. I don’t judge other people’s lifestyles, I just do what I have to to ensure my support of grass-fed, pasture and humanly raised animals/products and the longevity of the Earth and its soil and my physical and emotional health. Now explain to me, how I am cruel, again? I’m sorry to say but most of the vegans I’ve met and read comments from come off as very self-righteous and I sometimes wonder if they’re in it for the animals or their own over-inflated egos. Just my experience. Diet is a choice, trying to guilt-trip someone into changing it is manipulative and can be dangerous. Health differs with every person as does what’s right for them to consume. Support freedom of choice.
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“Take a walk with me, to a happy local farm, where the cows graze on beautiful green pastures, the pigs forage the nearby forests, happy as can be and the chickens run around the pastures with plenty of space eating anything they can find. All the animals on this farm live healthy and happy lives.”
Now, walk further, to where the animals are cornered in a pen and grabbed by their back legs and pulled from their friends and family. Quickly, slit their throat or shoot them in he head with a nail gun. Very humane way to go. Wonder why the animal was screaming so loudly when it was so happy moments before.
In regard to farm animals going extinct because we stop raping and eating them? Yes. The cow, chicken, and pig population would drastically be cut and some of these animals might actually disappear completely. That non-existence is still better than existing to be killed and eaten.
All of your health arguments are wrong.
Keep eating your happy animals! And thanks for competing.
MV
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My Grandpa runs a beef cattle farm. His first herd of cows had some calves. I got to name the first one. I called it Tyler. One day I came to the farm and Tyler and his mother where gone. They had gone to the abattoir.
My Grandpa took me to the butcher’s shop to show me what happens to his cows. There was Tyler’s carcass. I watched as they made several different meat cuts. I chose some, we didn’t have to pay as it was my grandpa’s cows. I took the Tyler steaks home. We cooked them. They tasted fucking ace. Thanks, Tyler, you were one tasty calf.
http://shutupvegan.tumblr.com/
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Awesome! I am so happy you got to eat Tyler! It always warms my heart when a meat eater has the added advantage of knowing the name (and in YOUR case, the parents) of the meat they eat.
It really personalizes the whole experience!
Me, on the other hand, have yet to name my broccoli. I am now considering it.
Thanks for commenting!
MV
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You are not funny at all !! I am in the medical profession and have witnessed first hand this vegan diet destroy people’s health !!
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Aaahhh yes we meat eaters are cruel. But wiping out an entire ecosystem for grain is ok. Yes take away the little critters homes and wipeout organisms thriving of these plantations. Remember most of your rich soil is made up of blood and bone, but thats ok your vegan and can do no wrong. Oh and you forget the animals that kill for food. I suppose they are cruel too? But thats ok they are laughing at you from a distance as you gobble down your veg. Fox eats rabbit, fox poops out rabbit, your veg grows. Guess what your eating??? Oh and please make sure that all earths carnivorous creatures are ridiculed too after all it’s not like evolution gave them k9 teeth to eat meat.. yep just like fucking humans. They are there for a fucking reason.
Case in point shut the fuck up and keep to yourselves .
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Careful my dear. Yes being an animal science major and going to farms every week did in fact turn me vegan, but for 95% of my classmates it did not. They went to the farm and then they went home and ate a steak, so for your sake I hope they don’t stumble upon this blog or you’ll have to close up shop. Some people have that part in them that can’t contribute to something so harsh after seeing it, but from my experience that’s the minority. You can’t change people just because you wish they would I’m afraid. I guess I’m the radical vegan that thinks everyone should just do what they need to sleep at night.
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Sanctimoniuos drivel. Go to a nice farm, a fair trade farm. Your “beef” is with big slaughterhouses not small (in comparisson) fair trade farms. The animals are treated well and looked after. If youve got a problem with slaughterhouses so much bloody do something about it instead of essentially going on a no meat/produce hunger strike because that will acheive nothing and you just sound like a pompouss pretencious militant vegan twat. You might as well back up the militant part. Get involved!! Go and stop them! Do something about it. I dont agree with it big slaughterhouses either but just remember, not every farm is like that, dont be so bloody ignorant and self righteous.
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I’m doing something every day. Thank you for commenting.
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If you want to be vegan great ! That’s an ethical choice ! That’s all you need to say !! But please do not make up pseudo science and fake facts that to defend it ! I have seen many people who eat meat live to be close to 100 and healthy ! I have seen many vegans die early of a variety of health issues in my profession !! I only go by what I have witnessed and experienced ! It doesn’t work for everyone !!
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I find it funny how idiots like you try to ploy the “animal murderers” card. Did I take a cleaver and chop Babe’s daddy’s testicles off? Stop acting like all farms are inhumane. Some farms actually treat their animals with care. No. You act all high and mighty. What about people who CAN’T go vegan. Have you ever thought about that? No, because you wouldn’t tell a bobcat or a lion to go vegan, now would you. Don’t know if you knew this, THAT’S LIFE. IT’S CALLED THE FOOD CHAIN. Stop acting like you’re better than everyone else because you eat grass instead of eggs for breakfast.
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Hi 🙂 I have a genuine question so can a vegan reply with a genuine answer instead of a sarcastic comment. What do vegans want to do with all livestock ? Where would we keep those animals and how would we prevent extinction ? And also what would be the alternative for the massive job loss if we all were to become vegan ? I’m not looking for an argument it is just something I’ve always wondered because I’ve never heard a vegan address either of those issues. Thank you 🙂
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OKAY BUT TO BE HONEST I LOVE SLAUGHTERING, I FIND IT EXTREMELY FASCINATING OK. IT DOESN’T BOTHER ME ONE BIT. I CAN BINGE WATCH THOSE VIDEOS FOR HOURS. I WANT TO TRY IT ONE DAY. MY VEGAN FRIEND CALLED ME A PSYCHO IN THE MAKING BUT I DON’T WANT TO KILL ANY HUMAN BEINGS. ALSO I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BUGS WHY DO YOU GUYS FORGET ABOUT BUGS. I OWN SEVERAL TARANTULAS, SCORPIONS, MILLIPEDES, YOU NAME IT. I LOVE THEM MORE THAN LIVESTOCK, I’M SORRY. BUT HEY KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. 🙂
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I have witnessed what you speak of. And it’s delicious. So shut the fuck up, vegan. You said you would.
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It would have been so better if you had been shut up in the first place. BTW Vegan is already old. Go Scavenging.
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fun fact 1: all the farm visits make me appreciate meat produce even more
fun fact 2a: there’s a reason for meat produce. plants don’t just grow anywhere. are you expecting farmers to just drop their jobs and starve their families to death? livestock = the answer to lands on which growing plants is a challenge. I don’t know what’s worse – people who kill people because of their gods, or ones that do because of their dietary preferences
fun fact 2b: veganism is not all fun and game. Sudden increase in demand leads to deforestation. Agricultural land doesn’t come for free. Displacing plants/animals out of their habitats is #instaveganstoryworthy (remember that’s why *invasive* strains of GMOs are criticized)
fun fact 3: cute and tasty are not mutually exclusive. Assumptions and false dichotomies I can’t.
fun fact 4: when I was 10 I helped my mother make raw blood pudding – basically killing a live chicken and quickly draining its blood before it clots. You scream murder, I say family bonding. See how you can cast different lights on the same scene, dear stage director?
Plant-based meals are great but posts like this are not helping. You can paint the world ugly but nothing can cover the unsightly inside you. Use your venom and I’ll spit mine.
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Why must vegans and omnivores argue all the time? As an omnivore myself, I admit that the vegan diet has it’s benefits, but it also has downsides. The same can be said for an omnivorous diet. You see, there is no right or wrong answer in this debate. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and viewpoints on right and wrong and we shouldn’t be judging people based on them. There is nothing wrong with eating meat either, except the fact that most meat is not humanely sourced. We should not be pointing the finger at each other, we should be fighting to bring down the real problem that is factory farming. I reiterate, there isn’t anything wrong with eating meat. If we were destined to follow a vegan diet why do we require the vitamins and minerals that can only be obtained from meat? Also, why do we have our bodies made to process meat if we aren’t supposed to eat it? I don’t agree with mass farming of animals and certainly despise the torture of animals, but we must sustain ourselves as a healthy species that can sustainability eat animals without unnecessary torture of them, as many other species do.
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Watch “What the Health” or “Forks Over Knives” and then come back here and comment. It’s a myth that humans NEED anything from meat, dairy, and eggs in regard to nutrition (including protein). A whole-foods, plant-based diet is optimal for all stages of human health. Full stop.
Once you recognize this FACT, there is no reason whatsoever to kill innocent animals for food. Animals are NOT food. Full stop.
Once you make this connection you not only become an activist, an outspoken individually who becomes the voice for the voiceless but you also enjoy incredible health (reducing the risk of heart disease by as much as 75%).
So, why wouldn’t you go vegan?
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Also, please keep the reply peaceful as I only wanted to offer an opinion and see what an authentic vegan thought of it.
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Finally, where do you get your protein from? I know you can get some in certain plants, but from my knowledge, it is generally of poor quality and would need to be highly concentrated in order to make a supplement which would be very time consuming and unethical fro the planet.
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Vegans get OUR protein from the same source YOUR “protein” gets THEIR protein: plants. Cows are herbivores (for example). Where would they get their protein if protein is better served from animal flesh?
Hippos, gorillas, elephants … SO many massive animals thrive as herbivores (vegans). So do humans.
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Oh ok, thanks. I just thought that due to our digestive system being best suited for the omnivore diet, it would be hard to get protein from a plant based source alone. I am also aware that hippos, gorillas and elephants have digestive systems best suited to their diets. I am also aware of evolution, which is why some people may be better suited to the vegan diet. Science is so fascinating, isn’t it?
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Hi,
I have watched “What the Health” and I have also researched the legitimacy behind this documentary. “What the Health” lacks scientific evidence and has made outrageous false clams with little to no research to back them up. I mean really, eggs are as bad as cigarettes? Nutritionists have slammed this documentary as it “is exaggerating weak data” and is “misrepresenting science to promote a diet that avoids all animal foods.” It made some fair points, such as EXCESS (emphasis on excess) processed meat consumption has been linked to cancer and heart disease. These documentaries, however, seriously over-exaggerated this fact and to me, started to sound like a hyperbole. However, we still need meat in moderation, as millions of nutritionists have researched and scientifically proven though their peer-reviewed articles. I have recognized that animals do die under horrendous conditions and I believe I have common ground with you on this area.
However, the consumption of animals is part of the cycle of life, and you cannot dispute that. You cannot have life without death, even if that animal did not want to die. Do you think a gazelle hunted by a lion in Africa wanted to die? That he didn’t plead for mercy and had a will to live? He did, but the consumption of the gazelle is necessary for the lion’s survival, just as the consumption of a cow is necessary for our survival. Besides, from my experience, veganism is a first-world problem. We who have the opportunity to eat meat shouldn’t complain about this opportunity that other people may die without. Personally, I find veganism something for fueling the egos of people who have nothing better to do, but ignore me. In any third-world countries, if you told a poor, starving child that he should go vegan, what do you think he would do? He would laugh at you. Again, the consumption of meat is necessary for this child’s survival, and he doesn’t care if another animal has died for it, just as the lion that would eat him wouldn’t, so why should we complain about something that is part of nature? Besides, nature is full of life and death and the eating of other animals. Look up the food chain if you don’t believe me. There is no arguing with nature.
Somebody close to me was a vegan for the first 14 years of his life. He now encourages me actively to eat meat, as protein and iron is key for proper brain development and nourishment. It is extremely difficult and not available to many people to sustain a healthy body off of veganism without extremely pricey supplements. When you can give me peer-reviewed scientific articles and factual information regarding the true health benefits of being vegan without and exaggeration/false claims then I’ll listen. Anyway, as you keep saying, we have a choice to make. I choose to follow nutritionists, scientists, scientific evidence, peer-reviewed articles and mother nature is choosing to be an omnivore. Besides, “meat tastes frigging’ amazing”, as my close once-vegan friend once said.
Have a nice day!
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One last thing,
if we were meant to be vegan, why do vegans take supplements? Don’t tell me they don’t, my associate had to take them and has been advised by leading dietitians that if you are vegan, you need supplements to make up for the lost goodies from meats.
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Why do vegans take supplements? Let me throw this right back at you, why do carnivores take supplements? Why does the dairy industry add vitamins A and D to milk?
Been living on a plant based diet since 1969. Don’t take supplements, don’t take any pill of any kind. I exercise every day, read every thing I can on nutrition and health. I take responsibility for my health. Sorry to disappoint you, but, no, humans DO NOT need to eat meat, and do not need supplements. . Every vitamin and mineral your body needs is in food. The most unhealthiest people are meat eaters. The 2 leading causes of death are cancer and heart disease, and both have a link to unhealthy animal based diets and life-style choices.
Please stop using the lazy and lame excuse for eating animals because lions eat gazelles. How do you even find a connection between a lion and a man? If a lion could hop on down to the nearest grocery store to stock up his fridge, or go to a restaurant, you don’t think he wouldn’t?
Please!
I don’t push my belief systems off on anyone, but will not be passive when someone makes such inane and absurd statements.
Oh yeah I have to say it, plant based food tastes friggin’ amazing, and no one dies!
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This is meant to be a passive thread, thank you very much! Now, the debate on people who eat meat. Yes, processed meats have been labeled as human carcinogens, and yes, eating too much meat has been linked to heart disease, but there is no actual peer reviewed unbiased scientific evidence to back up that meat causes cancer and that eating meat is unhealthy. If you eat meat in moderation, not too much and not too little, you will live a healthy life without any added “risk” from eating too much meat. Get your facts straight before you come outright calling us the unhealthiest people. That is not true and there is no evidence to back it up. You are using a hyperbole. This “unhealthy meat eaters” claim can only be applied to those who OVEREAT highly PROCESSED MEAT. Claiming that people who eat meat die is like Trump claiming that he is the smartest man in the world. NOT TRUE. Do I need to spell it out for you?
To continue, we aren’t carnivores, we are omnivores. The fact that you call omnivores carnivores demonstrates your lack of understanding of the natural world. Vegans take supplements because they choose to go off meat and need supplements to make up for the things they can’t get in plants, only in meat. OMNIVORES (not carnivores) take supplements because they cannot properly extract required vitamins and minerals from their food. (E.g P.K.U) This is not because we weren’t meant to eat meat, but rather that some other medical condition has depleted stores of essential nutrients. Your rebuttal doesn’t even defend your point of view.Can you still argue with that?
Finally, the lion-eats-gazelle arguments is not “lazy” and “lame” as you say. The only time someone uses those terms is when he cannot properly argue against them because he knows that they are right. The connection between a man and a lion may not be evident to those who don’t understand nature, but let me educate you. A lion is a carnivore. He eats meat. He has specific adaptions that enable him to eat meats. Humans eat meat and plants. We are omnivores. We need to eat plants to get nutrients we can’t get from meat and we need to eat meat to get nutrients we can’t get from plants. We have a medium length digestive tract, in between the length of a carnivores and a herbivores, that is best adapted for the consumption of both animal and plant matter. We don’t have fangs as big as a lion’s because we do not survive just on meat. We need nutrients from meat that we can only get from meat. No, it may not be very fair to consume other living beings, but do you think nature is fair? Would a lion go vegan just because his dinner was too afraid of facing the true ferocity of nature? Would he have chances of dying of nutritional deficiency because other animals didn’t want to die? No, he would just eat you. Have you got the point yet that we are meant to eat meat? Also, if you really don’t believe me, maybe you should go ask the millions of highly-educated specialists that know what they are doing in regards to nutrition and human biology. They will tell you the exact same thing.
Thank-you for reading, please no hate comments like the one above.
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“Hate” comments? Really? Just because someone has a different point of view, you see that as hate?
The vast majority of people eat meat, most people die of heart disease and cancer, mostly from their diet and life style choices.
Is there a connection? Most likely.
Again you state “vegans” take supplements because… I wrote I have been on a plant based diet since 1969, take no supplements, none, zero. And no medications, none, zero. You can’t throw out a statement making it sound like ALL vegans do this or that and not expect to have someone admonish you.
One thing that distinguishes man from animals is freewill. We have the mental capacity for compassion and reasoning.
Sorry to disappoint you, but using the argument that because lions eat other animals it is okay for humans IS “lame and lazy”.
Look, I could give a flying fuck what you or anybody else eats.
If eating meat works for you, fine, then don’t come onto a vegan website and try to make us think we have made wrong choices.
When I stopped eating animals at 14, it was because I didn’t see any difference between my dog or a cow or a pig. I realized the spark of life in their eyes was as important and personal as mine.
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Answers? No answers?
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Yes but this means nothing to people who raise their own animals an ensure they have a healthy, free-roaming life. Been there done that.
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Also I am only interested in having a diet that revolves around locally sourced foods which would be impossible (or extremely difficult) to maintain a vegan diet as it’s winter 6 months out of the year here. Did you know that buying all those crazy imported foods ISN’T good for the environment either? Takes planes and ships to get that stuff here. Also apparently the price of avocados has gone up so much that they are virtually unaffordable for locals. But by all means, keep poking at people who eat meat and take care to ensure where their food is coming from and what impact it has on others and the environment.
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Sure.
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get off your high horse and get over yourself. a person’s diet does not determine who they are
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How about shit the fuck up and live your own life you judgemental pieces of shit. Tofu and alternative foods consume just as much water and space as animals… soy and palm oil are responsible for more habitat destruction. We do not possess the enzymes to effectively digest plant matter. Go shove a stick of celery up you ass. Fuck your feelings and opinions. Going to muder a steak and some drumsticks now cunt…
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Wow alot of vitriol from both sides. Look I just cant be vegan. But good for you that you can. Is it really necessary to shame and insult people just because they rather eat meat. Its their business. You have the luxury of being vegan (as in my neck of the woods organic and vegan is more expensive) many people do not. You do you and let others do likewise in peace. Now if they come at you with some crap about your choice then let the vitriol lose. Otherwise….if you cant stand to be around while theyre eating a burger well go somewhere else..
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