I became vegan in July. Everyone in my hometown has been surprisingly respectful and not annoying, considering it is a hunting town (I was raised to hunt, and moose meat was a staple dinner in my childood).

Today I was working and when I returned to their house, my stepmother rather proudly declared she had made sure to cook me a dinner with no milk or dairy or eggs: ...garlic chicken wings. I said "do you mean tofu garlic chicken wings?"

Her eyes went wide, and suddenly, she realized...that chicken isn't vegan? I honestly don't know what she was thinking. She actually hates garlic, so she was genuinely trying to make me a meal i would like. We've had multiple conversations where i described exactly what vegan means. We havent always had a very good relationship but I genuinely think she meant well. She felt pretty bad but i honestly just dont get it. Spent all day thinking chicken was vegan. Bizarre story today, just wanted to share.

I'm going vegan, I do not believe in the exploitation of animals. If it weren't for outside pressures, I think I would've been vegan sooner. I've been vegetarian for over a year and already had difficulty socially and with my family not understanding (ie they fed me chicken because it's "not meat").

How do you navigate social events with close friends/family who laugh at vegetarianism, let alone veganism? I want to stick to my principles but I am so socially anxious about losing my few friends.

i study drama and in our speech lessons we're performing political speeches.

we were told to pick something we're passionate about. my flatmate chose animal cruelty. yet she "could never go vegan" and loves eating meat.

i just don't understand and it makes me feel like im losing my mind. i can't comprehend how they don't see the complete and utter hypocrisy.

In online discussions I often see vegans argumenting with these points:

• a significant part of all crops are grown to become animal feed and that it could be used to grow food for humans instead,

• most meat comes from huge factory farms with hundreds or thousands of animals, smaller farms are rare and can't sustain the current demand for cheap meat (what's considered a small farm?),

• the overall poor welfare and living conditions of the animals.

I assume most of these points come from the reality of farming in the US but I wonder if it's different in the EU (since I live there). I've recently watched some documentaries about cattle and corn farming in the US and was shocked at the scale of it directly, but I don't think every soil/land is suitable for growing edible plants? And in some areas grazing animals help maintain the wild meadows and local biodiversity (when the grass is kept low more blooming flowers can grow and support the life of various insects).

I understand and agree with the other ethical reasonings for veganism, I just want to know more about animal farming in the EU and thought some people here might know.

Edit: I meant I agree with veganism overall, just wanted more info about EU

TLDR: I need new boots and need help deciding between WVS lace up boots, WVS Chelsea Boots, Blundstone Chelseaboots and used animal leather boots. My main factor for deciding are durability and comfort. The used animal boots because of a probably smaller environmental impact although I struggle with the idea.

I need to get some shoes that will last for a few years and I though I should get some boots. But I don't know which vegan boots will last long. I narrowed it down to WVS lace up boots, WVS Chelsea boots and blundstone Chelsea boots. I like the look of the lace up boots more but they need more maintenance and I'm not to good at that. Also I don't know if the quality of WVS is better than the one of blundstone. I would be happy if you could tell me your experience. I'm also kind of thinking about getting used leatherboots. But I kind of don't really want to do that but if it will last longer than vegan boots it would probably be much better for the environment. It still feels kinda wrong tho. I also have a leather jacket that I am struggling with deciding if I should continue to wear it. Since it normalises animal exploitation. What would you decide on?

I always see people saying fruit roll-ups are vegan, including a lot on this sub. I'm not able to find a reliable source for that, just some random websites that don't acknowledge the monoglycerides in the ingredients. Is there a source for this claim? Has anyone reached out to the company for confirmation? I probably will if I can't get a straight answer on this, but my past experience has shown that avenue rarely produces anything of value (lots of unanswered emails and refusals to make firm statements)

I’ve always been a meat eater (a carnist? I keep seeing that word here), never been even vegetarian, never really spent any time considering changing my diet for any reason that wasn’t about me and my desires. This sub keeps popping up in my feed and tbh I started perusing it to gawk at the “crazy angry vegans” I’m always hearing about. And yes, y’all are pretty crazy and angry- because of deep passion and unshakeable desires to protect living things that aren’t just human. And it’s really making me take a look at myself and my values and my own hypocrisy. I don’t really think about what I eat, and that’s a problem on so many levels! I’ve known this in a broad health-type way for a while and have been wanting to be more conscious of what I put into my body as a way of taking better care of myself, and it’s really exciting to think I can do that through the avenue of taking better care of the animals on this planet that I truly love so much. It may be my diet, my consumption, but it’s about so much more than just me.

So all that being said, what advice does anyone have for a brand brand brand new potential vegan? Recommended reading, podcasts, ppl to follow on various platforms, etc

I feel like the huge vegan wave we saw a couple years ago has decreased exceptionally and that’s OK but there’s still a lot of us who are actually true to the lifestyle who love attending markets and various events. I’m trying to find those people and I think right now having a market that bring people together is probably one of the best ways to connect and support each other, especially since a lot of people complain that they feel lonely with the rise of AI.

I’ve done a couple marks in the past, but I’m trying to think of new innovative methods I can implement to make sure more people who are curious get the opportunity to know it’s happening and attend. There are many ways to market products and events, but a market like this is a combination of the two.

Have you experienced great success getting people to attend your event or market following a specific method? Would absolutely love to hear. And also you should come if you’re in New York the market is happening the 7th and 8th November it’s gonna be such a good time. I would just love for more people to know what’s happening.

I tried one of these before veganism, and have been too afraid since being vegan because I always think “maybe it has secret non-vegan ingredients”. This place looked upon the ingredients. I’m still kind of nervous because I’ve been making everything my own haven’t had anything cooked in oil of other items with animal products and being so very careful about it. This place is South Shore Terrace in Milwaukee. I reside in Illinois and feel un isolated and unsure since I haven’t left Illinois on a couple years I hope this is trustworthy.
Vegan love to our vegan community for the ethical treatment meaning no killing for any reason and with our exploitation.
Anyone else feel nervous about “Impossible”? Too good to be true?

Not sure if this the best sub for this. In summary:
Where can I learn more about animal rights advocacy/veganism without seeing details of animal abuse?

I’d like to support advocacy for animals that is beyond my diet choice. For example: If there’s policy or lobbying for changes to factory farming. Or the arguments for veganism that address the environmental impacts of factory farming.

I can’t overstate how sensitive I am to animal cruelty/death and have been this way since I was a child. I don’t need to be convinced it’s happening, I know enough. But when I go to learn more to help it’s paired with information that makes me emotionally distressed and haunts me up to a week.

I’m not convinced that this is a reality I need to always look in the face to support the cause. I understand the tactic of showing how animals are tortured, but I’m of no use if I’m triggered into a wave of grief and distress.

If anyone has sources, or even relates to this and has advice I’d really appreciate. I’m in Canada so anything Canadian specific is a plus

Looking at some books by Dr. Greger. I see that he has 2 out: "How not to die" and "How not to age" and soon a new one will be released "how not to hurt."

I am curious if anyone has read the first 2...are they that different that it is worth getting both? I imagine a lot of the information is relatively similar but maybe presented from a different perspective.

Hey friends, I have a surgery upcoming and I would love to do some meal prep for about a week so I have food I can easily just pop in the microwave or reheat. Do you have any excellent casserole recipes or something that’s relatively easy to make but is good for meal prep and ideally has protein? Thanks so much for the help!

WHY ON GODS GREEN EARTH DOES EVERYTHING NEED TO BE ANIMAL TESTED.
I use a medicated shampoo because I’m an adult with CRADLE CAP. It’s terrible it’s like dandruff on steroids. I have used the same medicated shampoo brand since childhood , my dad used it in the 70s and the company STILL tests on animals. Come on people get with the times for the love of all that is good and kind.

i just found out today by my doctor that i’m prediabetic and if i don’t change how i eat food it will develop into diabetes, im just 19 F (5,9) so its stressful, its been incredibly difficult to loose weight and about a year ago when i started hormonal BC i shot from 160 to 215 overtime

i know i cant blame it all on that, but i really want to change my life and choose veganism for multiple reasons. so, im just hoping for help and not shame for that.

i have to make an extreme shift in how i choose to eat food, i’ve already recently started being vegan. but again im just looking for if it’s shown results for other prediabetic people. im wondering if anyone else has become vegan to help with this? and those results.

so far all the research i’ve done has been really positive!

Having surgery that will require a semi-liquid diet for a few weeks. Before I invest in gross protein shakes, are there any vegan protein shakes you recommend? Has anone tried the vegan protein waters? I am planning on "watering down" the smoothies I typically make and eliminating the chia seeds I add.

"In this episode, we travel across Asia with Zac Lovas, founder of Vegan Travel Asia. We discuss some of the issues plaguing the region, from the push for dairy products in Vietnam, to the bill awaiting royal approval that would standardize slaughterhouses across Bhutan, to the exploitation of cows in India.

But first, we explore the magic of vegan travel: discovering new places in ways that are thoughtful and considerate of local cultures, while fostering new friendships and the exchange of ideas. We also discuss why religion is key to advancing the vegan movement.

Book Your Travel Adventure in Asia: https://vegantravelasia.com/ "

I decided to be vegetarian when i was 15, and after afew years I have decided to the dismay of my family to go fully vegan at 17! Im super proud of myself, considering there was a time i had pepperoni pizza and ham sandwiches everyday, and thought that "i could never go vegan". I have even managed to convert my family to only using oat milk now, after a long fight with my dad. (I have also managed to get them onto my vegan curry, but I personally take that as a win for my cooking skills!) I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for switches from butter, especially on sandwiches. Im a little bit picky and don't have too much money currently but It is a big part of my old diet so if anyone has any sandwich suggestions, or just for spreads that i could put on a savoury sandwich I would really appreciate it! Thank you!

I’ve only been vegan for two weeks, but it feels so easy to feel as though I’m making no impact and that there’s no point. Animal exploitation is going to occur anyway and I can’t make people change, but I know I’m doing the right thing. And don’t twist my words here, I am not feeling tempted to go back to eating animal products, but it’s so hard to feel like there’s hope and that one day there won’t be any suffering animals when everyone around me is always contributing to the industry.

Mine wasn't dramatic. I was vegetarian and I'd had veganism on my mind for a long while. My excuse at the time: it was difficult to find vegan options when I went out with family, so I would usually cave and order whatever was most convenient.

One morning I was out to breakfast with my grandmother and she asked if we would split a stack of buttermilk pancakes as usual.

I said... No, thanks. I think I'll order avocado toast.

Of course, that wasn't the first vegan meal I'd ever eaten. But in that moment something just... clicked. How the narrative that veganism takes an immense amount of effort, or willpower, or social ostracization is quite overdramatized. How the majority of what we eat is built on routine and habit rather than actual necessity, and it only takes a brief moment to break away from it. How easy it is to just say no.

Somehow, while eating that piece of toast, I just knew I would never eat another animal product again. And I was right.

I'm having almost an identity crisis. Once you really face the cruelty of the meat and dairy industry, once you stop turning away and really LOOK, and it hits you. It really, really hits you.

I feel so awful for ever eating meat. I feel so awful period. I can't believe all the animals that are born, suffer, and die horrendously because people like me just didn't care enough to stop supporting it.

I'm heartbroken. I know all of you are too. I'm not even looking for sympathy here I'm just consumed by guilt and sadness.

It's like once you open this door, there is no shutting it, and the pain of the animals now lives in your heart forever.

I will carry that, no problem, no burden. They deserve that at the very least. It's not a wonder people ignore it though. What a monstrous world we live in, what a monstrous species we are.

Hi, i’m going to start this by asking you guys to keep it very kind and not to reply to my question in a rude or sarcastic manner. So i do have insulin resistance, also my whole life i’ve had very low muscle tone and a very fast metabolism, im naturally very skinny to the point where people assume i have an eating disorder, i lose weight extremely fast (awful). 5 years ago i started eating kinda like keto based off of my nutritionist’s recommendations. I eat high in protein, healthy fats and gravitate more towards low carb foods because when i eat let’s say rice or lentils, more complex carbs, my insulin leves spike and i can see it in my skin very quickly, i get skin tags. I’m a makeup artist and recently i made the choice to go fully cruelty free with the makeup, brushes, lashes and skincare products i buy because i think that there’s no need to have animals involved in those things plus there are plenty of good and high end brands that are cruelty free. I was then thinking about my diet but considering the things i previously mentioned, how could i make a vegan diet work for me without compromising my we and insulin levels? Thanks in advance

A brand called Healthier Comforts are producing a vegan egg white product that are “real eggs”. It looks like it follows the same science as lab grown meat. It says the real eggs are fermented without animal inputs. Selfishly I’m extremely excited to start making deserts with this products. I’m not sure why, but I feel trepidations. I think I’ve been vegan so long the idea of eating eggs is off putting, but this product IS vegan.
Does anyone have a moral and ethical reason this product shouldn’t be adopted by vegans? Any other opinions? Thanks for contributing.