Pluses And Minuse Of Veganism
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Benefits of Veganism:
1. Clear conscience – not killing animals, not ruining the environment
2. Health - lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer…
3. Environmental - veganism is greener than driving a hybrid
4. Better Cooking – in general, vegans have more cookbooks and are more confident chefs than nonvegans. Marketing research shows this to be true.
5. More food – when one door closes, another door opens. Most vegans report increasing their food diversity after going vegan, not decreasing it. Vegans tend to think outside the box a bit.
6. Having a good reason not to try aunt Mable’s marshmallow fruit jello salad.
7. Many people report losing weight when they go vegan.
8. Walking the walk, living in sinc with your values.
Drawbacks of Veganism:
1. Isolation - if you live in a small town, you may not know another vegan
2. Answering the same stupid questions over and over and over – every meat-eater has questions, usually you’ve heard the question before from another meat-eater
What do you think are the pluses and minuses of veganism? Leave a comment!
“Isolation” is certainly a negative. However, it goes far beyond your description, into a kind of existential isolation, which has some impact. Isolation from family and friends is quite difficult for some.
Constant conversation is certainly a benefit of veganism. Everybody is at the same time interested and certain that you are wrong. These conversations are intrinsically good if you ask me. However, we have an added benefit here: We are right and it’s fun to prove it!
~ Recent blog post: One reaction to Biden’s choice ~
Alex,
Sounds like you’ve had more success getting your ideas across in personal conversations than I have. I constantly hear things like, “Oh, you’re so brave and strong. I could never be vegan.” Ugh. They don’t even realize how insulting it is.
For me, the last two are somewhat connected. Isolation occurs partially because I’d simply rather not socialize with people who refuse to think.
PS – I posted this at the PPK, too. Here’s the thread: http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=80235
I do not consider answering the same stupid questions from meat eaters to be a drawback. I relish the opportunity to inform them why I’m vegan and I , being a well informed vegan, love being able to share my experience and provide solid information to those who are curious enough to ask. I never get impatient or annoyed by even the most ridiculous questions and comments because I know they come from ignorance, and are not a personal attack.
As far as isolation, I live in NYC so I can’t really relate to that. There are tons of vegans as well as stores and restaurants just for us. I sympathize with the plight of those who live in small towns.
I feel the biggest drawback for me is difficulty finding things to eat when I’m not at home. Even though there are vegan restaurants, they’re not all over the place and when dining with friends, I usually get outvoted as far as where we eat. Most restaurants do not carry the many vegan substitutes for meat and dairy that I enjoy at home and I often find myself out and about, starving, and unable to find anything to eat. When eating out with friends we have to do online research beforehand to locate a restaurant with at least one vegan meal on the menu and it’s usually pasta with tomato sauce. I am forced to carry walnuts or a banana on me whenever I go out to run errands or whatever just so I don’t go hungry. What can we do to get meat and dairy substitutes on more menus?