Vegetarianism Is A Step Towards Veganism
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Adam Kochanowicz wrote an article a few months ago about why he doesn’t support anti-meat campaigns (like Meatless Monday or Meat Out) and only supports 100% vegan campaigns. The essence of the article is the idea that “If we’re going to be serious about defending the rights of the animals we hold as slaves, it’s time to go vegan.” And I agree that it’s time to go vegan.
However, I can’t agree with the way he got there. He acts as if vegetarianism is just as bad or worse than carnism. In the section titled, “There is No Ethical Difference Between an Omnivore and a Vegetarian” he wrote:
“The vegetarian diet does not have any inherent restriction that tells us to abstain from animal products or eat less of them. Rather, a diet devoid of meat and fish causes a vegetarian to simply eat different animal products while allowing for any sort of non-food animal consumption like clothing and entertainment.”
While vegetarianism does not require someone to eat fewer animal products, practically speaking, most vegetarians do eat fewer animal products. And while vegetarianism does not have any inherent reverence for animals, generally speaking, people who are vegetarian tend to respect animals’ lives more than people who are not vegetarian. Vegetarianism is a step towards veganism, which is a more complete respect for animals’ lives.
Supporting Evidence For My Claim That Vegetarianism Is A Step Towards Veganism:
1. Vegetarians do NOT simply exchange a pound of beef for a pound of cheese. Look at studies of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. In general, vegetarians have lower blood serum cholesterol levels than omnis. That strongly suggests that they eat fewer animal products than omnis. This is because dietary cholesterol is only present in animal products and is a major factor in one’s blood serum cholesterol. For the record: vegans, in general, have the lowest blood serum cholesterol levels of the three groups.
2. Look at menu items geared towards vegetarians. Chefs will often replace an animal product with a vegetable, not with another animal product. For example, something called a “vegetarian’s paradise pizza” isn’t often a four-cheese pizza, instead, it’s usually a pizza loaded with vegetables. Or how about the portobello burger? The all too common, bella-on-a-bun offered to vegetarians replaces the meat burger with a mushroom, not a slab of egg or extra cheese.
3. Talk to vegans. Most will say they went vegetarian first. And most will say going vegetarian was part of the process, like a stepping stone towards veganism.
Sure, there are plenty of vegetarians who will never go vegan, but are they really the enemy of veganism, as Adam would have you believe?
No. Not by a long shot.
I totally agree that vegetarianism is a step toward veganism. If I had gone from meat-eater to vegan in one step, I don’t think I would have stayed with it. Some people can, and that’s great. But I think going from meat-eater to vegetarian is a significant step. It signifies that the person is open to learning about animal rights and, in time, given the proper encouragement, can go vegan.
~ Recent blog post: ‘I Am an Animal’ Achieves One of PETA’s Goals ~
The fact that some individuals may have been vegetarian before they were vegan does not the refute the idea that vegetarianism is an inappropriate stepping stone to veganism.
I too was a vegetarian prior to veganism not because I couldn’t do it but was misinformed. No one told me of the horrors of the dairy and egg industry.
Of course taking steps and gradually making changes to one’s diet on the way to veganism is a good idea. We shouldn’t expect anyone to just give it all up overnight and I don’t suggest this.
However, this is not what the word “vegetarian” describes. “Vegetarian” says that some products are good and some are bad. It does not have anything in its policy that would bring anyone to veganism.
It’s understandable that a significant number of individuals will simply say “no” to the idea of going vegan. So the best thing we can do is not to give up and say “okay, then go vegetarian” but encourage for 1. A refreshed mindset on the status of animals, that their inherent worth is based on their use as property to us and 2. encourage for the greatest reduction of ANY animal product as possible.
Some of the points you gathered to refute my claim lacks real evidence and is cherry-picked (e.g. pizza and chefs replacing ingredients.)
The public has already been mislead to believe vegetarianism is the responsible answer whereas veganism is an unnecessary extreme. How can we respect vegetarianism to be a “stepping stone” without challenging this mindset?
Thanks for reading.
~ Recent blog post: The Vegan News (HD Video) ~
Ah, Adam, you make me want cherries… Cherry picking… yum…
“I too was a vegetarian prior to veganism not because I couldn’t do it but was misinformed. No one told me of the horrors of the dairy and egg industry.”
This was me too. I often think – that in my heart… I was a “vegan”. Of course, had I really been serious I would have investigated everything further. I mean where did I think my leather shoes came from anyway??? I never even questioned.
And for me, that’s what makes the true difference between being vegan and vegetarian – beyond what is reflected in what I consume. It’s accepting the responsibility to get to the truth and once I have it… to be mindful in my decisions.
~ Recent blog post: Animal Cruelty – Slaughter of Cats or Cows – What’s the Difference? ~
I only know one person who went vegan overnight. All the other vegans I know went vegan gradually. Most followed this path: they became meat-reducers, then vegetarian, then vegan.
When I went veg it was for my health. Quickly, though, my reasons changed as I learned about animal agriculture, and my vegetarianism was for the animals. I can probably say I was misinformed about the dairy and egg industry but that would not be entirely accurate. I knew about caged hens and dairy cow genetics. I knew I was contributing to the cruelty in those industries.
I can’t explain satisfactorily (to myself even) why I kept eating eggs and dairy products, except that it was easier. I wasn’t ready somehow.
I was ready, however, to eschew products made from animals. I was there from the start. So clearly I was on my way to vegan.
Of course all of these comments are anecdotal evidence. I would nevertheless be very surprised by any statistics suggesting that the majority of vegans went straight from omni to vegan. Interestingly, I suspect that the majority of those who do make this move do so for health reasons and would not, by definition, necessarily be vegan, because they may eat meat once a year or may use other animal products.
Regarding our anecdotal evidence, there’s more than anecdotes, there are statistics. And the stats show that there IS a significant difference between omnivores and vegetarians: blood serum cholesterol levels. Vegetarians are responsible for fewer animal deaths than omnivores, plain and simple.
Anyone who claims that “There is no ethical difference between an omnivore and a vegetarian” is ignoring the fact that there IS a significant difference. A claim like theirs is like saying there’s no difference between:
a) someone who commits mass murder vs. someone who murders one person
b) someone who deliberately sets a planned forest fire vs. someone who accidentally starts a forest fire while being a careless camper
c) someone who purposely drowns their dog in the bathtub vs. someone who didn’t rescue their dog from drowning when he ran into a raging river.
There is a continuum of harm where some things are worse than others. There is a continuum of good where some things are better than others. It goes like this:
omni < vegetarian < vegan.
Great post! Thanks.
I read a lot of Adam’s stuff, and I really appreciate his point of view and his efforts to raise awareness about the merits of the vegan philosophy. However, I often find myself shaking my head in disappointment after reading some of his rather elitist viewpoints. Veganism is a moral baseline, but I find little point in attacking the efforts vegetarian organizations that are helping to move society toward veganism.
Veganism is “a philosophy and way of living which SEEKS to exclude — AS FAR AS IS POSSIBLE AND PRACTICAL — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment.”
Depending on one’s point of view, the term vegan can be used to exclude nearly 100% of the population. If being vegan means causing the least harm to animals, then almost nobody is a true vegan. The list of animal byproducts that are found in cosmetics, auto-parts, bike tires, film, drugs, computers, and even “vegan” shoes makes it nearly impossible to be 100% vegan in today’s societies.
Additionally, some “vegans” eat non-organic fruits and veggies that were sprayed with pesticides that kill countless insects, birds and other small animals. Some “vegans” eat only organic produce. But even organic fruits and veggies are often fertilized with manure from factory farms (typically only “veganically”-grown, produce is not). Some vegans don’t even bother to buy local, sweat-shop free or fair trade products, which means they are contributing to the needless suffering and exploitation of human animals.
To me, veganism is more of a process than an endpoint. I think that anyone who is honestly and actively seeking out ways to cause less harm to other beings — as far as is possible and practical — can be defined as vegan.
Therefore, a vegetarian who is actively moving away from dairy and eggs is more vegan than a “vegan” who doesn’t give a second thought to buying the products of child labor. And, in my opinion, a meat-eater who decides to go vegetarian after learning about the horrors of factory farming at a “Meat-Out” event is more vegan than a “vegan” who spends their limited time criticizing Meat-Out events for not being 100% vegan.
I think any person or group that encourages others to make positive changes in their lifestyles in the direction of veganism is doing a good thing and should be supported, or at least not lumped into the same category as “the enemy.”
Intersting post! And yes, your right. There is a clear continiuum of harm/bad out there. To give another example. People that go to dog fights or cock fights and enjoy animal suffering and find it fun. are these people just as bad as someone who only eats organic and free range meat? I don’t think so. This is also the reason I hate Franciones ‘argumentation’ of Simon the sadist who burns dogs alive, he then compares it to the average meat eaters and says they are exactly the same.
That is not just far from reality, but it doesn’t help in a sensible discussion. This way we miss changes for change in society.
@ Adam: “The public has already been mislead to believe vegetarianism is the responsible answer whereas veganism is an unnecessary extreme”
prove this statement. I am a vegetarian, and I am already considered extreme by everyone I know (the why of my ethical vegetarianism can be found on my blog).
“It’s understandable that a significant number of individuals will simply say “no” to the idea of going vegan.”
Those people say no to vegetarianism just as easily.
Anyway…I made a post about all of this on my blog in case anyone is interested.
~ Recent blog post: Why this vegetarian celebrates meatout day ~
good, well written article, thanks for sharing it. And I agree that for many vegetarianism is a gateway to veganism. I went to strict vegetarianism after learning of my severe diabetes and high chol, BP, etc, and after reading Near Barnard’s book about reversing diabetes through a vegan diet.
Since then, I’ve learned about the animal industry and have gone vegan to lessen animal exploitation. I would not have even listened to vegan “propaganda” if I hadn’t seen the damage animal products had done to my body. In researching my conditions, I discovered … well, you all know what I discovered. It was at that point that I, as a devout Christian, determined that I could no longer participate in abusing the companions God had created so carefully and lovingly for us. I’ve even added my convictions about animal rights to my stepfamily blog which was just to help families grow healthy in their spirits. Now I teach how to grow healthier in their bodies, as well.
I say all that to point out to Mr. Kochanowicz that vegetarianism was a primary factor in creating this vegan. Oh, and by the way, I wasn’t aware that vegetarianism had a policy, as mentioned in his comment. In my experience, vegetarianism (geez! vegan is shorter to type!!!) is a dietary choice for individuals – not a program with policies. If there is an official organization with a policy, I’m sure most vege…ns don’t know of it! We/they just quit eating meat … then dairy … etc.
~ Recent blog post: Make a Messenger Bag Out of Trash Bags! ~
In a big way, it’s worse to eat dairy and eggs than it is to eat the meat of the animal itself, isn’t it? I mean, animals raised for dairy and eggs are tortured for a lot longer than animals raised for meat. And milk is just beef in a glass, right? So in that sense, I tend to agree with Adam. But I also agree with you that there are a lot of vegetarians who are striving towards veganism and not eating a ton of cheese and dairy products.
@Ivy: I don’t think being a vegetarian (who still drinks milk and eats eggs) is worse then someone who would not eat dairy products or eat eggs, but would still eat meat. I’ve heard this before on the vegansoapbox. Just consider. If you are a vegetarian that means: no fish and no meat.
So no more animal deaths of animals who were bred for meat. So no pigs, rabbits, cows reared for meat, many other animals … and fish! The fish part is very important. How many fish die every year? Stripped alive, suffocate? So lets say you ate meat and fish, but no eggs or dairy products. Would you really produce less animal suffering? I doubt it. I think the opposite is true when you compare it to a vegetarian. And it also depends on how much animal products the vegetarian even still consumes… Just my two cents. Of course veganism would be better when striving to support even less animal deaths…
~ Recent blog post: Why this vegetarian celebrates meatout day ~
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Thanks
This question was asked by someone on another forum, I shall call this person B: “would you rather… convince 20 meat-eaters to go vegetarian or 1 vegetarian to go vegan?”
The following was my response:
Generally speaking there’s still plenty of horrors going on at the vegetarian level. The question asked by ‘B’ could be viewed hypothetically, for instance we wave a magic wand and boom! there’s a vegan who used to be an omnivore….terrific. Now the cows and chickens etc are safe, and depending on how much that omnivore used to consume animals is the extent that lives will be saved. Next we wave the magic wand and boom! this time we have 20 former omnivores and now they’ve become veg heads. So depending on if these former omnivores were consuming lots of flesh is the extent of animal lives saved. So we have 1 vegan not eating flesh anymore, versus 20 veg heads not eating flesh anymore. For the sake of argument lets say they all live in the same town, all go to McDeath, Mc Death says crap, 20 customers less a week times say twice a week, so 40 meals. Now stack that against the 1 vegan and you see where I’m coming from, McDeath only loses 2 meals a week. And now to take that a step further multiply this by 20.000.000 compassionate consumers, McDeath hears the death toll for it’s stores, I.000.000 and it’s still in business.
Also to a varying degree 20.000.000 less fish or eggs or milk or cheese or honey products not being consumed would serously hurt and bankrupt many of those businesses, it just doesn’t stack up in numbers for the vegans.
So far I have been talking hypothetically, what about reality. If we do our best to convince omnivores and vegetarians to become vegans, what are the odds that your conversion rate will be substantial enough to make headway, how many vegans are there out there compared to vegetarians. When I talk to omnivores about veganism I find generally 1 person becomes vegan for every 20 or more who become vegetarian, does that mean I’m better off talking to the vegetarians and telling them it’s all or nothing?….. is it worth them being vegetarian?… I definately think so in the case of McDeath.
So for me personally, I don’t care if someone says they are vegetarians, I don’t see them as pariahs, I see them doing the best they can, and will always commend them, I luv vegans, but it really isn’t for everyone. Everyone will not become vegan.
E.V.
Regarding your post 6/16 9:14am
[Anyone who claims that “There is no ethical difference between an omnivore and a vegetarian” is ignoring the fact that there IS a significant difference. A claim like theirs is like saying there’s no difference between:
a) someone who commits mass murder vs. someone who murders one person
b) someone who deliberately sets a planned forest fire vs. someone who accidentally starts a forest fire while being a careless camper
c) someone who purposely drowns their dog in the bathtub vs. someone who didn’t rescue their dog from drowning when he ran into a raging river.]
This is incredible. Of course there is a difference between omnivores and vegetarians and vegans alike. However, there is a big big problem with vegetarians who are actually aware of the suffering (SUFFERING, not just “number of deaths”) in the dairy industry and still continue to eat it, and align themselves with the ethical side of the veg movement.
These animals die too. We are just prolonging their miserable lives. If you are aware of this fact, I don’t know how you could stay vegetarian for a long time other than the fact that it is “easier” as some have said here. And that is something we all must deal with, within our own personal priority systems.
It is not our job as vegans to force people to change their diets against their will, but it is our job to inform civilly so that people can make their own decisions.
As for “McDeath”, yes we all hate them as much as you do. But the fact is that vegetarian restaurants still use cheese and dairy, a huge part of the problem, as Ivy said. It was a good story though.
So yes, please support the veg-curious, the vegetarians and the meatless monday participants because they are willing and ready to make change and learn!
But please don’t let them think that they are saving the world still eating animal products. Animals still suffer and die because of the dairy and egg industry. With the words we use “vegetarian” and “vegan”, we are just talking about the parts we put in our mouth.
~ Recent blog post: Mindful eating and veganism ~
I am floored that despite my explanations, arguments which I have already addressed are still being made. As it is apparent those commenting are simply not reading the full text of my work, let me first address this comment which stood out to me, as it was intended to in its bold formatting:
“Vegetarians are responsible for fewer animal deaths than omnivores, plain and simple.”
I simply do not see how a vegetarian diet is responsible for fewer animal deaths than omnivores. All food animals are sent to their deaths, there is nothing inherent about vegetariansim that results in fewer animal deaths.
There are also comments about getting people to go vegan overnight (I not only never said this but specifically explained why this is not my approach) and false dichotomies of turning x number of people vegetarian or 1 person vegan. If you talk to people about veganism and they do not go vegan, have we made them more of an omnivore than before? Has any possibility of reducing animal products at that point been lost?
I will simply repost my interview with the Vegan Society in the hopes at least some people will read the full text.
Even the strictest of vegans will recommend vegetarianism to their peers with the reasoning it is a baby step towards going vegan. When someone like me suggests vegetarian education is an inappropriate means of animal advocacy, he or she may seem vindictive towards those who have chosen to follow a vegetarian diet. The position against vegetarian education is also misinterpreted to mean we are an elitist group of people who will simply walk away from someone unwilling to go vegan on the spot.
I personally respect those who follow a vegetarian diet. I know firsthand how uncomfortable it may be to have friends waving meat in my face or face criticism based on bogus health myths. If not going “cold tofu” vegan overnight, I do believe one should take steps to a vegan way of living like incorporating a vegan lunch or snack here and there. However, arbitrarily specific dietary measures like vegetarianism are misleading and don’t necessarily “step” towards anything. I like steps, just not the “vegetarian” step.
Some of my critics will interject with their own personal accounts of being lacto-ovo vegetarian (lo-vegetarian) before going vegan. In fact, a significant number of vegans began as vegetarians. However, this gateway argument is a matter of correlation, not causation. If someone begins with a lo-vegetarian diet and this helps them to adopt a vegan way of living, I say “right on!” But vegetarianism may just as easily prevent further actions. Individuals whose thinking includes empathy for animals or a desire to adopt better food choices to the point they would go vegetarian will likely be the group most inclined to try veganism. The correlation is there, but there is nothing to show vegetarianism causes veganism.
Add this to the strengthening of a widespread ignorance of the consequences of using animals as property. A well-researched vegan knows there is no ethical difference between eating a chicken breast or an egg and cheese omelet. All food animals end up in the slaughterhouse. Vegetarianism is not a way of living which seeks to reduce anything. Rather, lo-vegetarianism is a way of consuming as many products of animal exploitation as one desires as long as they do not enter the mouth in the form of flesh. It’s really strange criteria if you think about it.
Vegan education entails initiating a dialogue about topics like the basic morals so many of us have concerning the imposition of suffering and the fundamental issue of the property status of animals. When recommending a vegan way of living to my peers, if they say veganism is too difficult or insist they just can’t do it, what I do not do is tell them to accept defeat. Instead, this is an opportunity for me to ask why they believe they do not have the will power. A little encouragement goes a long way and they may just be held back by some popular vegan myths of which we’ve all heard.
However, if at this point they still are unlikely to go vegan, I continue to make it clear there is no moral difference between using the flesh of an animal or its secretions, labor, skin, etc. We can recommend gradual steps to our peers by recommending the general abstinence from any animal product rather than giving them a bogus list of good and bad animal products.
We don’t ask anyone to choose different forms of violence in other situations. We don’t tell individuals who beat their spouses to switch to forms of physical or verbal abuse which causes less suffering. We don’t tell adolescent bullies to slap rather than punch, we tell them to abstain from violence completely. Obviously the discipline of an individual restrains him/herself from completely ending his/her behavior, but gradualism means abstinence to the highest possible degree with no discrimination of negative behaviors of varying degrees.
Like many of my peers in vegan advocacy, I was once someone who clung to vegetarianism thinking veganism would “scare people away.” I still don’t know what I meant by that but having changed my tactics, I’ve learned empirically that vegan education works surprisingly well and much more effectively. I recommend to any educator they completely abstain from raising vegetarianism in their discussions. You’ll find this focusing on veganism will elicit more questions and more opportunities for education.
Adam,
When you claim “There is No Ethical Difference Between an Omnivore and a Vegetarian” you are giving ammunition to all the omnivores who refuse to take even a tiny step towards veganism. They claim, “well, it’s all just the same, so someone can eat 50 steaks or 1 steak and it just doesn’t matter at all. There’s no reason to reduce or eliminate meat consumption because dairy is just as bad as steak…”
The actual, real consequence of your black-and-white style ethics is hindering progress. The actual, real consequence of supporting campaigns like Meatless Mondays or MeatOut is meat reduction. The actual, real consequences of getting everyone to reduce meat consumption by 10% is greater than the actual, real consequences of doubling the vegan population.
We CAN encouarge veganism and ALSO support campaigns like Meatless Mondays and MeatOut.
I have to say that I am someone who went vegan overnight. In Australia most vegetarian options in resturants are loaded with dairy and eggs anyway…certainly I’ve discovered this snce becoming vegan.
I have to say that removing dairy, eggs, honey, wool and leather from my life wasn’t difficult. It was easy, so easy my only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier.
I understand now that for all the leather, wool, dairy, eggs and honey I ate…it always resulted in the death of the animal…it was just delayed over those raised for meat.
Really, once I discovered this, veganism was the only step left to take.
Like I read above also, buying sweatshop free clothing isn’t so hard either, there are loads of options out there.
Well i’m one of those immoral vegetarians
And I have tried going vegan, 4 times. And I find it anything but easy. Socially, practically but worst of all healthwise. All attempts failed because i felt bad. Really bad. And Yes, i’ve really tried, have read plenty of books about it (over 20) and spend many many hours online. Took all the vitamines, plenty of beans, combining proteins. The whole damned shizzle.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 11 years, started when I was 13 got a lot of crap because of that. Which especially when I was in puberty was pretty hard on me. My parents were absolutely against it, father has still not accepted it.
I eat way less dairy then 90% of people omnivore or vegetarian. Surely eating/drinking dairy is not environmental or animal friendly. And i don’t feel good about it. But I do what I can. I don’t live in a place were people are vegetarian, I’ve met 2 vegans in my country in my life so far. Both of them have quit now. One after 2 years the other after 3. Now they eat everything, and a lot of it. And they buy the cheapest meat they can get. I dare to say that my 11 years of vegetarianism, being inconsequent regarding dairy and eggs have caused a lot less harm than their 8/9 years eating meat and 2/3 years being vegan. I don’t know where you all live, but where I live there are not that many options. The nearest vegetarian restaurant is on the other side of the country and i’m not even sure wether they have vegan options. And during traveling it ain’t that easy either.
I don’t mean to be negative. just honest. But i’d rather have people eating less but organic grass fed etc. meat than go vegan for 2 years and give up al completely. Because most people don’t want to become vegan, maybe one day they will but in most countries meat is the norm, vegetarians are seen as squeemisch and vegans obsessed.
It’s not easy, it’s worth all the effort, even if it’s hard and as soon as i find out what i’ve done wrong i’ll try again but for most people veganism is way to strict. yet at least.
I was a vegetarian for 5 years until becoming a vegan. I thought I was helping animals by not eating meat or wearing fur/leather. It took me a while to realize and admit that I could do much better. If a vegetarian was using their current diet as a stepping stone towards being vegan, that’s fine. However, if they never become vegan, then they never truly step away from animal exploitation. I think vegetarianism is almost as harmful is an omnivorous diet. A vegan lifestyle is ideal.