What exactly is a Vegan?

[LindsayDunn228]

OH MY LORD...MY DH...that is exactly what he is a FRUITARIAN ..YUP, that is exactly what he is....from early in the morning until bed....

oranges, apples, pears, bananas, raisins, all day and all night....

Is he related to Prot, you know from K-PAX?

 

[amarberry]

Vegetarians do not eat fish. At least, not the real vegetarians. There are posers out there.

THANK YOU!!! I've been a vegetarian for over 10 years and one of my biggest pet peeves is when some says "oh, your a vegetarian, so you eat fish?" No!!!!!! I've also known people who only eat chicken to call themselves vegetarians. ARGH!!!!

(Sorry...getting off my soapbox now )

 

[DisneyPhD]

Ok, my vote for those that won't eat furit or veggies unless they die of natural causes is "FRUITCAKE!"

For the past year I have been living a rather sudo odd reverse vegan life style as my DD is allergic to milk (protein not lactose intollerant) and eggs (whites not yoaks.) We have found a lot of allerterntives with Vegan foods and I am grateful for that. However we also eat a lot of meat (sometimes that and french fries is the only thing for my DD to eat at resturants.) Heck, if I didn't feed her meat I think they would take me away on child abuse chareges, she is tiny!

I have a heck of a time finding vegan tatar sause though!

I have to say that this not eating eggs and milk is darn hard. Really really hard. It cut out about half of what we could eat (she is breastfed so I can't have it either and I don't cook 2 meals for my family.) And we still eat meat. The thing is milk and eggs are in so much (refined sugar even more, but I don't bother with that.) I am so sick of quizing every food server I have, reading every lable, shopping at special store (that cost 2 times as much).

To have the dedication to that out of your own free will, not because it could harm your child I find amazing. I pray daily she outgrows this and I can't wait until I can eat freely again.

Side note, I have lost 20 pounds in the 1st 4 months on this "diet". I have leveled off after that, but still I do feel healthier. As much as I love cheese, it doesn't love me.

 

[HaleyB]

My sis knows someone who is an extreme kind of vegan...I can't remember what its called, but they won't eat anything that has been killed including plants. They will only eat fruits and vegetables that fell to the ground on their own....what are they called? I know that there is a market in Atlanta that caters to those people and they actually call the food "naturally dead"

They also could be Jains which is a very old religion based on non-violence in act and thought. They will sweep their path so as to not step on bugs accidentaly. They also can only eat with blessed utensils. There are some fruits and roots they will not eat.


There are also people who are into the Microbiotic diet.

 

[Laura]

THANK YOU!!! I've been a vegetarian for over 10 years and one of my biggest pet peeves is when some says "oh, your a vegetarian, so you eat fish?" No!!!!!! I've also known people who only eat chicken to call themselves vegetarians. ARGH!!!!

(Sorry...getting off my soapbox now )

I get that all the time, too. Most people just don't know what vegetarians are, and those who call themselves vegetarians when they eat fish or poultry don't really help, do they.

 

[bettyann29]

i had a vega once. it was actually a nice little car. got good gas mileage. used regualr gasoline and oil. so might have had animal byproducts in it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Ok, my vote for those that won't eat furit or veggies unless they die of natural causes is "FRUITCAKE!"

I've been lacto ovo vegie for about 25 years. When I met my DH, who was a vegetarian, I told him I could NEVER be a vegetarian because I could never give up steak. Famous last words.

We are strict in some ways, not in others (we buy leather shoes, my new van has leather seats). We think about what we are buying and make sure that it's something that matters and is important to us. We think about alternatives.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I've been lacto ovo vegie for about 25 years. When I met my DH, who was a vegetarian, I told him I could NEVER be a vegetarian because I could never give up steak. Famous last words.

We are strict in some ways, not in others (we buy leather shoes, my new van has leather seats). We think about what we are buying and make sure that it's something that matters and is important to us. We think about alternatives.

See, my Oddessy has coth seats, (but we are cheap and I don't like how the leather ones stick to my butt!)

But then again I am having steak for dinner tmw night (Little PhD's birthday finally!)

 

[wvjules]

Ok this confuses me. Its not ok to kill an animal for food, but it is ok to kill them for leather shoes and seats? It seems to me that it should be the other way around. (Not picking on you T&B, just curious)

 

[FlowersChild]

Ok this confuses me. Its not ok to kill an animal for food, but it is ok to kill them for leather shoes and seats? It seems to me that it should be the other way around. (Not picking on you T&B, just curious)

Well some say that leather is a by-product of the slaughter house. Like after they kill the cow for meat they use some of the skin for leather. So some may look at leather as being the lessor of the two evils between meat and leather. But others don't believe leather to be a by-product they believe that the slaugther house depends on leather sales as well as meat sales to make money.

There are people who say it's not okay to eat meat but we might as well use leather since it's just an innocent by-product that will go to waste if we don't use it.

I boycott leather but I just wanted to share other people's views on leather.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Ok this confuses me. Its not ok to kill an animal for food, but it is ok to kill them for leather shoes and seats? It seems to me that it should be the other way around. (Not picking on you T&B, just curious)

Hey, I started a whole thread about it one time--that was the time to pick on me. Or maybe you did then...

First of all--if I eat the steak, it's over and done with. If I buy the leather shoes, I use them for months if not years. They last for a long time. This is the first time for leather seats, so the jury is still out, but I carry kids around who are dirty. I'm talking boys who get into the car in their baseball clothes--who are already smelly middle school boys. I can wipe down the leather seats and I'm good to go. The dirt and smell should come off without a problem (we'll see how true it really is in a year of driving them around...).

Also, according to what I could find (don't know that it's really true), the big industry is the meat industry. The leather is a by-product . When enough people quit eating meat and that isn't the case I'll rethink my views on wearing leather shoes and most certainly on the leather shoes and furniture (not that I have any furniture).

And most important is that I do what I can do, what I am comfortable with, and what works for me and my family. I don't sweat the things that I'm not strict about (ie, we had rice krispy treats a couple days ago, made with marshmallows, which are not vegie, at least not the ones that I have).

 

[SoonerKate]

I can't think of much that Vegans can't eat, either. Check out what one mom does for her son's lunch every day atVegan Lunch Box.

 

[beckmrk04]

I can't think of much that Vegans can't eat, either. Check out what one mom does for her son's lunch every day atVegan Lunch Box.

OKAY- this is waaaaayyy OT- but I LOVED Mitch Hedberg!! Fav comedian, and I noticed the quote in your siggie!

 

[battricia]

For future rice krispy treat reference: I use 'marshmallow fluff' in mine and they come out SO GOOOOOOOD, and no gelatin. They are a little softer than regular krispy treats (the ones w/ marshmallows tend to be stiffer), but that doesn't bother me, I still love them.

- they still aren't vegan though.

tricia.

 

[hucifer]

The way I see it is a Vegan is someone who tries their best to not harm any living being. If there is a law to Veganism I would say the main law is to do your best not to harm any living creature. Not buying products tested on animals and not eating meat,dairy,eggs,honey could be laws that have roots in the main law that is to do your best to harm no living being. I hope I am making sense ?

When I buy my products such as soup,toothpaste ect. I do my best to buy products that are not tested on animals and that have no animal by-products in them. Now it's my belief that honey is not Vegan. You see I don't see why honey is different from Cow's milk in the fact that both honey and cow's milk comes from an animal.


Also if I see lizards,bugs,roaches ect. in my house I will not kill them I will take them outside. I don't want to kill any living being. I don't wear leather shoes and I will not wear anything that comes from an animal. Now some say that you can't be 100 % Vegan. I guess it depends on how you look at it. Well no matter how hard we try each of us will somehow harm some living being. We people walk what about the bugs they might step on and this is just one example of what I mean when I say we all will harm some living being. So if you look at it that way I would say that no one can be 100 % Vegan.

Now just because I can't stop all animal suffering that does not mean that I can't stop some of it. So some people will not eat meat,dairy,eggs, they will not buy products tested on animals and they will not kill bugs,roaches,ants and they will do their best to respect all life. Many people will do their best to not harm any living being. So maybe in a way these people are 100 % Vegan.

So Veganism to me means doing my best to respect all life. Many times I say this " I love and adore all animals " > When I say that I love and adore all animals that means that I respect all life and I don't want to see any living being suffer. Also Veganism is my way of showing kindness to animals. When I adopted this little black kitten from an animal shelter I saved her life and I showed kindness to her. Also if one of my human friends is upset about something I would like to help them out if I could and if I help them out and show kindness to them I feel that is a part of my Veganism.

There are more than one reason to be a vegan. FC just mentioned one of them...for morality purposes.

I started a vegan diet purely for health reasons. I did not care that I was wearing leather shoes or using products that were tested on animals. I started the diet for the most selfish reason of all...I wanted to be as healthy as possible. The more research I did on eating a plant-based diet, the more I was convinced it was the right thing to do.

Since then, I've sort of migrated to a vegetarian diet with vegan tendencies. I guess I love the ocassional bite of cheese.

 

[phamton]

Like dairy--cows give birth to calves (thus producing milk) and the calves get sold off as veal.

The cow only has to be bred once and, after giving birth, they keep getting milked in the farms which means that their bodies will continue to produce it as long as it is being used.

Some cows from strong milk lines (most commonly in Jersey and Holstein breeds) young cows can and do produce milk without being pregnant.

This is called Spontaneous Lactation, Virgin Lactation or Maiden Milk. This also happens with Dairy Goats such as Nubian and LaMancha breeds.

 

[VSL]

Don't forget the raw foodists (most of whom are vegan)!

If anyone is interested in vegan bath/beauty stuff, do check out Lush (who have gorgeous hand-made bath products!):
US - www.lush.com
UK - www.lush.co.uk
I also think they have a sister company called BeNeverTooBusyToBeBeautful (or something like that - there's probably a link on the Lush website).

 

[ChibiJones]

My DSis & BIL are vegan, they even had a vegan wedding. They won't wear any leather, wool, cashmere or silk. BIL has also been a raw-foodist on and off.

DH & I let them pick the restaurants when we visit. So far, just about everything they have fed us has been pretty good.

But, it is ok for their dog and cats to eat meat-based pet food because that's what their natural food source would be if they lived in the wild.

 

[Laura]

The cow only has to be bred once and, after giving birth, they keep getting milked in the farms which means that their bodies will continue to produce it as long as it is being used.

Some cows from strong milk lines (most commonly in Jersey and Holstein breeds) young cows can and do produce milk without being pregnant.

This is called Spontaneous Lactation, Virgin Lactation or Maiden Milk. This also happens with Dairy Goats such as Nubian and LaMancha breeds.

I didn't say the dairy farmers always keep producing calves from the cows, but it is a fact that calves are born from dairy cows. So that is part of the reasoning behind the "no dairy" in veganism. Certainly not the only reason.

I still drink the white stuff, as my personal "rule" is that if an animal directly died in order to produce something, I won't consume it.

 

[kdibattista]

OMG... I really need glasses... I thought the title was "What exactly is a virgin?"