F.A.Q's (or statements) of a Vegan (or vegetarian)

Gemma Correll Illustration. Her work is fab.

So I just thought I'd do a post on things that I regularly get asked or have said to me and my usual responses to them, just so you don't have to ask or if you're a fellow vegan or veggie looking for an eloquent answer. I have a pretty good sense of humor about this and I'm generally unphased by questions unless they're rude. I'll probably add to these as time goes by cause I've only been at this for a year or so. I'd just like to add that I'm not posting this to mock, degrade or take the piss, these are all genuine questions I've been asked and these are my genuine answers. I respect your right to eat what you like, as should you mine. And if you don't like my answers then it's simple - don't read them! :)

Why are you vegan?

Well, simply because I disagree with the way in which farmed animals are treated. From birth to slaughter they are often treated as though they have no awareness and deserve no rights and if you have a pet or have spent a lot of time around animals you will simply know this not to be true. I also have a lot of compassion towards animals and I've been a big lover of them since I was a child so it's pretty logical that I'm against animal abuse. If you don't believe this, all it takes is to Google how dairy cows are treated and you have your evidence.

But eating meat is natural. 

At our last stage of evolution we will have been hunter gatherers, meaning you would have had to hunt for meat and probably would have eaten it very rarely and your main food source would have been plants - also meaning that your digestive system is not designed to deal with the amount of meat many people consume on a day to day basis. Going to Maccie's or buying a sausage roll from Gregg's doesn't count as hunting.

Why is it okay for other animals to hunt each other but not for people to have meat?

When was the last time you saw a lion farm a gazelle? They don't.

Plants have feelings too.

Plants also aren't conscious beings.

What difference will just you being vegan make, those animals are going to be killed anyway.

Supply and demand - the less people that buy it, the less and less animals are killed. It's also something that would sit heavily on my conscience, knowing that an innocent life had died for me to eat when I can very happily and healthily survive off of plants and supplements.

Where do you get your protein from?

Oats, soy, nuts, seeds, avocados, sweet potatoes, lentils, pulses, etc etc.

How do you live without cheese? (or bacon, burgers, sausages...)

Easily - I don't want it. Cravings for these things dissipate and my body feels so much better for not having them, and the longer you go without junk food makes you realise just how repulsive it is.

Isn't it more expensive?

Nope. Meat is very expensive in comparison to vegan or vegetarian food. A £30 shop will last me around two weeks.

Do you eat honey?
I don't tend to make a habit of buying it just because it isn't something I see as a necessity but yes I will eat it, purely on the basis that the main way in which bees can survive nowadays is through human encouragement and bee keepers. Buying honey creates a larger demand for bees and more will be kept, meaning a happier planet. Without bees humans wouldn't be able to survive on this planet, and seeing as it's our fault they're dying out in the first place I see the best way to rectify this as giving them safe homes and aiding them in breeding more. We need bees, we don't need farm animals.