Well, what is „vegan“?
Well, „vegan“ is nothing more than an adjective saying „without any animal product“. So, vegans avoid meat, fish, milk and dairy products, honey, eggs, and even products where animal parts were used in the production. That’s the reason why you can even find vegan beer or wine. Usually, casein (milk protein), albumin (egg white), isinglass (fish maw), or gelatin (animal bones) are used to clarify wine. Instead, vegan wine makes use of activated carbon.
People trying to eat vegan realize quite fast that this is not that easy. Animal products seem to be way cheaper than any other stuff – that’s why they are used so often in many products. Strolling through the supermarket while looking for vegan food gives you a reality check: Meat, dairy, eggs, and all the other animal stuff seem to be quite everywhere. Even potato chips have some lactose, red lipstick is often made of red aphids which is a very popular dye. Even some cheap bakeries use L-Cysteine for their flour to make their bread more elastic. L-Cysteine is made of pig bristles or feathers. If you want to be on the safe side: Keep an eye out for the Vegan-Label.
Why do vegans eat fake meat?
Vegans and vegetarians are people like anybody else: They are creatures of habit. Especially for those who want to eat more consciously it is much easier to start a vegan/vegetarian diet with replacing the „old“ food than replacing their whole food habits. Thus, they put plant-based margarine instead of butter on their breakfast rolls, and their cheese doesn’t come from cows but from cashews or coconuts. While they used to love beef patties in their burgers, now, they love chickpeas, black beans or quinoa. First, it doesn’t matter if it’s really healthier but no animals had to suffer because of their eating habits.
I have to admit that I barely know any vegan cutting their omnivore diet because they didn’t like the taste. It is mainly because they didn’t like participating in the senseless killing of animals when we know that nutritionally, animal foods do not make us healthier – even quite the opposite (more on my blog soon).
Why doesn’t anybody complain about alcohol-free beverages?
The topic „vegan food“ causes quite a stir compared to other diets being based on avoiding specific ingredients. For example, I was never asked why there are alcohol-free beverages! People drinking alcohol-free beer tend to love the taste but want to avoid harmful alcohol. There are even so many low-carb, gluten-free, lactose-free, decaffeinated products based on the same procedure. You don’t want to quit your habit because you love the taste. And why shouldn’t vegans do the same? Plus, a plant-based diet is usually more sustainable as well.
Do you have an intolerance and have to avoid special ingredients? Are you even a vegan or vegetarian who has to deal with almost daily lack of understanding of your diet by others? I’m really looking forward to your answers! 🙂
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