# Vegan Questions



## KittyKatMe (Jan 1, 2013)

So I'm considering becoming vegan. I'm already vegetarian and I do it because of animal cruelty in big food industries. There is also cruelty in the milk and egg business, so that's why I'd like to become vegan. I know about the diet changes and getting protein and calcium, etc. But since I am doing this because of the animals, I have one question. My hens are kept in great conditions and they lay an egg a day for me. I want to stop eating commercial eggs, but since my hens are kept humanely, I'd like to continue eating them. If I do this, what would I call myself? It's kind of a silly question, but I'd really appreciate an answer!


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## Imbrium (Jan 1, 2013)

lol... don't think there's a name for that. there's "ovo-lacto vegetarians" for vegetarians who still eat eggs/dairy... so you could go with "ovo-vegan", I suppose


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 1, 2013)

An ovo-vegan!


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## KittyKatMe (Jan 1, 2013)

But, don't vegetarians already eat eggs and dairy? I'm so confused.


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## BinkyBunny (Jan 1, 2013)

Some do, some don't. If they are ova-lacto vegetarian then they have eggs and milk products. If they are just vegetarian sans ova-lacto, they may more or less be vegan except that they may consume products like broths or animal gelatins. It depends as every individual can customize the way they eat. Some are pescatarian too.


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## KittyKatMe (Jan 2, 2013)

Oh wow. I don't eat broths or gelatins anyway because I thought they counted as meat. I don't even eat BBQ Lays because they may contain chicken.


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## sugarbunnies (Jan 2, 2013)

You do know you can buy meat that has been certified organic from cruelty-free animals? I am 100% against animal cruelty, but there are other options.


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## Anaira (Jan 2, 2013)

I consider a vegan as someone who eats no animal product. So I dunno if I'm technically vegan or not, because I eat honey; although I stopped at one point, I started again because the bees actually need support from keepers; they wouldn't last if we didn't. 
You'd be an ovo-vegetarian, but you could probably just call yourself vegan, so when you go out/over to someone's place for dinner, there is no confusion.


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## Imbrium (Jan 2, 2013)

I could never be a vegetarian, as chicken, seafood and bacon taste WAY too good, lol. as for being a vegan... I'd rather slit my wrists. I'm seriously addicted to skim milk - I get insane cravings if I go more than a couple days without it. my theory is that if animals didn't want me to eat them, they wouldn't taste so darn good, lol. I do hate a lot about how meat livestock is treated but I guess I justify things with the theory that for how little meat I eat (around 2/3 of my meals are meat-free and when I do eat meat, I don't eat a lot of it), it really would have no impact at all on the meat industry if I stopped eating meat completely ><

as far as cruelty-free meat, that sounds really great, though I have no idea where to buy it... wouldn't be a good option for someone who's already well-established as a vegetarian, though, as it would almost certainly make them sick - if you go long enough without eating meat or certain meats, your body stops producing the enzymes needed to digest it properly. when I was 13 or so, I stopped eating red meat because I realized I didn't like it. after five years or so, I changed my mind about that... but to this day, I can't eat it without getting stomach cramps and sometimes a migraine. I still eat it every once in a while if I'm really craving it and suffer the consequences... but I just don't like it enough to eat it often enough to be able to go through the process of re-training my body to not get pissed off when I eat it.


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## sugarbunnies (Jan 2, 2013)

Imbrium said:


> I could never be a vegetarian, as chicken, seafood and bacon taste WAY too good, lol. as for being a vegan... I'd rather slit my wrists. I'm seriously addicted to skim milk - I get insane cravings if I go more than a couple days without it. my theory is that if animals didn't want me to eat them, they wouldn't taste so darn good, lol. I do hate a lot about how meat livestock is treated but I guess I justify things with the theory that for how little meat I eat (around 2/3 of my meals are meat-free and when I do eat meat, I don't eat a lot of it), it really would have no impact at all on the meat industry if I stopped eating meat completely ><
> 
> as far as cruelty-free meat, that sounds really great, though I have no idea where to buy it... wouldn't be a good option for someone who's already well-established as a vegetarian, though, as it would almost certainly make them sick - if you go long enough without eating meat or certain meats, your body stops producing the enzymes needed to digest it properly. when I was 13 or so, I stopped eating red meat because I realized I didn't like it. after five years or so, I changed my mind about that... but to this day, I can't eat it without getting stomach cramps and sometimes a migraine. I still eat it every once in a while if I'm really craving it and suffer the consequences... but I just don't like it enough to eat it often enough to be able to go through the process of re-training my body to not get pissed off when I eat it.




Yup, a vegetarian who hasn't eaten meat for a while will get sick if they eat a lot of meat. The key is to incorporate it slowly and in small amounts. As far as the meat, it should be at an organic food store. 

Yeah, I'd rather die than give up meat! lol! It is SO good! This has long been an argument, but: the animals are way overpopulated and SHOULD be eaten. It is terrible and heartless the way they treat animals for slaughter, but that will not stop me from eating meat. I can't change the way things work, unfortunately, and if I could, I would. But animals were put on this earth to be eaten and to help support life. People had to hunt, and they could not survive without food.

I realize this is not contributing to the thread, but I wanted to put in my opinion.


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## whitelop (Jan 2, 2013)

sugarbunnies said:


> Yup, a vegetarian who hasn't eaten meat for a while will get sick if they eat a lot of meat. The key is to incorporate it slowly and in small amounts. As far as the meat, it should be at an organic food store.
> 
> Yeah, I'd rather die than give up meat! lol! It is SO good! This has long been an argument, but: the animals are way overpopulated and SHOULD be eaten. It is terrible and heartless the way they treat animals for slaughter, but that will not stop me from eating meat. I can't change the way things work, unfortunately, and if I could, I would. But animals were put on this earth to be eaten and to help support life. People had to hunt, and they could not survive without food.
> 
> I realize this is not contributing to the thread, but I wanted to put in my opinion.


I'll throw my two cents in for this too. 
The animals that we eat aren't over populated. We eat cows, chickens and pigs. WE as humans farm these animals for profit and for consumption. The animals that are grown commercially for meat are put in small areas and only grown for a few weeks until 'mature' then they're sent away, and another batch is brought in. Now a REAL farmer, only grows as many cows as his land will hold and as many cows as he is capable of feeding through the winter. For commercial farming, it doesn't work like that, its just as many as you can shove into a pen so they're all still standing up. 

As for the cage free, certified organic stuff. Thats a joke. Just because it says their cage free doesn't mean the animals are roaming beautiful rolling green pastures, it means that they're not in their own cages. For chickens, cage free means that 200,000 chickens are put into a 40,000 square foot dirt patch with a roof and feeders/waterers, but they're not in cages. A battery hen on the other hand, is in a small cage, so she is not cage free. The organic part of it, the animal only has to be a certain percentage organic to be able to have organic slapped on the package. 

Okay, now on to what the thread is really about. 
I think that since you humanely grow and raise your chickens, you should be able to comfortably eat the eggs. I also have my own chickens and I love her eggs. I prefer to eat homemade eggs to store bought eggs. I like to know what my chickens eat, where they sleep and know that they're not pumped full of chemicals and antibiotics. Plus, your girls work so hard for their eggs, why would you want them to go to waste. I love collecting fresh eggs, because its such an amazing thing for a chicken to be able to produce, every day! I don't think it takes away from your being a vegan, its good protein and you know how they're taken care of and what they're eating. 

PS. Sorry for the rant. I'm totally for veganism and meat eating. But population control isn't an issue, people are more of an issue than the cows.


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## sugarbunnies (Jan 2, 2013)

whitelop said:


> I'll throw my two cents in for this too.
> The animals that we eat aren't over populated. We eat cows, chickens and pigs. WE as humans farm these animals for profit and for consumption. The animals that are grown commercially for meat are put in small areas and only grown for a few weeks until 'mature' then they're sent away, and another batch is brought in. Now a REAL farmer, only grows as many cows as his land will hold and as many cows as he is capable of feeding through the winter. For commercial farming, it doesn't work like that, its just as many as you can shove into a pen so they're all still standing up.
> 
> As for the cage free, certified organic stuff. Thats a joke. Just because it says their cage free doesn't mean the animals are roaming beautiful rolling green pastures, it means that they're not in their own cages. For chickens, cage free means that 200,000 chickens are put into a 40,000 square foot dirt patch with a roof and feeders/waterers, but they're not in cages. A battery hen on the other hand, is in a small cage, so she is not cage free. The organic part of it, the animal only has to be a certain percentage organic to be able to have organic slapped on the package.
> ...




I do not have a problem with people who are vegetarians, in case that is what you were thinking. I thought it might make some people feel a little bit better by buying organic meat (supposedly not pumped full of hormones).


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## cassnessxox (Jan 2, 2013)

My opinion is really simple. People are supposed to eat meat, it's part of natures food chain. It's like making your dog a vegetarian, it's unnatural and it can make them sick. 
I have friends that are vegetarian, and I'm totally cool with that. No judgement or offence meant. It's just most of my opinions on the human way of life are based around how things are supposed to be naturally, without technology and interference.


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## whitelop (Jan 2, 2013)

sugarbunnies said:


> I do not have a problem with people who are vegetarians, in case that is what you were thinking. I thought it might make some people feel a little bit better by buying organic meat (supposedly not pumped full of hormones).


No, i wasn't trying trying to say you were against it. I was more commenting on the population thing and cage free stuff. I probably came off a little harsh.

And the stuff with organic meat, with chickens, i don't think they pump them full of hormones but the birds have been selectively bred to max out weight at 8-11 weeks. But mostly its the antibiotics i was talking most about i guess. If you have such a large flock its hard to pinpoint which bird started with an illness. So you put it in the water and dose your whole flock, rather than lose them or harvest sick birds. I guess i should have been more clear. I blame it being 4:30 am.  Also i think when people see cage free they think of rolling green meadows and things like that. That's not how it is though.


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## KittyKatMe (Jan 2, 2013)

My thing is this: Humans can thrive on a vegan diet, so why make animals suffer just so we can eat something we like? Now, dogs are different. They need meat in order to survive. In fact, my dog is on a grain-free diet. Humans may like it, but we defenitly don't NEED it. And actually once you're a vegetarian and get past those first hard few months, you basically see meat as disgusting. Like an arm being chopped off and eaten. And sugarbunnies, I think that cage-free meat is a great concept but the truth is, like whitelop said, they have to cram hundreds in a small space. I agree that fresh, truly free range eggs are so much better! Plus, my Rhode Island Red Sparkles knows clicker training lol. They are my pets just as much as bunnies are, so I would never be comfortable eating them. I respect those that eat meat, just thought I'd give my 2 cents.


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## KittyKatMe (Jan 2, 2013)

And I think I'm going to be a freerangeovo-vegan!!!


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## missyscove (Jan 2, 2013)

I think you can call yourself whatever you want. I do think it's important for people to see and know where their food is coming from, but it's important to see that from both sides (e.g. not to use PeTA as your only source). For example, in college I toured a veal grower of Marcho farms, the 2nd largest grower in the country. I was so impressed that I started eating more veal than I had in the past. 

My personal favorite is people who have cats (which are obligate carnivores) that they claim eat a vegan or vegetarian diet. Then you find out the cat goes outside. I'm pretty sure your cat is finding his own meat source.


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## sugarbunnies (Jan 2, 2013)

I hate when people make their dogs/cats eat a vegetarian diet.


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## KittyKatMe (Jan 2, 2013)

PETA is ridiculous. They think that the only way to do things is the way they do it. Completely black and white and all they do is criticize others. But I've seen footage of gestation crates, cruel, painful slaughter, and the worst living conditions I've ever seen. Actually, veal is humaner than beef because the animals didn't have to live a life of suffering.


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## cassnessxox (Jan 3, 2013)

It's the factory farming that is bad, this makes me blubber like a little girl when they play it on tv.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bfWLpFeWn4[/ame]

But I guess the reality is that nature is just as cruel. I get ridiculously upset when I see animal cruelty or even when I see someones pet hit on the side of the road, but the fact is watching a lion eat the back half of an antelope before it has died is worse, watching a python strangle the life out of an animal or just eating it whole while it is still alive is just as bad and that stuff is how nature intended it. I have to remind myself that life is full of pain and death so you can't let it control your life.


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## Imbrium (Jan 3, 2013)

yeah, I HATE PETA. my best friend in high school was a vegetarian for the same reasons you are and she felt PETA was the worst thing to happen to the animal rights movement, lol. she was the best kind of vegetarian, too - you could eat meat right in front of her and she couldn't care less; she never lectured anyone for eating meat unless they started it by ranting at her about how stupid it was to be a vegetarian, in which case she'd unleash on them in a hilarious fashion until they finally shut the hell up. to her, eating or not eating meat was a personal choice - it wasn't her place to tell someone else they shouldn't eat it and it wasn't theirs to tell her she should (which I fully agree with - people should be allowed to make their own dietary decisions without any busy-bodies lecturing!). she was also the easiest person in the world to pick a restaurant with because as long as they had something to eat that involved bread and cheese, she was happy... and pretty much EVERY restaurant has a grilled cheese sammich on the kids menu .


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## Ape337 (Jan 3, 2013)

I think you can call yourself whatever you like. Technically, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I dislike labels in general. I find that when people put a label on something it opens up room for generalizations and discrimination. You wouldn't believe how much heat I get for my choices in life. Hubby eats whatever he wants right next to me at the dinner table or restaurant and I eat whatever I want right next to him. I don't feel the need to lecture others about what they eat. It's a personal choice, whatever your reasons are.

But others will have a problem with you as i'm sure you've already noticed in your life. I've found that people have an opinion about vegetarians and especially vegans and will generalize that to the entire population. There are very vocal activists out there and those are the ones people remember. I don't broadcast my choices in life (like not having kids either but that's a whole other ball of wax) but people will notice the polite "no thank you" to the turkey being passed around, or when you don't eat the crab dip and they say, " but that's not meat", lol. Idk it seems I make some people uncomfortable for some strange reason and then I get the barrage of questions, but oh well. So here are the labels if you like:

Vegetarian - no meat, eggs, dairy (l-o eats eggs and dairy)
Vegan - no animal products whatsoever, to include clothing made from animals, no honey, no white granulated sugar, no gelatin (like jello and some candy like gummy bears), no product that involves animal testing in it's making

I know there's even more with veganism but the point is that it's an entire way of living as opposed to a decision to not eat meat/eggs/dairy or whatever. This is why I don't use the labels. IMO don't sweat the label, just be. :biggrin2::sunshine: loving the sunshine, lol


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## sugarbunnies (Jan 3, 2013)

Yeah, lol, my best friend is a vegetarian (so is her girlfriend), and I eat big ol' burgers right next to her. At first I felt a little self conscious about her watching me devour meat, but she is totally cool with it.


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## qtipthebun (Jan 6, 2013)

I'm a bit late on this one as I just got back into town. I'm in the same boat as you...vegetarian, not vegan, but would be because of the hormones and stuff. I buy only cage free, free fed, hormone-less eggs and dairy. If I go out somewhere, I often tell them I'm vegan so I don't have to deal with the hormones in my food, although I eat milk and eggs at home, as long as I can make sure I know what I'm buying.


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## Hyatt101 (Jan 6, 2013)

cassnessxox said:


> My opinion is really simple. People are supposed to eat meat, it's part of natures food chain. It's like making your dog a vegetarian, it's unnatural and it can make them sick.
> I have friends that are vegetarian, and I'm totally cool with that. No judgement or offence meant. It's just most of my opinions on the human way of life are based around how things are supposed to be naturally, without technology and interference.



I agree with this! I could never stop eating meat, haha


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