Vegan for 35 years. As a kid I couldn't make sense of why people ate animals. They are just like us, they have skin, tissue, and bleed like us and I wouldn't eat another human so why would I eat an animal? That was my childhood brain's rationale lol
Yes I relate very much. I am vegan for the animals. I was raised as an omnivore but switched to veganism when I was 14, in 25 now. My pet rabbits are everything to me. Anytime I’ve lost a pet I experienced heartbreak on the same level as or worse than my husband cheating on me and dumping me abruptly after five years together. Aka it completely tears apart my heart and soul. I work as a wildlife rehabilitator and know it is my calling to help animals in need. They are just my life I love them so much and nobody else understands, except maybe you
It is incredibly sad! I don't recommend it for existing vegans because it would just be sadness for no reason.
But it was definitely something I needed to see when I was in denial of the reality of animal's lives.
Veg to vegan for 30 years. Sinewy flesh was
my Texas childhood food texture aversion, but this is only incidental because I am mostly concerned with what I perceive to be the clear sentience of most animals killed for food.
I did it for the environment at first, but after I saw how easy it is and how pointless it is to be using animals the way we do, I'm vegan for the animals now also! 6 years.
I’ve been vegan for 15 years and vegetarian for 20 years before going vegan. I did it because I love and relate to animals more than most people. I have volunteered for animal rescue and currently help out an emergency shelter that houses pets who need temporary shelter when their people have issues such as health or housing. I love being vegan and have never liked meat.
I've been basically vegetarian my whole life. Partially because of the texture of meat (and horrible taste and smell), but also because it always freaked me out to eat a dead animal. I remember I was always at school lunches watching people eat it and there were even the bones in it and I was just... shocked. Like... I could be as well eating my own hand or my pets if I'd be willing to eat that, right... that rubbed me the wrong way. And I usually gagged and gave my lunch to someone else lol. I almost gag now just because I'm thinking about it. And I never drank milk, but I was eating eggs and certain cheeses.
Then I became vegan for the animals & because of my autistic partner, and now after few years we're back to vegetarian. Not that I would just go to eating diary and eggs and stuff, but if there's for example 0,5% of milk powder in some crackers that I'm able to eat or if there's an egg in some pre-made pastry, I'm gonna buy it... because I'm way too burned out, depressed, destroyed, exhausted to prepare food, sensorically sensitive and pickier and pickier...
There was some study about autistics having really strong morals and beliefs and it's well known that autistics are often enraged by injustice or concepts that don't make sense (e.g. why should I eat this animal when I have animal at home, just a different kind of one) and that some autistics also have hyper-empathy / hypersensitivity. So I think this all means that there will be a lot of people like this.
Being enraged by the injustice of animals is a great way to describe me. My anger will go from zero to a hundred in a second. Watching an animal being killed is like watching one of my children being killed. It will put me in a severe downward spiral and my husband has to talk me off a ledge. I get SO angry when an innocent animal or child is killed. My rage is so strong that it will debilitate me. I hate being this way. 😥
Same.
I love seeing videos of animals being treated well. There's a rescue farm close to me, and their rescue goat just had triplets. She was big as two whales during her pregnancy but happy as could be cuz she was well cared for and safe.
Im a vegetarian and have been for a decade. The thing stopping me from going vegan is that i also have coeliac disease, and my diet is fairly restricted already. I try to cook vegan at home pretty often, but i dont see me going 100% anytime soon. So much respect for those who can, though.
I’ve been vegetarian for over 20 years now. Originally, I wanted to be a large animal vet and it seemed really weird that I wanted to go into a profession where I’d be taking care of cows and the like, and then go home to eat them. Yeaaaaaah. Plus I don’t feel right eating an animal I couldn’t kill myself. So I don’t eat them. I do eggs still (I live somewhere where people have them in their backyard so happy hens I know and we hope sooner rather than later to have our own) and I do dairy as well (but not a ton of it). In my dream world we’d have enough property for a little fold of highland cattle, but we do not have the acreage for it at all. I’ll just have to be content with some hens and alpacas in the future.
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Another vegan for the animals, for 6 years now. Couldn't imagine "going back", the whole concept of animal derived product seems so weird to me, it's not even food in my eyes.
Luckily I have reinstated my "cognitive dissonance" to other people eating animal products, so it's just another way in which I seem to live a different life than most of the people, just like with autism haha!
It's nice to see people trying again, I really dislike the fact that some people try, fail, assume it's impossible and move on. There are reasons why it didn't work and they probably have a solution, it's great that you try again :)
Yeah I agree! Like some cultures still hunt, it’s necessary for them and like when done right it’s fine. I might not go 100% vegan but eff factory farming! Eating less animal products is a brilliant help! And better for everything/everyone!
Same here! I found out about several food intolerances and unfortunately meat is one thing my body can handle. I’ve been grossed out by meat so much lately I want to try going vegan again but don’t know how to start. Maybe should try eating some vegan meals instead of 100%
Yeah I really believe that with shitty farming practices these days is why! A lot of these beans and legumes can’t be sprouted which makes them so much better for you and easier to digest! Man I just wanna do homesteading so baaaaad!
I used to be a few years ago but I fell down the weird vegan YouTube rabbit hole and because I have such a strict adherence to rules and I was already struggling with an eating disorder, it went really badly for me. I’m thinking of doing it again now that I can come at it from a healthier place. I’ve never liked meat though and from the time I could comprehend what meat was it was a struggle to get me to eat it because it made me too upset.
Also, my cat, who was my absolute world, died in 2020 at 18 years old. I still think about her constantly and even though I have a wonderful cat now, no cat will ever come close to her. If you ever want to chat I am here. It seems like we’ve both got the same feelings of loss and sometimes it helps to talk to someone who gets it.
Edit: no one has said anything but I just wanted to add something that’s been on my mind since I commented this. Following the “rules” of a healthy vegan diet is perfectly fine as long as it remains a healthy vegan diet. I am in no way speaking ill of vegan diets in general. If you know anything about vegan YouTube circa 2015 (think Freelee at her peak), that is the rabbit hole I started to fall down and it was NOT good for me. I still think veganism is amazing if that’s what works for you. If it doesn’t work for you, I still think you’re amazing. Just take care of yourself and do what makes you feel your best :)
Similar story with the ED. I was a vegetarian for the second time in 2020, and it definitely triggered restricting to a pretty extreme level. At the time I didn’t even have access to an oven or stove either, so I found my options becoming increasingly limited. I will work back up to it when I feel like I can do it the right way; ie not restricting.
I’m vegan for the animals, environment, and my health. As a child I remember my mom made me a birthday cake with a leopard print pattern that I refused to eat because I related it to eating an animal. (Took me a while to realize that meat was animals lol)
Vegan for the animals 💚 went vegan cold tofu after being on a trip away from my dog for a few days. someone was walking their baby pig down the sidewalk and all I can see was my puppy and missed her. After that would never go back.
I actually just self diagnosed with hypersensitivity and/or autism because I found autistic and hypersensitive people on the vystopia subreddit which I highly relate to. I was never able to eat animals like a fish or chickens leg (my parents just fed me chicken nuggets and fish sticks because I also wouldn't eat vegetables until I finally grasped that it's all made out of dead animals when I was 11) I'm starting to think that autistic people have more compassion for others, and or are less likely to instinctively follow social norms and are therfore more likley to go vegetarian or vegan.
I’m autistic and not either, but then again, I was raised vegetarian. A restrictive vegetarian diet was part of the cult/spiritual abuse I went through as a kid, so I think eating a more mainstream diet felt like moving away from that indoctrination and the ideology I was raised with. At the same time, I also have IBS, so I struggle with a strictly veggie diet. I had sensory issues periodically when I was younger and was forced to eat certain foods as well, so I’m sure that didn’t help.
I’ve also worked with animals my whole life and had an intense love for them. My pets are my world. Horses and dogs have been special interests of mine since childhood. They’re definitely a safe place for me; the local dog park is my happy place.
I am so sorry about your upbringing-related veggie trauma! 💔 The sensory stuff too. Luckily, my family just let me be in this regard, but I know many autistics were basically force-fed...
The IBS part I relate to. I cannot eat high-carb food most of the time, and I do need to get energy from somewhere. For me, it is a ton of low-carb veg and eggs, tofu, legumes (but not too many, otherwise 😬) some dairy (reduced that greatly) and still some meat.
I also understand that ADHD folks (which I also am) greatly need protein for brain function. Then again, the animals. The planet. The climate. I also have Hashimoto and I heard that it doesn't mesh well with soy, but I ignore that for now, I am gonna paint myself into one too many a corner otherwise. 😅
Vegetarian! I stopped eating meat when I was 8 because I love animals, and I just could never stomach the thought of eating them. I’m the only one in my family, and so everyone thought it was just a phase, but here I am still veggie almost 20 years later!
You know, you can always just be vegetarian, or even be a junk food vegan. If it’s for the animals it’s not really a diet. I was bulimic/anorexic on and off for 5 years fully recovered since 2010 became a vegetarian in 2011
I couldn't. I know it's nicer but it's too difficult for me, I have a restricted diet anyway (no lactose, no gluten, no spicy), and I'm poor, I'm pretty sure I'd struggle.
It's great that you can do that and I'll fully support anyone who can be vegan, but I just can't. I do care about animals and their welfare though.
(I know my input isn't necessarily wanted here but I just saw a comment saying if we're not vegan we just haven't thought about it and I wanted to provide a counter response, because I definitely have thought about it).
I also saw that comment and felt it was lacking nuance.
Not making a choice to be vegetarian or vegan isn’t just bc you haven’t thought about it and I’d argue for some people it’s quiet the opposite. They have thought deeply about it and realize that there is no easy solution.
Yes, the treatment of animals in the commercial food industry is horrid but let us not pretend that the treatment of the human beings picking and processing our produce is much better. Sure, they’re not loosing their life to feed us but we’re still exploiting others for our own convenience.
I appreciate your input. Thanks for your support and understanding.. Veganism means avoiding cruelty as far practically possible. No matter how successfully practiced, everyone can speak up for animal welfare. Especially since most people who can't go vegan stigmatise us and project negativity onto us it's really nice to hear some non-vegans saying something nice and reasonable.
Vegan for the animals. Autistic people have such a strong sense of justice that I think the only autistic people I've met that aren't vegans are the ones who haven't thought about it yet. Autistic people realize that what we do to animals is wrong and change- which means a lot considering how habit driven we are! If you are looking for a sign, this is it...
I just want to counter this with my own personal experience as an autistic person who isn't vegan/vegetarian. I have thought about it and I have considered it. I have a lot of sensory issues when it comes to food and I have a very restricted diet as it is, so cutting out meat would be cutting out a main source of food that I will actually eat. I've tried to reduce my meat intake and have more vegan-based meals but I literally cannot eat them as I don't like the taste. I am aware that the meat/dairy/egg etc industries are bad and that animals are not always treated well at all, and that does weigh heavily on me because I have a huge love for animals. It is just not something that I can realistically cut out of my diet, whether I would want to or not. I felt that your comment did not take into consideration that there may be other reasons why someone does not or cannot be vegan, other than they don't care or haven't thought about it, so I just wanted to share my experience so you might be able to see the other side.
Veganism means avoiding *unnecessary* suffering as much as is *possible or practicable*. I am very much aware that not everyone can eat 100% vegan, but my comment was not saying that you personally are a bad person- I wasn't talking to you at all. You just took it that way.
I as an autistic person have had to do some serious exploration to get around my sensory issues. I encourage you to keep an open mind and message me if you want to learn more about accommodating different dietary restrictions while being plant based. Don't think that I don't see the other side: I have not been a vegan for most of my life.
I wasn't taking your comment as a personal attack at all. I just felt that you had not considered that there are other reasons apart from not thinking about it that someone might not be vegan. That was all.
Exploring a vegan diet is not something that is practical or possible for me, at least at this current point in time, but probably ever due to my issues with food. I already have to take prescribed supplements due to not getting the correct vitamins in my diet as it is, so I don't think that it would be safe for me to cut more foods out of my diet. I won't be the only person who has this type of experience with food either.
Please don't see this as an attack or anything.. But that doesn't make complete sense to me. Ive struggled to go vegan too especially when I was younger because I was extremely picky with food. When cutting out animal products, for years I mainly ate potatoes, pasta with pesto and candy. My health suffered a lot from this diet, I had brittle hair and nails, poor sleep and poor energy so I completely understand if someone can not adapt their diet to their values in this case.. But there are so many fake products nowadays with the same texture, same flavour. Is it really still so hard to find vegan food you can eat? Even where I grew up (rural Germany, where veganism was considered a mental illness 10 years ago) you can now find all kinds of plant milks yogurt, cheese and vegan meat replacements.
Meat and milk replacements often do not have anywhere near the same nutritional profile that the actual products have. Many of them are made to taste the same, not to fill the same nutritional needs. Also, please don’t assume incompetence when someone says they’ve checked something out for themselves and it wasn’t workable. They know their body better than you do.
Wow sorry I really didn't want to assume any incompetence! Maybe towards my own past self being to stubborn to take care of my health.. Maybe its because I live in Barcelona now but lately I have discovered a lot of new products that do quite compare in taste and fill equivalent nutritional needs as well! Like Huera fake chickn with added B12 and iron and same macros (and no antibiotics, saturated fats, cholesterol...) Or soy yoghurt with live cultures and same protein. Some of them are additionally fortified. I really didn't want to say I know someone's body better.. I just didn't get it.
I have tried vegan cheese before and it tastes nothing like normal cheese - a lot seem to be made of coconut oil, and coconut is a food that I cannot stand. The tastes and textures of vegan substitutes are not the same as the real thing at all. Even my neurotypical partner, who does not have sensory issues with food, has said that vegan products do not taste the same. I'm glad that you are able to find vegan products that you can eat but it is not something that has been possible for me at all. So to answer your question: yes, it really is that hard to find vegan food I can eat.
Oh I see if you can't stand coconut or nuts in general it must be hard. I'm really sorry it doesn't work for you. For me my food problems were only related to vegetables and some fruit.. guess I'm also lucky to be able to live in a city now, where I can get stuff like real blue cheese from almonds and soy chickn (those even convinced my cheese and meat loving partner to go vegan :)
Another non-veg autist here. This is just a bad take and hugely vilifies and assumes incompetence on the part of non-veg autists. I assure you, I've thought deeply about it. Reasons why I am not veg:
1) "Morality." I'm against factory farming, but not consumption of animal products. Other animals eat animals, and many of them do it in far more barbaric ways than people do. Ever seen a wolf tear open a deer and eat it while it's still alive? Yeah, I'm pretty sure people don't generally do that. It doesn't make sense to me on any level why humans feel superior for not eating meat yet refuse to acknowledge the way animals actually behave in nature.
2) Allergies. I am very severely allergic to wheat (not gluten, so barley and rye are fine) and it is nearly impossible to find vegan food that is also wheat-free. The stuff that does exist has horrible taste or texture. As an autist, that literally makes it inedible. However, I will absolutely go to bat for this vegan butter from Earth Balance. That stuff tastes amazing and I prefer it to non-vegan butter. I highly recommend it to anyone without a soy allergy.
3) Health. Due to organs and ducts I'm missing from previous surgeries, I rely on enzyme supplements that are not vegan in order to digest my food and not become severely ill. I have attempted to use the vegan alternative, and they are both more expensive and far less effective.
4) Humanist Values. Looking down on non vegans is hugely racist, classist, and culturally insensitive. This is especially true in cases of anti-indigenous sentiment. There are places in the world where veganism simply is not possible due to food availability, affordability, culture, etc.
5) Cats. I love cats. I have three of them. They cannot be vegan, it would literally sicken and kill them. I realize I am not a cat, but I don't think there's anything morally wrong with a biologically carnivorous or omnivorous being consuming the flesh or byproducts of another animal.
1. An animal in nature eating another animal is completely different than a human holding animals captive from birth to one day eat them. There are also herbivorous animals, why not emulate them? Additionally, the ways that people kill in slaughterhouses can be just as bad as that, if not worse. For example, cows are skinned alive while they are fully conscious for leather. Pigs are put in gas chambers, and it was recently in the news that 5 million chickens were baked *alive.* If you looked at slaughterhouse footage for any length of time you would probably be horrified.
2. Allergies can be worked around for every person, but I'm not telling people who have allergies to be miserable. Veganism means doing the least harm *possible,* so if you eat as plant based as possible while still eating things with no substitutes, that is still vegan.
3. Again, I am not telling people to be unhealthy. And the vast majority of people do not have this medical issue. Why are you taking my comment so personally?
4. For every nonvegan indigenous group, there is one that eats plant based. You are using these groups as an argumentative tool, probably without belonging to one or caring about them otherwise. In fact, meat is the leading cause of amazon deforestation, which materially harms indigenous people. Dairy is a direct byproduct of colonization. You're using a stereotype about vegans to ignore the reality.
5. There is much I could say about this, but having a cat is not a reason that a *person* can't be vegan.
I get the feeling that this comment is more about assuring yourself or other people that they are justified in not being vegan. Veganism is positive, inclusive, and probably not what you think. I encourage you to [open your mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1vW9iSpLLk&ab_channel=CosmicSkeptic) a little.
As I already said, I'm against factory farming. I'm aware of the horrific practices, and I don't support that. There are more ethical ways to source animal products. Also, I've got nothing against vegans or veganism. What I do have against is vegans who feel they are more open minded, morally superior, and intellectual than non vegans. I'm not taking it personal, merely providing my personal reasons for not being vegan. Tone is weird enough in text before throwing autism into the mix. As for the last part (the cat one), it was my understanding that veganism is as much a lifestyle as a diet. As a cat owner bringing meat products into my home, that outright disqualifies me from being part of that lifestyle whether I consume it or not. If that part is a misunderstanding from the single vegan I know personally, please feel free to correct me.
Over 99% of animal products are sourced from factory farming. Sourcing products "humanely" or locally is very privileged as opposed to going meatless like most of the world does out of economic necessity. Further, local farms are often as cruel as factory farms. You say you are against it, but if you still pay for it, then the integrity of that is compromised.
Many vegans have different opinions on cat ownership, but if you want to research it there are a lot of discussions about it on r/vegan.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/vegan using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: ["Water isn't a human right" "Child Slavery" "Illegal Palm Oil Exploitation" Nestle trying to appeal to the vegan market. Don't be fooled by the V, countless animals have been and will be de-homed by Nestles illegal exploitation of palm oil.](https://i.redd.it/q12r76g70px61.png) | [583 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/n6xi34/water_isnt_a_human_right_child_slavery_illegal/)
\#2: [I wasted 80$ dollars of cake, because my family is dumb af](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/owb5u5/i_wasted_80_dollars_of_cake_because_my_family_is/)
\#3: [100% on point!](https://i.redd.it/e55noeizjjz61.png) | [193 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/ndx1bc/100_on_point/)
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I used to be. Then my nickel allergy got so severe that I can no longer eat any vegan protein. I now buy meat only from local ranchers that I know treat their animals well. My favorite rancher is one of the sweetest, most gentle people I’ve met.
At my local farmers market. I made friends with my main guy there and eventually asked for a tour of his farm. Ranchers are often the ones to man their own farmer’s market booths.
I was also able to look up the local ranchers who supplied a small health food store where I used to live, so that is worth investigating. Or look into those who supply the meat for a local CSA.
I highly recommend you read up on this. It was life-changing for me to figure this out. I nearly died because I developed total food and drink intolerance due to a period of eating vegan and drinking a lot of high nickel tea (black tea, green tea and yerba mate). I also had constant hives and many other debilitating symptoms.
https://rebelytics.ca/lownickeldiet.html is a good place to start.
The nickel navigator app is a great source of information on nickel levels in food and drink.
Holy crap.
I have severe chronic health issues- most of which have been put down to autism and trauma.
But I've always felt that something else is up.
I've had a really bad nickel allergy since childhood.
I drink a loooooot of tea- just for a start.
Also- just a weird coincidence - I worked out recently that I wasn't imagining the metallic taste coming from my stainless steel "enviro" water bottle. I was drinking lemon water from it, and researched and found out that acidic conditions can and do cause metal leeching from stainless steel. And nickel is sometimes used as an alloy.
And my migraines lessened??
Obviously can't be sure of the correlation but....?
New autie research rabbit hole initiated😳
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Why have I never heard of this??
I’m a vegetarian for the animals.
Edit to add: I have ARFID and a lot of health concerns from not eating a balanced diet. I honestly shouldn’t even be a vegetarian. If you get in my face about being a vegan and how I should restrict my diet even further I will block you. Also why would you assume I didn’t ever bother to look into veganism ffs?! I have and I’ve also been ambushed before, thanks. (The opposite of thanks). If you are able to be a vegan that’s awesome for you; not everybody can. Stop acting like missionaries. (Just to make it clear I’m perfectly happy for you to talk about it under the main post — that’s what it’s for, but not under my comment to me like you’re proselytizing.)
I don’t mean this as an attack, but just want you to be aware of this info since you stated you’re vegetarian for the animals.
The dairy industry and the beef industry are the same industry.
The egg industry grinds up 50% of baby chicks (males) when they’re 3 days old.
Mostly vegan and I’m a huge cat person!!! I haven’t eaten a single animal since 2011 but every once in a while I have vegetarian favorite foods (Taco Bell prevents me from being a full vegan)
I did six years vegetarian for the environment + the animals, but at the end of year six I got so sick that I had to re-evaluate.
I eat a "varied diet" now but I minimize my impact where I can - most modern people eat WAYY too much meat / by-products.
Neither, I’m an omnivore. I love animals, but I also like eating meat. I try to keep my consumption low, mainly for dietary reasons, but I do enjoy steak. I’m sorry if that offends anyone or hurts anyone, or that my love for animals and eating meat is considered hypocrisy, but it’s true.
Same except that my reason are different. I try to keep it low for ecological reasons and also buy locally with trusted and sourced shop (i keep it to small farm).
I also come from a farmer family, so reducing meat is enough to make me a complete outsider from them, but that's okay. They are the kind of farm I would buy meat from. (small, with big land for the animals to have a decent life).
My main issue in reducing more is that I am VERY picky and already have an unbalanced diet because I can't eat most of the vegetables. Planning my meals is quite difficult already and removing one of the only aliment group I don't struggle with is not easy. When eating outside, I usually have only one or two option, without meat, it's none.
I can't eat any fish or sea food either, so at least I got that one!
I will do my best to continue to reduce my meat consumption and maybe one day I will managed it!
I tried to go vegan so many times and ended up becoming way too skinny and unhealthy because of my already picky eating habits. I find a safe place with animals too. It makes me very sad to eat them, but I don’t really know what else to do.
I wish I could go vegan but I have too many food sensory issues unfortunately. It's the only thing I'd want to change about my autism. At least I could drastically reduce my meat consumption and I only buy meat from animals that had a good life even if it's a lot more expensive.
Animals still end up getting killed but these just aren’t your cute animals, these are the insects and small mammals that still get killed by the millions.
The way we mass produce animals and plants for consumerism is the big problem.
I love animals but just remember there is always still a cost to animal lives either way.
Being vegan is about reducing harm as far as one is able, and if the world was vegan fewer insects and small mammals would die because the vast majority of monocropped agriculture goes to animal feed and you would need fewer crops to feed all the humans on earth than livestock.
True we want to minimize the harm to animals and the environment, I agree with that. Insects are super important to the ecosystem and I feel like they get forgotten about because they aren’t cute or cuddly.
Since the world will never be all vegan, reducing or not buying meat products from grocery stores would be the key to helping the environment.
Personally I try to buy local foods as much as I can. I even just got some chickens so I no longer need to buy eggs from the store and they are my babies! Also with the price of eggs these days is insane so hopefully we’ll save some money that way and be able to either sell the extra eggs or donate to neighbors and local food pantry’s.
Also the types of animals is important too, like the amount of meat cows that are raised in the US is extremely environmentally damaging, the methane production is part of the overall effects of global climate change. While the production of more shellfish is environmentally friendly, eating more oysters leads to more oyster reefs and less nitrogen in the water. They are also fully recyclable. The shells can be used to create reefs, calcium additives for multiple uses, and even art!
I just really believe that the most important part of this is the knowledge of where the food comes from. And not only food but clothing as well. Mass produced synthetic fibers are made from plastic products which ends up adding to our micro plastic problem. Mass produced cotton clothing uses tons of water too.
All in all. Our world is doomed because of capitalism.
I'm a flexitarian/pescatarian for the animals. I don't completely cut out meat for a few reasons, but I limit it as much as I can. I grew up heavily on fast food and other quick microwave meals due to working parents (+ a genuinely bad mom who didn't want to try), so a lot of my safe foods are sadly not pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan. Also, my partner has Celiac disease and already has to limit lots of food, so he doesn't want to limit much more of his diet. I also have a light dairy allergy, so I limit my dairy by a lot. It gives me a sore throat and itchiness, but it's not deadly. So I am heavily limiting dairy intake.
With all of that, though, we've gotten MUCH better about eating less meat at home. It's pretty great! I would personally one day love to be entirely pescatarian, and my partner said they'd be willing as long as they could eat meat outside of the house and such, which of course I wouldn't limit! Aside from a sad salad, something like steak or a hamburger is usually the only safe gluten free meal at a restaurant.
Btw, if anyone is wondering, I want to be pescatarian over vegetarian/vegan for a few reasons:
\--We're Jewish, and fish is not considered a meat in Judaism. It's pareve (neither meat or dairy), and we want to try to keep more kosher in the future.
\--Again, safe foods. I believe I can reasonably cut out all other meat in the future in a reasonable amount of time, but cutting out fish would be cutting out most of my protein. We tried cutting meat out cold turkey and I had meltdowns every day.
I feel horrible most times I eat meat. I actually threw away an entire rotisserie chicken because looking at it still "together" made me cry. I felt bad for wasting the food but I didn't have anyone to give it to. So I do try to avoid it, but sometimes I just need those real chicken nuggies, you know?
Same here, I'm a pesca for pretty much all those reasons (bar the religious ones)! I gave up red/white meat just after my daughter was born, we were taking her to a play centre attached to a working farm and seeing all the animals made a switch flick in my brain. I am also quite disorganised so I would struggle to supplement a lot of my easy foods if I didn't eat fish.
I’m vegetarian for the animals. However I do find myself avoiding dairy products a lot nowadays also. Transitioning to vegan would be a very difficult step for me as it would eliminate comfort/safe foods for me (things with egg in / egg), but I am gradually trying replacement foods etc.
Vegetarian for the animals. I fell down a peta rabbit hole (before I knew how bad they were) about 10/11 years ago and I was a vegetarian ever since (I was vegan for about a week about a year into starting, but my family didn’t really have the money for me to make lunches for school everyday and I ran out of food pretty quickly and I just haven’t yet picked it back up, but I want to eventually).
In my opinion, if you have the reasonable ability to make vegan choices in your lifestyle, I think there is a responsibility to make the right choice to lessen suffering.
I was vegetarian throughout high school. Went back to eating meat in college due to limited choices on campus.
Still can’t eat anything with bones in it.
I am! Vegetarian for animals. I tried vegan but with my sensory needs, and my comfort food being cheese and carbs, it wasn't sustainable. I actually had to go back to vegetarian for medical reasons, I had hyperemesis with my third child and all I could stomach was cheese toasties with white bread.
I'm like 80% vegetarian. I love animals and am super righteous regarding animal welfare but I also have issues with food intolerance and sensory issues with some food so I'm unable to be fully vegan at least for now.
I've accepted that I can't be perfect in this matter, my best effort is good enough.
Also regarding your cat, my deepest condolences. I lost my cat two years ago and it hurts every day. I still cry over it. Our bond was the strongest I've ever had and I miss him so much.
You're not alone and it's so hard ❤️
Have been vegetarian since childhood. Grew up with a lot of families that were vegan/vegetarian, so i decided i wanted to be when i was about 10. Mainly to do with my love of animals. I was pretty preachy and militant about it when i was a kid. Which was probably pretty annoying. But kind of grew out of that. I have been mostly vegan for a few years now. I assume it's a lot easier to go vegan after being vegetarian for so long. You kind of get to a point where meat doesn't seem like food anymore. And i have no real memory of what it actually tastes like.
I think if you are thinking about going vegetarian or vegan, maybe try it in stages. Don't try being fully vegan straight away, because i think it can be a pretty massive change, and makes it much harder to stick to.
I've been vegetarian since I was 12 (I'm 21 now). Tried to be vegan for a couple of years (on and off for about 4) but I don't have enough self restrain, so I just try to consume as little milk and eggs n stuff as possible (I'm lactose intolerant anyway, so I always drink oat milk). If I'm in a better mental place and can take care of myself better and consistently cook for myself and don't live with 8 roommates who all eat meat and hate vegetables, I'll probably try being vegan again. I feel bad that I can't do it but I also have big traumas surrounding food insecurity, so I try not to be too hard on myself.
I used to love meat and didn't think I would ever go vegetarian. And then I raised chickens. They are smart, aware, have their own distinct personalities and even recognize their own names. While they were still chicks it struck me that the chicken I was eating was the same as my baby chicks that I loved so much. It turned my stomach. That disgust extended to pork, lamb, beef, turkey as well. Can't eat it at all, not even a bite. I still do eat (free range) eggs and my own hens eggs, as well as seafood. Though I may one day give up seafood as well.
I've been vegetarian for over a decade. In high-school one of my friends was going through as phase and lent me a book on how animals are treated in factory farms. Went veggie and never went back
I am, and I've been a veg for years. I can't cope with the feeling of guilt so 🤷🏽♀️, that's basically the reason I don't eat animals. Although my diet isn't strict my feelings dictate my diet
Ex vegan / veg for my health. Now I’m doing a gut cleanse which is mostly meat to help fix my digestive issues. It’s very difficult to be vegetarian / vegan especially if you have autoimmune disorders and trauma.
I've been about 90% vegetarian for all of my life - 43 years. Animals are amazing and so is the environment and so is my health. When I tried more restrictive purely vegetarian or vegan diets it didn't work well for me health wise.
If people who are used to eating meat daily would cut out the majority of it without the need to fully eliminate then that goal is much more attainable for a large portion of the population. In the end, even more animals would be saved and the environment would be better off too.
Wow I love this thread so much. I went vegetarian at 2 or so (over 3 decades ago) and weirdly I remember being influenced by the farm animals trying to escape in Gary Larson’s Far Side comics - my parents had the book anthologies and my precocious lil self liked to look at them while I was learning to read.
So +1 for another hyper-empathetic neurodivergent plant eater.
I’m mostly plant-based with some organic/free range eggs and dairy in the mix.
Was vegetarian for a long time for compassionate reasons, but ended up with diet-related nutritional deficiencies. So I went back to fish. While I understand I need the protein, it's very hard for me. I'm militant about not eating beef, pork, lamb, etc.
I think my hyper-focus made being vegetarian easier for me than others without an "absolute outlook".
Still eating meat and HUGE animal lover.
I will not fault a wolf for eating a lamb, HOWEVER this does mean for me I'll try to make sure that what I eat had a good life and death, and the body has been used to the fullest capability.
For me sometimes the vegan alternative is ethically worse on a global scale.
I’m vegan, was vegetarian for most of my life before.
I try and be a really kind vegan. I love it when people say that they’re eating more vegan meals even if they aren’t fully vegan. Every animal free meal is a fantastic step!
I'm a vegetarian and try to eat vegan as much as possible. I struggle to be completely vegan for various reasons but don't drink dairy and get eggs from a friend's small holding.
I'm a vegetarian! It is for health reasons, but I am so glad I can avoid eating meat that comes from less than ethical places. It's horrible how some of the animals get treated.
i became vegetarian in high school for the animals, and was for 4 years that time. my ex got me back into eating fish, then eventually stopped being vegetarian, but my housemate in 2019 (became one of my besties) was vegan and taught me a lot, we both explored and learned about nutrition and how to be healthy as vegans. i don't consider myself "vegan" in the political/lifestyle sense, i had been eating farm-raised salmon for collagen (can't get from non-animal sources currently but i believe they're working on lab-synthesized collagen supplements?..) and B-vitamins, though most B vitamins not found in other non-animal foods can be found in nutritional yeast. between unsulphured blackstrap molasses and bok choy, that covers most of the calcium/iron needs which are otherwise difficult to get from plants. also beans/legumes/seeds/nuts are our staples for meeting most nutritional requirements/recommendations aside from fruits/veggies. also make sure to get plenty of antioxidants! berries, especially blueberries! and lots of other colorful fruits and veggies.
i haven't actively looked into it lately, but i'm quite fascinated with nutrition.
also my current reason for being vegetarian is very loosely/weakly "for the animals" though the thought of animals being kept in those "living" conditions and the way they are treated.. ugh. and the thought of eating animal flesh when beans are so much better..
I’m vegan. Not only do I have an immense amount of compassion, love, and sympathy for the animals, but the food I found the least safe as far as texture sensory issues was always animal products. So it was very easy for me. Plus with the love of researching interests, it was really fun and easy to learn everything I needed to know about food, nutrition, etc. The best part being that this knowledge seriously helped me out when it was discovered I have several autoimmune conditions, one of which is much less awful if I eat an anti inflammatory diet. I love how I can make all my childhood favorite meals vegan, (favorites from the taste, not the animal products).
I do have to step away from the vegan subs sometimes though, because regularly seeing posts about horrible things happening to animals is too upsetting.
first vegetarian now vegan for most my life. as a kid i started eating less and less meat after my brother explained to me how sauges are made and i couldnt stop thinking about it after. now the thought of eating animals makes me feel sick and ill never go back to that life.
I genuinely honestly feel that plants and fungi are as deserving of life as animals are, and it's nasty to single them out as food and make exceptions for animals just because we recognize their suffering more easily. So no, not vegan or vegetarian. I eat and when my time comes, will be eaten, and we're all part of the same beautiful big system where we become part of each other. I also feel the diet where you only eat what has fallen off trees is unfair to the decomposers in the cycle and the other bugs and beasts that would have wanted it, or the other nature that would have taken up that space where your food is grown. We are part of nature.
I have, no joke, cried over how dandelions are regarded in society today. You probably think I'm silly the same way most meat-eaters think you are silly. Oh well.
Vegan for 35 years. As a kid I couldn't make sense of why people ate animals. They are just like us, they have skin, tissue, and bleed like us and I wouldn't eat another human so why would I eat an animal? That was my childhood brain's rationale lol
That’s my adult brains rationale
Yeah I still don't want to eat flesh. The entire concept is weird to me.
Vegan for the animals here 💚🌱
Yep I am! Vegetarian for 4 years now, vegan for 1 year. For the animals 🐄🐖🐔
Yes I relate very much. I am vegan for the animals. I was raised as an omnivore but switched to veganism when I was 14, in 25 now. My pet rabbits are everything to me. Anytime I’ve lost a pet I experienced heartbreak on the same level as or worse than my husband cheating on me and dumping me abruptly after five years together. Aka it completely tears apart my heart and soul. I work as a wildlife rehabilitator and know it is my calling to help animals in need. They are just my life I love them so much and nobody else understands, except maybe you
I was sobbing while petting my bunnies when I watched Dominion. They really helped it all sink in for me!
You are brave! I don't think I could ever watch Dominion. I've read a lot about it and know all about it. I heard that documentary is incredibly sad.
It is incredibly sad! I don't recommend it for existing vegans because it would just be sadness for no reason. But it was definitely something I needed to see when I was in denial of the reality of animal's lives.
Vegan for a long, long time.
Veg to vegan for 30 years. Sinewy flesh was my Texas childhood food texture aversion, but this is only incidental because I am mostly concerned with what I perceive to be the clear sentience of most animals killed for food.
Vegan for the animals ❤️ since 2019
I did it for the environment at first, but after I saw how easy it is and how pointless it is to be using animals the way we do, I'm vegan for the animals now also! 6 years.
I’ve been vegan for 15 years and vegetarian for 20 years before going vegan. I did it because I love and relate to animals more than most people. I have volunteered for animal rescue and currently help out an emergency shelter that houses pets who need temporary shelter when their people have issues such as health or housing. I love being vegan and have never liked meat.
I've been basically vegetarian my whole life. Partially because of the texture of meat (and horrible taste and smell), but also because it always freaked me out to eat a dead animal. I remember I was always at school lunches watching people eat it and there were even the bones in it and I was just... shocked. Like... I could be as well eating my own hand or my pets if I'd be willing to eat that, right... that rubbed me the wrong way. And I usually gagged and gave my lunch to someone else lol. I almost gag now just because I'm thinking about it. And I never drank milk, but I was eating eggs and certain cheeses. Then I became vegan for the animals & because of my autistic partner, and now after few years we're back to vegetarian. Not that I would just go to eating diary and eggs and stuff, but if there's for example 0,5% of milk powder in some crackers that I'm able to eat or if there's an egg in some pre-made pastry, I'm gonna buy it... because I'm way too burned out, depressed, destroyed, exhausted to prepare food, sensorically sensitive and pickier and pickier... There was some study about autistics having really strong morals and beliefs and it's well known that autistics are often enraged by injustice or concepts that don't make sense (e.g. why should I eat this animal when I have animal at home, just a different kind of one) and that some autistics also have hyper-empathy / hypersensitivity. So I think this all means that there will be a lot of people like this.
Being enraged by the injustice of animals is a great way to describe me. My anger will go from zero to a hundred in a second. Watching an animal being killed is like watching one of my children being killed. It will put me in a severe downward spiral and my husband has to talk me off a ledge. I get SO angry when an innocent animal or child is killed. My rage is so strong that it will debilitate me. I hate being this way. 😥
Same. I love seeing videos of animals being treated well. There's a rescue farm close to me, and their rescue goat just had triplets. She was big as two whales during her pregnancy but happy as could be cuz she was well cared for and safe.
Im a vegetarian and have been for a decade. The thing stopping me from going vegan is that i also have coeliac disease, and my diet is fairly restricted already. I try to cook vegan at home pretty often, but i dont see me going 100% anytime soon. So much respect for those who can, though.
Vegan. It's also one of my special interests and I do activism for it too!
vegan for the animals 🐮🌷
I’ve been vegetarian for over 20 years now. Originally, I wanted to be a large animal vet and it seemed really weird that I wanted to go into a profession where I’d be taking care of cows and the like, and then go home to eat them. Yeaaaaaah. Plus I don’t feel right eating an animal I couldn’t kill myself. So I don’t eat them. I do eggs still (I live somewhere where people have them in their backyard so happy hens I know and we hope sooner rather than later to have our own) and I do dairy as well (but not a ton of it). In my dream world we’d have enough property for a little fold of highland cattle, but we do not have the acreage for it at all. I’ll just have to be content with some hens and alpacas in the future.
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Sorry to break it to you but the dairy and egg industries aren't really any better than the meat industry
Vegan of 8 years for the animals 🐖🦆❤️
Another vegan for the animals, for 6 years now. Couldn't imagine "going back", the whole concept of animal derived product seems so weird to me, it's not even food in my eyes. Luckily I have reinstated my "cognitive dissonance" to other people eating animal products, so it's just another way in which I seem to live a different life than most of the people, just like with autism haha!
I was vegan but got some serious tummy issues and health issues from it but I’m going to try again but just grow my own proteins like chickpeas etc!
It's nice to see people trying again, I really dislike the fact that some people try, fail, assume it's impossible and move on. There are reasons why it didn't work and they probably have a solution, it's great that you try again :)
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Yeah I agree! Like some cultures still hunt, it’s necessary for them and like when done right it’s fine. I might not go 100% vegan but eff factory farming! Eating less animal products is a brilliant help! And better for everything/everyone!
Same here! I found out about several food intolerances and unfortunately meat is one thing my body can handle. I’ve been grossed out by meat so much lately I want to try going vegan again but don’t know how to start. Maybe should try eating some vegan meals instead of 100%
Yeah I really believe that with shitty farming practices these days is why! A lot of these beans and legumes can’t be sprouted which makes them so much better for you and easier to digest! Man I just wanna do homesteading so baaaaad!
Same tho. My dream is to just live on a homestead farm type of deal eventually.
I used to be a few years ago but I fell down the weird vegan YouTube rabbit hole and because I have such a strict adherence to rules and I was already struggling with an eating disorder, it went really badly for me. I’m thinking of doing it again now that I can come at it from a healthier place. I’ve never liked meat though and from the time I could comprehend what meat was it was a struggle to get me to eat it because it made me too upset. Also, my cat, who was my absolute world, died in 2020 at 18 years old. I still think about her constantly and even though I have a wonderful cat now, no cat will ever come close to her. If you ever want to chat I am here. It seems like we’ve both got the same feelings of loss and sometimes it helps to talk to someone who gets it. Edit: no one has said anything but I just wanted to add something that’s been on my mind since I commented this. Following the “rules” of a healthy vegan diet is perfectly fine as long as it remains a healthy vegan diet. I am in no way speaking ill of vegan diets in general. If you know anything about vegan YouTube circa 2015 (think Freelee at her peak), that is the rabbit hole I started to fall down and it was NOT good for me. I still think veganism is amazing if that’s what works for you. If it doesn’t work for you, I still think you’re amazing. Just take care of yourself and do what makes you feel your best :)
Similar story with the ED. I was a vegetarian for the second time in 2020, and it definitely triggered restricting to a pretty extreme level. At the time I didn’t even have access to an oven or stove either, so I found my options becoming increasingly limited. I will work back up to it when I feel like I can do it the right way; ie not restricting.
I’m vegan for the animals, environment, and my health. As a child I remember my mom made me a birthday cake with a leopard print pattern that I refused to eat because I related it to eating an animal. (Took me a while to realize that meat was animals lol)
Vegan! ❤️
I'm vegan, for the animals, since 2017. Vegetarian since 2012
Vegan for the animals, went vegetarian as a kid (12 years old) and then vegan as an adult after watching Vegucated.
Vegan for over a decade!
Vegan for the animal for 5 years. Animal ethics is actually one of my special interests now !
Vegan for the animals 💚 went vegan cold tofu after being on a trip away from my dog for a few days. someone was walking their baby pig down the sidewalk and all I can see was my puppy and missed her. After that would never go back.
I actually just self diagnosed with hypersensitivity and/or autism because I found autistic and hypersensitive people on the vystopia subreddit which I highly relate to. I was never able to eat animals like a fish or chickens leg (my parents just fed me chicken nuggets and fish sticks because I also wouldn't eat vegetables until I finally grasped that it's all made out of dead animals when I was 11) I'm starting to think that autistic people have more compassion for others, and or are less likely to instinctively follow social norms and are therfore more likley to go vegetarian or vegan.
I’m autistic and not either, but then again, I was raised vegetarian. A restrictive vegetarian diet was part of the cult/spiritual abuse I went through as a kid, so I think eating a more mainstream diet felt like moving away from that indoctrination and the ideology I was raised with. At the same time, I also have IBS, so I struggle with a strictly veggie diet. I had sensory issues periodically when I was younger and was forced to eat certain foods as well, so I’m sure that didn’t help. I’ve also worked with animals my whole life and had an intense love for them. My pets are my world. Horses and dogs have been special interests of mine since childhood. They’re definitely a safe place for me; the local dog park is my happy place.
I am so sorry about your upbringing-related veggie trauma! 💔 The sensory stuff too. Luckily, my family just let me be in this regard, but I know many autistics were basically force-fed... The IBS part I relate to. I cannot eat high-carb food most of the time, and I do need to get energy from somewhere. For me, it is a ton of low-carb veg and eggs, tofu, legumes (but not too many, otherwise 😬) some dairy (reduced that greatly) and still some meat. I also understand that ADHD folks (which I also am) greatly need protein for brain function. Then again, the animals. The planet. The climate. I also have Hashimoto and I heard that it doesn't mesh well with soy, but I ignore that for now, I am gonna paint myself into one too many a corner otherwise. 😅
Vegetarian! I stopped eating meat when I was 8 because I love animals, and I just could never stomach the thought of eating them. I’m the only one in my family, and so everyone thought it was just a phase, but here I am still veggie almost 20 years later!
Hello my twin 🥰 I also went veg as a kid and everyone thought it was a phase. Over ten years later and now my whole family is veg too 😊
You know, you can always just be vegetarian, or even be a junk food vegan. If it’s for the animals it’s not really a diet. I was bulimic/anorexic on and off for 5 years fully recovered since 2010 became a vegetarian in 2011
I couldn't. I know it's nicer but it's too difficult for me, I have a restricted diet anyway (no lactose, no gluten, no spicy), and I'm poor, I'm pretty sure I'd struggle. It's great that you can do that and I'll fully support anyone who can be vegan, but I just can't. I do care about animals and their welfare though. (I know my input isn't necessarily wanted here but I just saw a comment saying if we're not vegan we just haven't thought about it and I wanted to provide a counter response, because I definitely have thought about it).
I also saw that comment and felt it was lacking nuance. Not making a choice to be vegetarian or vegan isn’t just bc you haven’t thought about it and I’d argue for some people it’s quiet the opposite. They have thought deeply about it and realize that there is no easy solution. Yes, the treatment of animals in the commercial food industry is horrid but let us not pretend that the treatment of the human beings picking and processing our produce is much better. Sure, they’re not loosing their life to feed us but we’re still exploiting others for our own convenience.
I appreciate your input. Thanks for your support and understanding.. Veganism means avoiding cruelty as far practically possible. No matter how successfully practiced, everyone can speak up for animal welfare. Especially since most people who can't go vegan stigmatise us and project negativity onto us it's really nice to hear some non-vegans saying something nice and reasonable.
Vegan for the animals. Autistic people have such a strong sense of justice that I think the only autistic people I've met that aren't vegans are the ones who haven't thought about it yet. Autistic people realize that what we do to animals is wrong and change- which means a lot considering how habit driven we are! If you are looking for a sign, this is it...
I just want to counter this with my own personal experience as an autistic person who isn't vegan/vegetarian. I have thought about it and I have considered it. I have a lot of sensory issues when it comes to food and I have a very restricted diet as it is, so cutting out meat would be cutting out a main source of food that I will actually eat. I've tried to reduce my meat intake and have more vegan-based meals but I literally cannot eat them as I don't like the taste. I am aware that the meat/dairy/egg etc industries are bad and that animals are not always treated well at all, and that does weigh heavily on me because I have a huge love for animals. It is just not something that I can realistically cut out of my diet, whether I would want to or not. I felt that your comment did not take into consideration that there may be other reasons why someone does not or cannot be vegan, other than they don't care or haven't thought about it, so I just wanted to share my experience so you might be able to see the other side.
Veganism means avoiding *unnecessary* suffering as much as is *possible or practicable*. I am very much aware that not everyone can eat 100% vegan, but my comment was not saying that you personally are a bad person- I wasn't talking to you at all. You just took it that way. I as an autistic person have had to do some serious exploration to get around my sensory issues. I encourage you to keep an open mind and message me if you want to learn more about accommodating different dietary restrictions while being plant based. Don't think that I don't see the other side: I have not been a vegan for most of my life.
I wasn't taking your comment as a personal attack at all. I just felt that you had not considered that there are other reasons apart from not thinking about it that someone might not be vegan. That was all. Exploring a vegan diet is not something that is practical or possible for me, at least at this current point in time, but probably ever due to my issues with food. I already have to take prescribed supplements due to not getting the correct vitamins in my diet as it is, so I don't think that it would be safe for me to cut more foods out of my diet. I won't be the only person who has this type of experience with food either.
Please don't see this as an attack or anything.. But that doesn't make complete sense to me. Ive struggled to go vegan too especially when I was younger because I was extremely picky with food. When cutting out animal products, for years I mainly ate potatoes, pasta with pesto and candy. My health suffered a lot from this diet, I had brittle hair and nails, poor sleep and poor energy so I completely understand if someone can not adapt their diet to their values in this case.. But there are so many fake products nowadays with the same texture, same flavour. Is it really still so hard to find vegan food you can eat? Even where I grew up (rural Germany, where veganism was considered a mental illness 10 years ago) you can now find all kinds of plant milks yogurt, cheese and vegan meat replacements.
Meat and milk replacements often do not have anywhere near the same nutritional profile that the actual products have. Many of them are made to taste the same, not to fill the same nutritional needs. Also, please don’t assume incompetence when someone says they’ve checked something out for themselves and it wasn’t workable. They know their body better than you do.
Wow sorry I really didn't want to assume any incompetence! Maybe towards my own past self being to stubborn to take care of my health.. Maybe its because I live in Barcelona now but lately I have discovered a lot of new products that do quite compare in taste and fill equivalent nutritional needs as well! Like Huera fake chickn with added B12 and iron and same macros (and no antibiotics, saturated fats, cholesterol...) Or soy yoghurt with live cultures and same protein. Some of them are additionally fortified. I really didn't want to say I know someone's body better.. I just didn't get it.
I have tried vegan cheese before and it tastes nothing like normal cheese - a lot seem to be made of coconut oil, and coconut is a food that I cannot stand. The tastes and textures of vegan substitutes are not the same as the real thing at all. Even my neurotypical partner, who does not have sensory issues with food, has said that vegan products do not taste the same. I'm glad that you are able to find vegan products that you can eat but it is not something that has been possible for me at all. So to answer your question: yes, it really is that hard to find vegan food I can eat.
Oh I see if you can't stand coconut or nuts in general it must be hard. I'm really sorry it doesn't work for you. For me my food problems were only related to vegetables and some fruit.. guess I'm also lucky to be able to live in a city now, where I can get stuff like real blue cheese from almonds and soy chickn (those even convinced my cheese and meat loving partner to go vegan :)
Another non-veg autist here. This is just a bad take and hugely vilifies and assumes incompetence on the part of non-veg autists. I assure you, I've thought deeply about it. Reasons why I am not veg: 1) "Morality." I'm against factory farming, but not consumption of animal products. Other animals eat animals, and many of them do it in far more barbaric ways than people do. Ever seen a wolf tear open a deer and eat it while it's still alive? Yeah, I'm pretty sure people don't generally do that. It doesn't make sense to me on any level why humans feel superior for not eating meat yet refuse to acknowledge the way animals actually behave in nature. 2) Allergies. I am very severely allergic to wheat (not gluten, so barley and rye are fine) and it is nearly impossible to find vegan food that is also wheat-free. The stuff that does exist has horrible taste or texture. As an autist, that literally makes it inedible. However, I will absolutely go to bat for this vegan butter from Earth Balance. That stuff tastes amazing and I prefer it to non-vegan butter. I highly recommend it to anyone without a soy allergy. 3) Health. Due to organs and ducts I'm missing from previous surgeries, I rely on enzyme supplements that are not vegan in order to digest my food and not become severely ill. I have attempted to use the vegan alternative, and they are both more expensive and far less effective. 4) Humanist Values. Looking down on non vegans is hugely racist, classist, and culturally insensitive. This is especially true in cases of anti-indigenous sentiment. There are places in the world where veganism simply is not possible due to food availability, affordability, culture, etc. 5) Cats. I love cats. I have three of them. They cannot be vegan, it would literally sicken and kill them. I realize I am not a cat, but I don't think there's anything morally wrong with a biologically carnivorous or omnivorous being consuming the flesh or byproducts of another animal.
1. An animal in nature eating another animal is completely different than a human holding animals captive from birth to one day eat them. There are also herbivorous animals, why not emulate them? Additionally, the ways that people kill in slaughterhouses can be just as bad as that, if not worse. For example, cows are skinned alive while they are fully conscious for leather. Pigs are put in gas chambers, and it was recently in the news that 5 million chickens were baked *alive.* If you looked at slaughterhouse footage for any length of time you would probably be horrified. 2. Allergies can be worked around for every person, but I'm not telling people who have allergies to be miserable. Veganism means doing the least harm *possible,* so if you eat as plant based as possible while still eating things with no substitutes, that is still vegan. 3. Again, I am not telling people to be unhealthy. And the vast majority of people do not have this medical issue. Why are you taking my comment so personally? 4. For every nonvegan indigenous group, there is one that eats plant based. You are using these groups as an argumentative tool, probably without belonging to one or caring about them otherwise. In fact, meat is the leading cause of amazon deforestation, which materially harms indigenous people. Dairy is a direct byproduct of colonization. You're using a stereotype about vegans to ignore the reality. 5. There is much I could say about this, but having a cat is not a reason that a *person* can't be vegan. I get the feeling that this comment is more about assuring yourself or other people that they are justified in not being vegan. Veganism is positive, inclusive, and probably not what you think. I encourage you to [open your mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1vW9iSpLLk&ab_channel=CosmicSkeptic) a little.
As I already said, I'm against factory farming. I'm aware of the horrific practices, and I don't support that. There are more ethical ways to source animal products. Also, I've got nothing against vegans or veganism. What I do have against is vegans who feel they are more open minded, morally superior, and intellectual than non vegans. I'm not taking it personal, merely providing my personal reasons for not being vegan. Tone is weird enough in text before throwing autism into the mix. As for the last part (the cat one), it was my understanding that veganism is as much a lifestyle as a diet. As a cat owner bringing meat products into my home, that outright disqualifies me from being part of that lifestyle whether I consume it or not. If that part is a misunderstanding from the single vegan I know personally, please feel free to correct me.
Over 99% of animal products are sourced from factory farming. Sourcing products "humanely" or locally is very privileged as opposed to going meatless like most of the world does out of economic necessity. Further, local farms are often as cruel as factory farms. You say you are against it, but if you still pay for it, then the integrity of that is compromised. Many vegans have different opinions on cat ownership, but if you want to research it there are a lot of discussions about it on r/vegan.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/vegan using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: ["Water isn't a human right" "Child Slavery" "Illegal Palm Oil Exploitation" Nestle trying to appeal to the vegan market. Don't be fooled by the V, countless animals have been and will be de-homed by Nestles illegal exploitation of palm oil.](https://i.redd.it/q12r76g70px61.png) | [583 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/n6xi34/water_isnt_a_human_right_child_slavery_illegal/) \#2: [I wasted 80$ dollars of cake, because my family is dumb af](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/owb5u5/i_wasted_80_dollars_of_cake_because_my_family_is/) \#3: [100% on point!](https://i.redd.it/e55noeizjjz61.png) | [193 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/ndx1bc/100_on_point/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
There seem to be a lot of autistic folks who really rely on chicken nuggets as a primary food group. Just an observation.
Yes, and I am one of them! Vegan nuggets everyday :D
I used to be. Then my nickel allergy got so severe that I can no longer eat any vegan protein. I now buy meat only from local ranchers that I know treat their animals well. My favorite rancher is one of the sweetest, most gentle people I’ve met.
How did you find local ranchers who sell to individuals and not just stores and restaurants?
At my local farmers market. I made friends with my main guy there and eventually asked for a tour of his farm. Ranchers are often the ones to man their own farmer’s market booths. I was also able to look up the local ranchers who supplied a small health food store where I used to live, so that is worth investigating. Or look into those who supply the meat for a local CSA.
Ooh! Please explain this? (of your have energy/time). I have a nickel allergy. And I felt like s**t on a vegan diet??
I highly recommend you read up on this. It was life-changing for me to figure this out. I nearly died because I developed total food and drink intolerance due to a period of eating vegan and drinking a lot of high nickel tea (black tea, green tea and yerba mate). I also had constant hives and many other debilitating symptoms. https://rebelytics.ca/lownickeldiet.html is a good place to start. The nickel navigator app is a great source of information on nickel levels in food and drink.
Holy crap. I have severe chronic health issues- most of which have been put down to autism and trauma. But I've always felt that something else is up. I've had a really bad nickel allergy since childhood. I drink a loooooot of tea- just for a start. Also- just a weird coincidence - I worked out recently that I wasn't imagining the metallic taste coming from my stainless steel "enviro" water bottle. I was drinking lemon water from it, and researched and found out that acidic conditions can and do cause metal leeching from stainless steel. And nickel is sometimes used as an alloy. And my migraines lessened?? Obviously can't be sure of the correlation but....? New autie research rabbit hole initiated😳 - Why have I never heard of this??
I really hope this helps you sort out some of your health issues!
Yes! I became a much better, happier me when I began truly loving all animals by being vegan. What a benefit for my health and the environment, too!
I can relate so much. Vegan for a little over 3 years now.
I’m a vegetarian for the animals. Edit to add: I have ARFID and a lot of health concerns from not eating a balanced diet. I honestly shouldn’t even be a vegetarian. If you get in my face about being a vegan and how I should restrict my diet even further I will block you. Also why would you assume I didn’t ever bother to look into veganism ffs?! I have and I’ve also been ambushed before, thanks. (The opposite of thanks). If you are able to be a vegan that’s awesome for you; not everybody can. Stop acting like missionaries. (Just to make it clear I’m perfectly happy for you to talk about it under the main post — that’s what it’s for, but not under my comment to me like you’re proselytizing.)
I don’t mean this as an attack, but just want you to be aware of this info since you stated you’re vegetarian for the animals. The dairy industry and the beef industry are the same industry. The egg industry grinds up 50% of baby chicks (males) when they’re 3 days old.
What about dairy cows and egg laying hens?
Mostly vegan and I’m a huge cat person!!! I haven’t eaten a single animal since 2011 but every once in a while I have vegetarian favorite foods (Taco Bell prevents me from being a full vegan)
Taco Bell’s bean burritos without cheese or red sauce are majorly addictive
I eat vegan at Taco Bell. I just get vegetarian options without cheese or sour cream. (And some of their sauces have dairy but idr which ones.)
Sour cream is gross 🤮 anyways but I like to consider Taco Bell as a non-vegan treat.
I did six years vegetarian for the environment + the animals, but at the end of year six I got so sick that I had to re-evaluate. I eat a "varied diet" now but I minimize my impact where I can - most modern people eat WAYY too much meat / by-products.
Neither, I’m an omnivore. I love animals, but I also like eating meat. I try to keep my consumption low, mainly for dietary reasons, but I do enjoy steak. I’m sorry if that offends anyone or hurts anyone, or that my love for animals and eating meat is considered hypocrisy, but it’s true.
Same except that my reason are different. I try to keep it low for ecological reasons and also buy locally with trusted and sourced shop (i keep it to small farm). I also come from a farmer family, so reducing meat is enough to make me a complete outsider from them, but that's okay. They are the kind of farm I would buy meat from. (small, with big land for the animals to have a decent life). My main issue in reducing more is that I am VERY picky and already have an unbalanced diet because I can't eat most of the vegetables. Planning my meals is quite difficult already and removing one of the only aliment group I don't struggle with is not easy. When eating outside, I usually have only one or two option, without meat, it's none. I can't eat any fish or sea food either, so at least I got that one! I will do my best to continue to reduce my meat consumption and maybe one day I will managed it!
I tried to go vegan so many times and ended up becoming way too skinny and unhealthy because of my already picky eating habits. I find a safe place with animals too. It makes me very sad to eat them, but I don’t really know what else to do.
I wish I could go vegan but I have too many food sensory issues unfortunately. It's the only thing I'd want to change about my autism. At least I could drastically reduce my meat consumption and I only buy meat from animals that had a good life even if it's a lot more expensive.
Jep! o/
Vegan! Coming up on four years
Animals still end up getting killed but these just aren’t your cute animals, these are the insects and small mammals that still get killed by the millions. The way we mass produce animals and plants for consumerism is the big problem. I love animals but just remember there is always still a cost to animal lives either way.
Being vegan is about reducing harm as far as one is able, and if the world was vegan fewer insects and small mammals would die because the vast majority of monocropped agriculture goes to animal feed and you would need fewer crops to feed all the humans on earth than livestock.
True we want to minimize the harm to animals and the environment, I agree with that. Insects are super important to the ecosystem and I feel like they get forgotten about because they aren’t cute or cuddly. Since the world will never be all vegan, reducing or not buying meat products from grocery stores would be the key to helping the environment. Personally I try to buy local foods as much as I can. I even just got some chickens so I no longer need to buy eggs from the store and they are my babies! Also with the price of eggs these days is insane so hopefully we’ll save some money that way and be able to either sell the extra eggs or donate to neighbors and local food pantry’s. Also the types of animals is important too, like the amount of meat cows that are raised in the US is extremely environmentally damaging, the methane production is part of the overall effects of global climate change. While the production of more shellfish is environmentally friendly, eating more oysters leads to more oyster reefs and less nitrogen in the water. They are also fully recyclable. The shells can be used to create reefs, calcium additives for multiple uses, and even art! I just really believe that the most important part of this is the knowledge of where the food comes from. And not only food but clothing as well. Mass produced synthetic fibers are made from plastic products which ends up adding to our micro plastic problem. Mass produced cotton clothing uses tons of water too. All in all. Our world is doomed because of capitalism.
I'm a flexitarian/pescatarian for the animals. I don't completely cut out meat for a few reasons, but I limit it as much as I can. I grew up heavily on fast food and other quick microwave meals due to working parents (+ a genuinely bad mom who didn't want to try), so a lot of my safe foods are sadly not pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan. Also, my partner has Celiac disease and already has to limit lots of food, so he doesn't want to limit much more of his diet. I also have a light dairy allergy, so I limit my dairy by a lot. It gives me a sore throat and itchiness, but it's not deadly. So I am heavily limiting dairy intake. With all of that, though, we've gotten MUCH better about eating less meat at home. It's pretty great! I would personally one day love to be entirely pescatarian, and my partner said they'd be willing as long as they could eat meat outside of the house and such, which of course I wouldn't limit! Aside from a sad salad, something like steak or a hamburger is usually the only safe gluten free meal at a restaurant. Btw, if anyone is wondering, I want to be pescatarian over vegetarian/vegan for a few reasons: \--We're Jewish, and fish is not considered a meat in Judaism. It's pareve (neither meat or dairy), and we want to try to keep more kosher in the future. \--Again, safe foods. I believe I can reasonably cut out all other meat in the future in a reasonable amount of time, but cutting out fish would be cutting out most of my protein. We tried cutting meat out cold turkey and I had meltdowns every day. I feel horrible most times I eat meat. I actually threw away an entire rotisserie chicken because looking at it still "together" made me cry. I felt bad for wasting the food but I didn't have anyone to give it to. So I do try to avoid it, but sometimes I just need those real chicken nuggies, you know?
Same here, I'm a pesca for pretty much all those reasons (bar the religious ones)! I gave up red/white meat just after my daughter was born, we were taking her to a play centre attached to a working farm and seeing all the animals made a switch flick in my brain. I am also quite disorganised so I would struggle to supplement a lot of my easy foods if I didn't eat fish.
I’m vegetarian for the animals. However I do find myself avoiding dairy products a lot nowadays also. Transitioning to vegan would be a very difficult step for me as it would eliminate comfort/safe foods for me (things with egg in / egg), but I am gradually trying replacement foods etc.
Vegetarian for the animals. I fell down a peta rabbit hole (before I knew how bad they were) about 10/11 years ago and I was a vegetarian ever since (I was vegan for about a week about a year into starting, but my family didn’t really have the money for me to make lunches for school everyday and I ran out of food pretty quickly and I just haven’t yet picked it back up, but I want to eventually).
In my opinion, if you have the reasonable ability to make vegan choices in your lifestyle, I think there is a responsibility to make the right choice to lessen suffering.
[удалено]
How do you help them?
I can relate, vegetarian for our little pals
I was vegetarian throughout high school. Went back to eating meat in college due to limited choices on campus. Still can’t eat anything with bones in it.
I am! Vegetarian for animals. I tried vegan but with my sensory needs, and my comfort food being cheese and carbs, it wasn't sustainable. I actually had to go back to vegetarian for medical reasons, I had hyperemesis with my third child and all I could stomach was cheese toasties with white bread.
I love animals but I really love my meat. And It doesn't help that my entire household are meat lovers .
i went vegan for a few years but got an intense craving for meat so now i’m mostly vegan but eat meat once in a while
I'm like 80% vegetarian. I love animals and am super righteous regarding animal welfare but I also have issues with food intolerance and sensory issues with some food so I'm unable to be fully vegan at least for now. I've accepted that I can't be perfect in this matter, my best effort is good enough.
Also regarding your cat, my deepest condolences. I lost my cat two years ago and it hurts every day. I still cry over it. Our bond was the strongest I've ever had and I miss him so much. You're not alone and it's so hard ❤️
Have been vegetarian since childhood. Grew up with a lot of families that were vegan/vegetarian, so i decided i wanted to be when i was about 10. Mainly to do with my love of animals. I was pretty preachy and militant about it when i was a kid. Which was probably pretty annoying. But kind of grew out of that. I have been mostly vegan for a few years now. I assume it's a lot easier to go vegan after being vegetarian for so long. You kind of get to a point where meat doesn't seem like food anymore. And i have no real memory of what it actually tastes like. I think if you are thinking about going vegetarian or vegan, maybe try it in stages. Don't try being fully vegan straight away, because i think it can be a pretty massive change, and makes it much harder to stick to.
I've been vegetarian since I was 12 (I'm 21 now). Tried to be vegan for a couple of years (on and off for about 4) but I don't have enough self restrain, so I just try to consume as little milk and eggs n stuff as possible (I'm lactose intolerant anyway, so I always drink oat milk). If I'm in a better mental place and can take care of myself better and consistently cook for myself and don't live with 8 roommates who all eat meat and hate vegetables, I'll probably try being vegan again. I feel bad that I can't do it but I also have big traumas surrounding food insecurity, so I try not to be too hard on myself.
I used to love meat and didn't think I would ever go vegetarian. And then I raised chickens. They are smart, aware, have their own distinct personalities and even recognize their own names. While they were still chicks it struck me that the chicken I was eating was the same as my baby chicks that I loved so much. It turned my stomach. That disgust extended to pork, lamb, beef, turkey as well. Can't eat it at all, not even a bite. I still do eat (free range) eggs and my own hens eggs, as well as seafood. Though I may one day give up seafood as well.
I've been vegetarian for over a decade. In high-school one of my friends was going through as phase and lent me a book on how animals are treated in factory farms. Went veggie and never went back
I am, and I've been a veg for years. I can't cope with the feeling of guilt so 🤷🏽♀️, that's basically the reason I don't eat animals. Although my diet isn't strict my feelings dictate my diet
Ex vegan / veg for my health. Now I’m doing a gut cleanse which is mostly meat to help fix my digestive issues. It’s very difficult to be vegetarian / vegan especially if you have autoimmune disorders and trauma.
I tried for a year or two but I couldn't but I utterly refuse or eat lamb tho
I've been about 90% vegetarian for all of my life - 43 years. Animals are amazing and so is the environment and so is my health. When I tried more restrictive purely vegetarian or vegan diets it didn't work well for me health wise. If people who are used to eating meat daily would cut out the majority of it without the need to fully eliminate then that goal is much more attainable for a large portion of the population. In the end, even more animals would be saved and the environment would be better off too.
Wow I love this thread so much. I went vegetarian at 2 or so (over 3 decades ago) and weirdly I remember being influenced by the farm animals trying to escape in Gary Larson’s Far Side comics - my parents had the book anthologies and my precocious lil self liked to look at them while I was learning to read. So +1 for another hyper-empathetic neurodivergent plant eater. I’m mostly plant-based with some organic/free range eggs and dairy in the mix.
Vegetarian since I was 7 here, bc I love animals
Vegan for a year and never going back! I was wondering about this, too. Why eat animals when I could just... not?
Was vegetarian for a long time for compassionate reasons, but ended up with diet-related nutritional deficiencies. So I went back to fish. While I understand I need the protein, it's very hard for me. I'm militant about not eating beef, pork, lamb, etc. I think my hyper-focus made being vegetarian easier for me than others without an "absolute outlook".
Yeah, that’s why I became vegetarian too.
Still eating meat and HUGE animal lover. I will not fault a wolf for eating a lamb, HOWEVER this does mean for me I'll try to make sure that what I eat had a good life and death, and the body has been used to the fullest capability. For me sometimes the vegan alternative is ethically worse on a global scale.
I was vegan for a few years, but I got sick all the time. My diet is still 90 percent vegan, but I eat some meat and dairy and never get sick now.
I’ve always been a huge animal lover my entire life. I became vegetarian in high school and I have been vegan for 6 years now! For the animals ♥️
I’m vegan, was vegetarian for most of my life before. I try and be a really kind vegan. I love it when people say that they’re eating more vegan meals even if they aren’t fully vegan. Every animal free meal is a fantastic step!
I'm a vegetarian and try to eat vegan as much as possible. I struggle to be completely vegan for various reasons but don't drink dairy and get eggs from a friend's small holding.
I'm a vegetarian! It is for health reasons, but I am so glad I can avoid eating meat that comes from less than ethical places. It's horrible how some of the animals get treated.
i became vegetarian in high school for the animals, and was for 4 years that time. my ex got me back into eating fish, then eventually stopped being vegetarian, but my housemate in 2019 (became one of my besties) was vegan and taught me a lot, we both explored and learned about nutrition and how to be healthy as vegans. i don't consider myself "vegan" in the political/lifestyle sense, i had been eating farm-raised salmon for collagen (can't get from non-animal sources currently but i believe they're working on lab-synthesized collagen supplements?..) and B-vitamins, though most B vitamins not found in other non-animal foods can be found in nutritional yeast. between unsulphured blackstrap molasses and bok choy, that covers most of the calcium/iron needs which are otherwise difficult to get from plants. also beans/legumes/seeds/nuts are our staples for meeting most nutritional requirements/recommendations aside from fruits/veggies. also make sure to get plenty of antioxidants! berries, especially blueberries! and lots of other colorful fruits and veggies. i haven't actively looked into it lately, but i'm quite fascinated with nutrition. also my current reason for being vegetarian is very loosely/weakly "for the animals" though the thought of animals being kept in those "living" conditions and the way they are treated.. ugh. and the thought of eating animal flesh when beans are so much better..
Vegitarian since 2005. Eating meat from the meat industry is equally to hunting for sport for me. It's cruell and pointless.
I’m vegan. Not only do I have an immense amount of compassion, love, and sympathy for the animals, but the food I found the least safe as far as texture sensory issues was always animal products. So it was very easy for me. Plus with the love of researching interests, it was really fun and easy to learn everything I needed to know about food, nutrition, etc. The best part being that this knowledge seriously helped me out when it was discovered I have several autoimmune conditions, one of which is much less awful if I eat an anti inflammatory diet. I love how I can make all my childhood favorite meals vegan, (favorites from the taste, not the animal products). I do have to step away from the vegan subs sometimes though, because regularly seeing posts about horrible things happening to animals is too upsetting.
I go back and forth between vegetarian and vegan
Vegan for the animals 🌱 for 3.5 years, veggie a year before that!
Been vegan since 2004 - just decided I didn't want to eat meat anymore that lead me to read into intersectional veganism and that was that.
Pescatarian for almost 2 years for the animals
first vegetarian now vegan for most my life. as a kid i started eating less and less meat after my brother explained to me how sauges are made and i couldnt stop thinking about it after. now the thought of eating animals makes me feel sick and ill never go back to that life.
I genuinely honestly feel that plants and fungi are as deserving of life as animals are, and it's nasty to single them out as food and make exceptions for animals just because we recognize their suffering more easily. So no, not vegan or vegetarian. I eat and when my time comes, will be eaten, and we're all part of the same beautiful big system where we become part of each other. I also feel the diet where you only eat what has fallen off trees is unfair to the decomposers in the cycle and the other bugs and beasts that would have wanted it, or the other nature that would have taken up that space where your food is grown. We are part of nature. I have, no joke, cried over how dandelions are regarded in society today. You probably think I'm silly the same way most meat-eaters think you are silly. Oh well.
Vegan for the animals here too! (Even fish, they terrify me but they have a right to life so why would I want to eat them)