As a vegan, hands up if you’ve ever asked yourself the question: “Why didn’t I do this before?” Once established as a vegan, it seems so very clear, even obvious, as to the merits of the lifestyle. However, to non-vegans, veganism can be steeped in mystery and myth. So, in the name reaching out to our non-vegan friends, here is a handy guide to what we do!
“Oh, that beef-burger’s to die for. Just try it! I won’t tell anyone.”
Our little secret is never a good thing and the same is true for attempts at “tempting” vegans back into the omnivorous world. As surprising as this may sound to a few non-vegans, vegans don’t readily switch off their ethics on and off as easily as a light-switch. And they absolutely should let everyone know that!
“Vegans just eat grass and leaves.”
This is an amusing concept, but at the same time, wrong on about a thousand different levels. Vegan food is becoming more varied by the day. And while “leafy” stuff can be found on a vegan’s plate, so too can beans, nuts, tofu, rice, quinoa, vegetables, seitan, fruit and more! All great for your health and your waist-line, but without the horrors of animal exploitation.
Add to that how an exclusive vegan-diet is more than do-able, while an exclusive meat only diet is going to end up with you getting very familiar with the magazines in your doctor’s waiting room.
“My cat kills things. That’s just nature.”
Sylvia the cat is no doubt an awesome hunter-killer. Yet Sylvia also does a ton of other things that non-vegans never bring up – like how she washes and how she chases the red dot of a laser pen with crazy looking eyes.
Much as we love our companion animals, they aren’t a moral compass for us in our every day decisions. A vegan doesn’t want to chase a stick as much as they don’t want a sirloin steak for dinner. Even if Rover does.
“Vegans are pasty and malnourished – they never get enough protein.”
Protein is important to diet, no doubt. And vegans need it as much as non-vegans need it. The good news is that sources of protein for vegans are extensive, with many being found in the list of vegan foodstuffs above. All without the fat, the cholesterol and the downright misery, cruelty and environmental mayhem that meat brings with it.
If your non-vegan friends need further proof that vegans can more than meet their protein requirements, have them check out Patrik Baboumian online.
Baboumian, who went vegan in 2012, is a German-Iranian vegan bodybuilder and strongman who sports some pretty impressive stats, including deadlifting over 790 pounds, bench pressing over 470 pounds and sporting biceps over 19 inches in diameter. So yeah, very malnourished…
