In a prior blog piece, I discussed some of the dynamics around veganism: how the factory farming system is harmful to both animals and people, why animal life and well-being matters, and more. As I also noted there, I’ve seen a lot of misinformation and faulty reasoning around veganism.
When I sat down to write a blog piece on my thoughts around vegnaism, there was too much to say on that topic to fit into one blog piece. So, here’s a second. I’ll address much of that, point by point, step by step. Here we go, let’s jump in! If I haven’t lost you after that, stick around for some larger take-home messages at the end, if you’re so inclined.
Humans have always eaten meat and other animal products. Animals in the wild eat each other. It’s only natural.
That’s true, humans have always eaten other animals, just as many other species do. Animals (of which we are a species) do eat each other. Yet what’s not natural is the industrial scale to which we’ve taken it. Factory farming, as we know it today, wasn’t even possible at the turn of the last century.
Why? It takes the technologies of antibiotics (to stem disease in the incredibly unsanitary, cramped conditions in which these animals live, as referenced in my first veganism blog piece) and bioengineering (to squeeze every last possible ounce of product out of these animals, to a point that’s unnatural for their biology).
But what about options like grass-fed beef and chickens from free-range eggs?
It’s true that animals under those conditions suffer less. Yet in the words of plant-based meat innovator Bruce Friedrich, “it's still confinement agriculture…I'd challenge people to visit those slaughterhouses, visit those barns.” It's a lot less pretty than you might think – typically not quite the bucolic image of the family farm of generations past.
Here's also the thing: the regulation around labels like “cage-free” and “grass-fed” is rather vague and lax. A farmer could let their chickens run outside for an hour a week and then claim that their eggs are from “cage-free hens”....and no one's questioning them.
Still, if your feasible options are “cage-free” and not “cage-free”, and you choose cage free (granted, it's available to and affordable for you), good on you. That one hour living like a chicken should live could mean a whole lot to those animals.
Preparing to bake vegan pies....
A plant-based diet doesn’t provide enough protein.
To this I respond with questions: how much protein do you believe that you need? Where did you get that information? A doctor? A nutritionist? Or is it just something you’ve been led to believe?
Indie documentaries on factory farming can leave something to be desired when it comes to objectivity and rigorous research (they can come off as pretty cheesy and sensationalized, I totally admit). There’s a common thread that I’ve found there, however: the US agricultural lobby has influenced federal dietary guidelines, frankly in favor of their own profits. There’s a whole lot of smoke there, and I personally believe that there’s fire.
Here’s another way of looking at this matter: literally all protein comes from plants, because animals that the majority of the human population “eats for their protein” get their protein from plants. Those following a plant-based diet, and (to a lesser extent) vegetarians, are just going straight to the source: plants. I’ll say it one more time for the people in the back: the original source of all protein is plants.
At the same time, I’m never going to assume that what works for me will work for anyone else. I’ve had friends who’ve tried a plant-based diet, and they didn’t feel like they got enough protein. I appreciate the effort! Let’s just make sure we’re coming from facts and not from culturally-imposed beliefs.
Pies completed!
Plant-based diets are inefficient. It can’t even be that much better for the environment.
Does it surprise you to learn this: the most efficient meat, calorie for calorie, is chicken – and it takes nine calories into a chicken to get one calorie out for human consumption (Friedrich again). It surprised me.
On the environmental front, the numbers are clear: the fewer animal products we consume, the better for the environment. That's to the tune of plant-based diets producing 75% fewer carbon emissions than omnivorous diets (via @livekindlyco). True, almond milk (my personal preference) is fairly water-intensive as compared with other plant-based milks. But it’s still less so than dairy milk. That’s because cows need to drink and eat, and their food also requires water to grow.
On that note, remember all of that talk of the Amazon rainforest being the “lungs of the world” a few years ago, when fires were ripping through those lands (gulp)? Not a small amount of that rainforest has been plowed to make grazing land for livestock, and land to grow foodstuffs for them. Plant-based diets are more efficient and less resource-intensive because – I'll be a broken record here – they go straight to the source: plants.
The Harlem Hero sandwich and fries, from Veggie Galaxy (Cambridge, MA): you guessed it, vegan!
Stop acting holier-than-thou. I’m not a bad person because I eat meat, eggs, and dairy.
I never said anyone was, truly! Friedrich also notes that “it’s not intentional cruelty….no one wakes up saying that they’re going to make animals suffer.” I wholeheartedly agree. I don’t think I was intentionally cruel when I ate meat and animal products…it’s just how I was raised. Even agricultural corporations and lobbies, who I personally believe have often been bad actors here, aren’t guided by cruelty (rather, by the capitalist imperative to increase profits for their executives and shareholders).
I come to this, as this with most issues, with a systemic lens. By that I mean that a system is more culpable here than any individual is. While hosting Friedrich on an episode of his eponymous podcast, Ezra Klein – himself a vegan – advocates for system over individual change. He notes that lives get busy, appealing and affordable plant-based options can be inaccessible in some places, and – simply put – “people need to feed their kids.”
Yes, some individual change – and thereby reducing one’s contribution to animal suffering – doesn’t mean completely denying oneself of all pleasure from food. Rather, it’s “just making some different and very doable changes,” Klein affirms. I very much agree with him there. Systemic change could make that individual change a whole lot easier, for more individuals. Let’s make that priority number one – and then individual change is more likely to follow.
The bottom line is this: I’m never here to judge or preach, only to educate. I don't blame you for the suffering perpetrated by the system in which you are enmeshed, simply by being a modern human. I come with an open mind, and I would only hope that people who engage with me in these discussions would do the same.
I couldn’t ever do that – I love cheese and pastries too much!
I personally follow a plant-based diet, and am passionate about all of this (I’m sure that you can tell), but even I make exceptions and occasionally have things with eggs and dairy – not which I purchase, but such as when eating with family and at holidays.
Reducing your part in animal suffering doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. I don’t think that message even helps the cause. It can look like whatever you can and want it to look like. Anything is something. Any amount that you can reduce demand for these products, the smaller the supply grows over time (that’s just how markets work). Animals and the planet thank you.
An incredible (of course vegan) burger from my favorite local vegan restaurant
And also, newsflash, vegans eat more than salads. That’s a common misconception. Just some of the items on the menu of my favorite local vegan place (all vegan versions of these well-known dishes, of course): cheeseburgers, pizzas, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken sandwiches, chicken caesar salads, cookies, other pastries, and ice cream.
The chemistry can be complex, and some of the ingredients challenging to find as well as a bit pricey – but it’s all technically doable. It's not always easy and accessible (believe me, from eight years being vegan, I know that well), but pretty much any food you might crave can be made plant-based. The technology and available options are getting even better, and more widespread, all the time! Apart from that, peanut butter and jelly, anyone? Just as filling and satisfying as a deli meat sandwich or grilled cheese, I’d say.
That said, I will acknowledge that some people – such as nursing mothers, those with certain allergies, and individuals with atypical nutrient deficiencies – sometimes need to consume animal products for their health. I truly get it. Moreover, I commend those people for doing what they need for their health. As referenced, some people just don’t have plant-based food options available to or affordable for them. That’s not their fault – it’s a systemic outcome.
Even in those cases, Meatless Mondays, anyone? Barring that, wildlife and domesticated animal charities abound – who can all use donations, volunteers, and other forms of in-kind support. In a democracy, we can also always advocate for policy changes and hold our legislators accountable. Is there a politician running for office with great animal welfare policies? How about volunteering for or donating to their campaign?
Okay, so you don’t have the money or time for those things. Can you opt for an almond milk latte instead of a cow-milk based latte at your next cafe visit? My point is that the options here are plentiful – it just takes a little thoughtfulness.
The cake I enjoyed on my most recent birthday, both vegan and delicious
With that sort of thoughtfulness, I firmly believe that all people can reduce their part in animal suffering (okay, maybe not vegans who don’t even eat honey and who spend their free time serving animals and animal-related causes). If anyone has no excuse to reduce their animal product consumption other than preference, I would never judge them (it's just not useful, honestly). I would only ask for a little personal reflection. I would only ask for awareness of their part in a toxic system – and if that’s what they want to keep doing, if that’s who they want to be.
If the answer is yes, well, it’s their life. No one but each of us can change our own behavior, motivations, and beliefs. We’re all responsible for our own part in systems of global suffering. The part you will play, dear reader – that’s up to you.
Images courtesy of the author