Guest guest Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hello all, I have been a vegetarian for years and recently am trying to go vegan all the way. I am curious why other people chose to be vegan. Is it for health reasons, compassion for all animals and living creatures, the environment? Do you all wear vegan clothing, use products that are cruelty free? I chose to be a vegetarian many years ago when I first turned 18. Two reasons, one was compassion for animals, the other was to drive my mom crazy! She didn't understand not eating meat at all. At the time I didn't think about not using milk or egg products. I am getting to the age where my friends are going through menopause and some are thinking about trying hormones. I started researching those and that continued on to products that test on animals and on from there. I realize I can go vegan and save so many more animals from suffering. The other day when I was swimming laps in our public pool I started thinking about the chemicals in the pool. Wonder if those are tested on animals? Should a vegan not use a public pool?? christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 All those reasons, but mostly because I could. Also for aesthetics: the notion of handling and eating rotting things and products of cruelty.* I didn't know it was possible to be veg*n when I was growing up, and when I found out it was not only possible but also better in every way, that was it. I went vegan about a decade after going vegetarian, mostly because I'd learned more and wasn't being held back by cheese-eating vegetarians around me . Have been vegan 2 decades. I still have a wool blanket I've had all my life and some silk & cashmere (all bought used) in the closet that I need to clear out (because I've accumulated too much stuff!). But haven't owned anything leather in decades -- can't stand the smell. I haven't used tallow soaps in years, they made my skin itch, and I do check labels to avoid animal products. Re hormones, I thought they were no longer recommended because some study found they have a small cancer risk and don't offer any benefits. Also, I recall reading that menopausal symptoms were unknown or very minor in Asian cultures that eat very little animal products. For one thing, they're not ingesting additional hormones in their food. But also, the high fat content of the traditional western diet pumps up hormone levels. Without the high fat and animal products, hormone levels are a lot lower to begin with, so with aging, a decrease in hormones is only a small change, not a huge swing. *I don't know exactly when I encountered it, but I think of the story " The ones who walk away from Omelas " by Ursula K. Le Guin as a sort of " why go vegan/going against the grain " story. It's a beautifully written story about someone who grows up in a wonderful town, but upon coming of age, is taken to a cell where a child is kept in filth. All the wonderfulness and prosperity of the town depends on the child being kept in this dark cell. For some people, it's ok; the trade-offs are worth anything. For others, the ones who walk away from Omelas, finding out the secret of the town's prosperity taints and tarnishes it; it's not worth living in a place that condones such a thing. At 2:28 PM -0800 7/21/09, Christine wrote: Hello all, I have been a vegetarian for years and recently am trying to go vegan all the way. I am curious why other people chose to be vegan. Is it for health reasons, compassion for all animals and living creatures, the environment? Do you all wear vegan clothing, use products that are cruelty free? I chose to be a vegetarian many years ago when I first turned 18. Two reasons, one was compassion for animals, the other was to drive my mom crazy! She didn't understand not eating meat at all. At the time I didn't think about not using milk or egg products. I am getting to the age where my friends are going through menopause and some are thinking about trying hormones. I started researching those and that continued on to products that test on animals and on from there. I realize I can go vegan and save so many more animals from suffering. The other day when I was swimming laps in our public pool I started thinking about the chemicals in the pool. Wonder if those are tested on animals? Should a vegan not use a public pool?? christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 HI Christine I personally wouldn't worry about things like using a public swimming pool. The chemicals they use (chlorine?) are probably not tested on animals now. Jo , " Christine " <damselfly wrote: > > Hello all, > I have been a vegetarian for years and recently am trying to go vegan all the way. I am curious why other people chose to be vegan. Is it for health reasons, > compassion for all animals and living creatures, the environment? Do you all wear vegan clothing, use products that are cruelty free? > I chose to be a vegetarian many years ago when I first turned 18. Two reasons, one was compassion for animals, the other was to drive my mom crazy! She didn't understand not eating meat at all. At the time I didn't think about not using milk or egg products. I am getting to the age where my friends are going through menopause > and some are thinking about trying hormones. I started researching those and that continued on to products that test on animals and on from there. I realize I can go vegan and save so many more animals from suffering. > The other day when I was swimming laps in our public pool I started thinking about the chemicals in the pool. Wonder if those are tested on animals? Should a vegan not use a public pool?? > christine > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I decided to try vegan because I dont like meat, and its pumped with too much chemicals here in the US. I dont think the meat here is safe, if its possible to call ANY meat " safe " . We dont know what diseases the animal could have been suffering with. Anyway, I find eating meat a bit repulsive. It reminds me too much of human flesh. The only kind of meat i was really eating before this was seafood, which i will miss. i think salmon is the only meat i will miss. As for dairy-well it just makes u fat. i dont see a need for it. its also kind of gross to think i was drinking some cows milk. i wouldnt drink it from a cow, so why from a gallon? Apart from the eating only non animal foods, I dont read my clothes or beauty products labels for animal testing and the sort. im not one of those people who likes to get involved with any advocacies or protests. i tend to keep my beliefs to myself, and feel everyone is free to believe as they please. Basically, im vegan because i want to protect my health. , " Christine " <damselfly wrote: > > Hello all, > I have been a vegetarian for years and recently am trying to go vegan all the way. I am curious why other people chose to be vegan. Is it for health reasons, > compassion for all animals and living creatures, the environment? Do you all wear vegan clothing, use products that are cruelty free? > I chose to be a vegetarian many years ago when I first turned 18. Two reasons, one was compassion for animals, the other was to drive my mom crazy! She didn't understand not eating meat at all. At the time I didn't think about not using milk or egg products. I am getting to the age where my friends are going through menopause > and some are thinking about trying hormones. I started researching those and that continued on to products that test on animals and on from there. I realize I can go vegan and save so many more animals from suffering. > The other day when I was swimming laps in our public pool I started thinking about the chemicals in the pool. Wonder if those are tested on animals? Should a vegan not use a public pool?? > christine > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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