Disclaimer: This entry IS NOT referring to people with health conditions or allergies. Or those who have similar genuine reasons to avoid these kinds of products.
Since deciding I wanted to transition into veganism and then becoming vegan I have noticed a 'trend' throughout the vegan community and to be completely honest, it bothers me.
There is a particular attitude amongst some vegans where they believe if you don't fit their definition of a 'pure' vegan, you're not 'worthy'.
Let's look at some of the more common statements made by these types of people.
"Vegans who eat imitation meat products are fake vegans!"
Whenever I hear people say this my eyes just roll off right into space and say hi to the solar system. Seriously? There's no meat or dairy in these products, no animals are getting hurt to make them. Some people come to veganism (most actually) from a background of meat eating and these replacements can be crucial to help them transition or to just remain on this lifestyle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with imitation meat. It's actually super tasty and full of protein. I think it's more important to focus ones' energy on encouraging people for choosing faux meat than it is to bash them and put them off it forever.
"You should always avoid something if it 'may' contain an animal derived product because if you don't you're not a good vegan!"
*Please note my above disclaimer before reading my response here.*
Companies add statements like 'may contain milk' to their packaging because those products are made with the same equipment (or in the same factory) as products containing animal ingredients. And they don't want to be held responsible or sued for any accidental contamination or any possibility of contamination.
Thing is, most responsible companies clean their equipment in between switching from animal products to veg products so honestly, there really is very little need to worry about those statements.
For example, I use a hand whisk in my kitchen that, for example, my family use to whisk real dairy cream. I use the same cutlery as my family to eat my food. My family are not vegan. Those tools are cleaned before I use them but they've still been used on animal products prior to me using them. Therefore they 'may' cause my food to 'maybe' contain animal ingredients. This could be said for ANYTHING in life. If you walk across a road there is a risk you 'may' get run over. If you walk down some stairs, there is a risk you 'may' fall down them. If you carry a glass jar you 'may' drop it and smash it. Should you stop doing all of those things because there is a chance it could go wrong? You'd end up never leaving your house!
I think it's more important to support companies who produce products with vegan ingredients than it is to boycott them. The former shows them there is a demand for vegan products and the latter will only encourage them to stop producing these products. Companies make products based on how much demand there is for them. So be overly cautious if you must but otherwise, don't let these sorts of statements wind you up too much, it's just not worth it and is likely to do more harm than good.
"If you don't eat raw, you're a terrible vegan!"
If you enjoy eating only raw food then that's fabulous. But some people, like myself, really enjoy cooked food. There isn't anything wrong with that. Isn't it more important that someone is not supporting animal cruelty than if their food is cooked or not?
"If you slip up you can't be vegan anymore"
This is like saying if you fail at something you should never try again. Ridiculous, unrealistic and not the way to succeed.Why on earth would you want to prevent someone from continuing to try and do something as friendly to the animals and environment as being vegan????
What are your thoughts on vegans who think this way? Love them? Can't stand them? Share your thoughts!
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