Vegans of BYC!!

PippinTheChicken said:

Hey guys.
I'm not vegan or vegetarian, I couldn't possibly give up milk or cheese or meat! But I am trying to cut down on eating too much bird meat. All the meat, eggs and milk I eat/drink is from my local shop (won lots of awards for animal welfare) and is organically sourced. I will not eat it if it's not organic. I've also done a school presentation on battery farming, it's disgusting.

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I think plant based meat substitutes or alternatives can be a good supplement to any diet, reducing the amount of animal products people use means less animals farmed and more care is taken with them-
If you think about factory farming etc, its all about quantity not quality or welfare, they have to mass produce to meet the demand-
More people are cutting meat and dairy and eggs even, out completely, but even those who reduce the amount they consume will help! And hopefully someday we wont rely on those products anymore/as much.
Whether its things like eating meat a couple times a week instead of every day, or swapping things out for plant based alternatives that taste the same (like butter, its basically exactly the same). Changes like that can be positive for welfare reasons as well as health-

Anyways, I'm basically agreeing and understanding where you're coming from and just ranting lol. Welcome to the thread

Reducing your intake of bird meat and eating the healthiest options you can find is admirable. And you are right about battery/factory farming.

But, you may surprise yourself some day and change how you feel about what you eat.; I did.

I used to think I would NEVER stop eating dairy-based cheese. I loved all kinds of cheese -- cooked with it, ate chunks of it as snacks, sprinkled grated cheese on Italian dishes. I had gradually been eating less meat. but I could not imagine life without a chunk of smoked Gouda or a sharp Cheddar.

In fact, I used to think vegans "didn't get it." Sure, meat meant animals were killed, but dairy products didn't kill anything. Some small operations may be able to produce cheese in a more humane manner, but there are none of those around here.

After I learned more about the conditions that commercial operations force upon dairy animals, I started to enjoy cheese a bit less. Now when someone asks me what I've had to give up, I tell them I didn't HAVE to give up anything. It's a choice I've made, and I'm happy with it.

I will be the first to admit that some of the plant-based alternatives don't really replicate dairy-made cheese, but some are pretty good. I even test them out on my non-vegan sister who agrees.

Regardless of my choices, I applaud you for the steps you've taken. Thanks for being part of this thread.