Why are people so negative about a vegan lifestyle?

Question

I'm learning to keep my mouth shut to my friends/family about my new lifestyle change. I've got everything from: it's too expensive, being vegan is not healthy, kids should eat whatever they want, to - "you are weird". Wondering if any of you have gone through this and still do?

Answer 1

Because a vegan diet is unhealthy in the long term. A mother's breast milk used to feed an infant is high in saturated fat and cholesterol and there is a good reason for that. Cholesterol and most saturated fat is found in animal foods. I would do some research. A good start is from the Weston A. Price foundation. This organization will help you find nutrient dense foods, healthy foods. For example fruits and vegetables should be organic and not sprayed with pesticides. Animals should be given proper feed. They should be outside eating fresh green grass. Not the confinement animal factory farms where animals never see sunlight, never get exercise, are not fed correctly and are injected with hormones and antibiotics. etc..

If you don't want to eat any meat even if it's healthy, because you don't like to see animals slaughtered, you can still eat eggs, milk, cream, butter to stay healthy from farmers who treat their animals with kindness and good nutrition.

To find healthy organic food:
http://www.westonaprice.org and http://www.eatwellguide.org/

The truth about factory farming.
http://www.themeatrix1.com/

Most processed foods are toxic and genetically engineered.
http://www.krafty.org/flash/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Answer 2

I'm a vegetarian, not a vegan. I don't tell people I know, such as neighbours, or work colleagues anything about my eating habits. Why should they know? If you feel good being vegan, it's ok. And remember, there are plenty of other subjects to talk about with your friends than what you eat or what you don't eat. Most people around you are not well-informed on vegan diet, or else are silly and call you weird.

Answer 3

If you haven't noticed people are generally very negative anyway, no matter what the subject is. Have you ever tried to start a business? I have. So have many others. Ask them, and they'll tell you all about how everyone from their family to best friends were all saying things like: you are crazy, it'll never work, it'll cost lots of money, it'll be hard work, how will you compete, where will you get the money, you can't do that, you'll be miserable, you should just get a regular job so you can relax on weekends, you'll be working 7days a week, ... on and on and on and on and on it goes... never ending negativity. When you are a success they all come back: I knew you could do it, great job, how can I help (i.e. how can I leech off of your success), and all these people line up looking for you to help them and wanting handouts and wanting your money and to leech off of your success.

It's the way people are. They constantly drag you down like a mob to their own low level and if you manage to break free and rise above, they all want a piece of your pie. If you become rich and famous, everyone want to lift you up and celebrate you, but when you were climbing the ladder all they did was try to knock you down or just not help out at all.

I have MANY people whom I consider to be my good friends, but when my business opened, how many actually showed up to the grand opening? I sent out invitations to everyone I know... Two of them with their family. Not even my own family showed up.

Hey, so that's how you find out who your real friends are. The ones that help out and are positive and give you words of encouragement, they are the ones. The rest can all go to hell.

Answer 4

I've been vegetarian for 20+ years and have rarely gotten any flack for it in "real life" (some of the people here are another story...) Since I've gone vegan (a couple months ago) the only person who has given me any problem is my (ironically, vegetarian) boss. I can't figure out what his issue is with it, but he keeps saying I should be "flexible" about it. I think most people who are negative about it either don't understand it or have, unfortunately, encountered super-preachy vegans and think we're all out to convert them. I don't try to convert ANYONE I talk to about it and I only discuss it if they initiate it.

Answer 5

if you cant tell them abut your life and they cant except it then leave it alone, they should be able to look past it, ITS JUST FOOD!! I can live without eating it, i just have no taste for it, and i feel more heatlhy not eating it but i guess it depends on how much meat you eat and hows its made. i no someone who is very opinionated about being vegan and tries to shove it down everyones throat, im not that way i could care less , this is not a race matter, but it is starting to sound like it, i respect people who eat meat i dont really even think about it or say OMG i cant talk to you cause you eat meat..

Answer 6

I'm not vegan but...

I don't understand why people have the attitude they do about the food you want to eat.

Last night we were at a restaurant and my youngest daughter asked the oldest daughter (they are in their 40s) what she was going to order. I asked her why she always asked that. She didn't have a clue. But she always has something to say about the food her sister eats. I don't get it.

As long as you do not expect me to follow your choices, I don't care how or what you eat. I will ask if it looks good and I might want to try it, but that is not a criticism.

I love shelling sugar peas and eating them. Both my daughters poke fun at me. I've been doing that most of my life. There's nothing tastier than eats peas while sitting in the garden (when you are supposed to be picking them for supper).

I assume you have studied the vitamins and minerals and know how to balance your menu to be sure you get the proper nutrients? That's all you need to worry about. Ignore those who don't understand.

Answer 7

if you're not vegan then it can be hard to understand why you'd want to be.

i totally respect veganism as a personal choice but im not vegan. and sometimes it seem like a lot of the vegans i meet want to "convert" me to veganism or something. i feel like if i respect their lifestyle, why won't they respect mine? also, since eating things like eggs and dairy doesnt kill animals, i wonder why they're wrong to eat. but if thats what you want, then its cool; you dont have to eat it...

it's just totally hard for others to get. don't you ever wonder why people eat meat? well non vegans wonder why vegans don't.
and going back to the whole personal choice thing. i think a lot of the negativity comes from the fact that people feel like vegans will force them to not eat animal products or make them feel guilty about it... i believe people should be able to choose. and as for kids, i think veganism should be their choice not something that their parents choose for them. parents can provide a vegan diet but if your kid chooses to eat non vegan at school or with friends or something, i don't think they should be punished or something...

idk, just my humble opinion, from the other side :]

Answer 8

Because people are misinformed and ignorant, not to mention some are blatantly stupid.

In regards to the "kids should eat whatever they want to" comment, then guess you're doing precisely that, aren't you? You're eating what you want, and not eating what you don't want. Veganism is a choice.

Answer 9

I became vegetarian when I was 27, and now I'm 50. I used to hear a bunch of stuff like that years ago but nobody makes an issue of it anymore (except here on YA).

But I hardly ever mention it unless somebody asks me.

Answer 10

You shouldn't have to keep your mouth shut about your lifestyle, unless you can't take criticism. I know a few "vegan" people who aren't very educated as to what they are doing. Going vegan without doing your research can be very harmful to your body. If this is something that you feel passionate about, then study up on nutrition to make sure that your diet isn't lacking anything. I will be honest, I don't think going totally vegan is healthy, especially to young people. I don't know how old you are, but if you are still in your teens, your body needs certain things that a vegan diet might not provide. Learn to accept peoples' criticism, they might actually be trying to teach you something.