Veganism FAQ
Introduction
Hi everyone, most of you know me as that one grey kitty with the pretty big titties, Lou cat! It’s great to be writing in! I am not much of a writer at all, but I thought I’d give it a try and write about my experiences as a zoosexual vegan, and how I live my day to day life. I will also be talking about common misconceptions when it comes to a vegan diet, and perhaps inspire others to give veganism a try! Big shoutout to Tarro for reaching out to me and asking me to write in. Thank you! As someone who definitely doesn’t fit the vegan stereotypes of being ‘rich’ and ‘not busy,’ if I can do it, I believe just about anyone can!
What is veganism?
Veganism is when someone does not consume any products made from an animal. This includes products such as real fur, gelatin, dairy, meat, eggs etc. The most common reasons that people will go vegan are for the purpose of health, animal welfare and environmental welfare, but I’d imagine there are plenty of other reasons as to why someone would go vegan. It makes sense why there are so many vegan zoos out there! We love and care about animals very very much, and want nothing but the best for them. Unfortunately, the animal production industry is one of the many evils in this world that isn’t addressed nearly enough. It is slowly destroying our environment by emitting greenhouse gases into the air, destroying our health by getting us addicted to salty, meaty and cheesy “goodness,” and it is putting animals through an unnecessary hell for the purpose of our own taste pleasure. You can find out more about the horrors of animal production industries on my Twitter page @LooeyZooey. I have some videos linked in my pinned tweet that helped me understand just how terrible these industries are. I also highly recommend the documentaries Cowspiracy and Earthlings. (Trigger warning, these videos may contain material that is difficult for some people to watch)
Day in my life
I highly encourage everyone to dive deeper and do research to give you that extra push to go vegan. But as horrible as these industries may be, I am not writing in to talk about them. I want to talk about the benefits of being vegan! So hi, I’m Lou. I am a young adult, fresh out of high school, ergo, I do not have a lot of time or money. I work constantly, almost daily, and I have a lot of studies to keep up with as I am currently in college. You may be wondering how on earth do I have the time to cook myself meals AND have money for it at the same time (in reference to the stereotypes of veganism being expensive). Well, it was not an easy thing to get used to, I’ll admit it. I’m very limited on time and I’m not the best cook, however, there are some very simple dishes that I enjoy making. They’re quick, easy and cheap! Perfect for my fellow college kids who are short on time and cash.
Quick, easy, cheap and delicious!
A lot of folks seem to think that veganism is very expensive and time consuming. But as someone who is broke and busy, this couldn’t be further from the truth. From my experience, eating fast food every day is more expensive than making your own food at home. It may be less convenient and may take more time, but it is better for those on a budget and/or for those who want to save up. Vegan cooking does take some planning ahead, and a little bit of recipe studying, but there are some very simple and quick recipes to follow all over the internet! For breakfast today, I enjoyed a peanut butter and banana sandwich. It’s high in protein and is very tasty! All I do is spread some peanut butter onto some bread, slice some bananas, place them onto the bread and boom, masterpiece. This takes me about less than a minute to prepare. It also makes a great mid-day snack! After class, I decided to make some spaghetti for lunch. I added cooked mushrooms, cooked onions and vegan parmesan after the veggies were done simmering in the pasta sauce. This takes me about 20 minutes to prepare. And for dinner, I decided to treat myself. My mom and I went out to eat at a restaurant, and they had a lot of vegan friendly options (which is rare in my area). I had plant based sushi, miso soup and some veggies and rice with soy sauce on it (probably other stuff was in the rice and veggies too, but I was assured they did not contain animal products.) Took them about 25 minutes to prepare. Typically I make myself something at home for dinner, but today was a special occasion. A lot of restaurants will have vegan options. You can look at their menu online to find out! If they don’t have any vegan options that catch your eye, you can have them remove any animal products that may be on the dish. With how large the vegan movement is growing, most restaurants are more than happy to accommodate! Now, obviously grocery store items vary in price depending on where you live. But bread ($2 per bag), peanut butter ($3 per jar) and bananas ($0.59 per banana) are typically very cheap. Pasta and veggies too. I spent about $25 at the restaurant that I was at, which is fairly expensive, but my mom and I wanted to have a get together so we decided to do something special.
Isn’t veganism unhealthy?
Usually not, no. But everybody is different. Be sure to consult with a professional if you have any concerns about going vegan. I recommend taking supplements everyday, whether you are vegan or not. The ones I take on a regular basis are probiotics, B-12, and iron supplements. Be sure to drink plenty of plant based milk to keep your bones healthy, and try to be aware of what is on your plate. Are there enough citrusy fruits and leafy greens? How about protein, calcium and carbs? Do you have grains in your cabinet? All of these should come into consideration when you are at the grocery store, so be sure to research which foods are good for which nutrients. I am absolutely not encouraging people to count calories, however I think it is important to be aware of how much protein/vitamins/etc you are getting so that you can take care of yourself the best you can! Many people give up on veganism because they claim it makes them sick. This is why it is important to eat healthy and take supplements. Don’t eat a banana, a whole pack of Oreos, some potato chips and a poptart (without the icing) and call it a day. I’ve seen some folks eat a terrible vegan diet, similar to the one that I used as an example, and say it was veganism itself that made them sick. No, it was their poor choices of vegan food. And remember, any time you make major dietary changes your body will take some time to adjust. If you’re someone that’s typically eating lots of meat and then cut it out of your diet entirely, there is going to be some time you need to adjust. So please do take care of yourself.
Why veganism?
Consistency. As zoosexuals, we are constantly being accused of animal abuse, yet the rate of veganism is much lower in the general population than it is among zoos. Who is really the animal abuser here? Someone who cares for their non-human companion, doesn’t deprive them of their sexual needs, and doesn’t castrate or crop them even though that is the societal norm? Or someone who pays for animals to be slaughtered, raped and exploited for the sake of their own taste pleasure? Antis will try to tell us that sex is inherently harmful to animals, we’ve all heard these arguments before. But when someone is shoving a dildo up a cows’ ass without her consent so they can artificially inseminate her, steal her baby after she’s given birth, and then steal her milk so humans can have yummy cream pies, THAT is okay? I don’t think so. And even if the antis were right, and in some way sex is inherently harmful to animals, we still would not be on their level of abusiveness. According to antis, zoos will “rape” their animals. But those same antis will turn around and pay for thousands and thousands of animals to be slaughtered, raped and exploited. That’s a pretty big 1-1000+ ratio. It’s not about animal welfare to them, it’s about oppression and disgust. I believe that as zoos, it is important for us to be consistent with our beliefs. Stand against animal abuse of all kinds, even if that specific abuse is the societal norm.
How can I get started?
Easy, just take it slow! What I did is I had specific days where I went vegan. I called them “vegan mondays.” I did this for about a month so that I could get used to this new diet. After I got used to “vegan mondays,” I did the same thing from Monday-Wednesday. It was a great way for me to ease into veganism, and I recommend giving it a try! It is also a safer way to see how your body will react to a new diet.
What if I can’t go vegan due to health problems?
Please do not beat yourself up over it! It is completely understandable, and no one should be shaming you. One of the main goals of veganism is to reduce harm to animals. If you purchase less meat, less dairy, less gelatin, you are still contributing to the vegan cause. By decreasing the demand in these items, less animals will be bred into existence to be tortured. So thank you, and keep up the great work!
Well, as I said before, I am not a writer. But I hope this read was still somewhat educational or at least entertaining. Remember to eat your veggies, kiss a dog, hug yourself, and have a fabulous day ζ
Article written by Loo Cat (September 2022)
Find her at https://twitter.com/LooeyZooey
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