Comments on: Guest Post: Why I Chose To Go Vegan

By: Sarah W.

Sarah W. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:33:13 +0000

Not Vegans: I appreciate your comments and respect them. i totally understand that its confusing, my friend called herself vegetarian but i would see her chow down on a kielbasa. nowadays i think its less and less confusing and its easier to say I’m vegan when in a restaurant than to say, oh, I don’t eat dairy, but I’m cool with shrimp or salmon but no other fishes, and i’m ok with my rice being cooked in chicken stock, etc.

I suppose I am technically flexitarian, but for the general masses, I’m vegan, because most can’t imagine not eating chicken or meat or dairy.

thanks for the kind words everybody!!!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:57:04 +0000

well said Not Vegan 2. I also applaud Sarah for her food choices — it takes a strong person to not eat like the masses no matter what the reason — but the word vegan really does mean not using animal products in any way (including not just fish and honey, but wool, leather, gelatin, isinglass, cochineal, etc.). Calling a diet with animal products “vegan” throws up a wall that makes it harder (for those of us who dispute the semantics) to appreciate the super healthy food choices for what they are.

By: Not Vegan 2

Not Vegan 2 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:48:50 +0000

I don’t want to sound rude or judgmental, but I do agree that, well, vegans don’t eat fish. I think your choices are admirable and that there’s nothing wrong with NOT being vegan, but it really fosters confusion about veganism to be misusing the word. So many people give me a hard time about being vegan (and talk about their vegetarian sister who eats beef and vegan friend who eats cheese sometimes), and I feel like I’m constantly trying to clarify what a vegan is (and, true enough, explain that NOT all vegans have a single position or share a brain), that I do get a little bit protective of the word.
I don’t want to cause Tina’s journal to be inundated with hundreds of, “Oh, for god’s sake, it’s just a WORD!” or, “Who CARES?” but I did just want to voice agreement.
But I admit it — I do get annoyed when “vegetarians” say they eat fish or chicken.

By: Angie

Angie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:06:11 +0000

That could be MY story! After years of suffering weird stomach cramps and then starting to have bathroom issues (not going for 7 days?!? Yeah, it’s as bad as it sounds) the doctors had no idea what was wrong with me.

I went vegan to see if it would help anything, and ALL my problems went away! Best decision I ever made by far. I wonder if we have the same “disorder”?

Congrats to you for taking your health into your own hands!

By: FoodsThatFit

FoodsThatFit — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:54:25 +0000

Great post! I love to hear about what motivated people to choose certain lifestyles! I am glad to hear veganism is working for you. I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I am trying to make baby steps in that direction and make small changes to eliminate some animal products from my diet. I really admire those, like yourself, who are so committed to this lifestyle, as I am sure it takes a lot of planning to live that way. Good for you girl!

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:45:17 +0000

I am struggling with stomach issues right now, just saw a GI specialist, still no answers yet. Maybe this is a problem? Thanks for posting this. I will have to check out your blog for more info!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:55:01 +0000

I could never give up dairy. Never.

By: K

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:42:55 +0000

Fabulous guest post!!

By: Kara

Kara — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:55:40 +0000

I like that you’re not being super-strict or hard on yourself. It’s nice to do what is important to you and what you feel good about!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:30:31 +0000

Great Guest Post! I definitely agree that you can be a fat vegan and junk foods abound!! For me its more about eating a healthy, balanced diet that does not include animal products and their negative attributes, without being militant about it.