Question by alika613: Why do people think that my being a vegan is any of their business?
If I’m not stealing food out of your mouth, what do you care what I eat? Why do people think that my being a vegan has to do with THEM?
It’s my choice. It is my body and I make the decision about what I put into it. I don’t bring up my being a vegan unless someone asks, and yet when I do tell them they all think it’s their business to tell me what I should or shouldn’t be eating. Why do they care? I’m not asking them to become a vegan, I’m not talking about slaughterhouses in front of people that don’t want to know, I don’t stand outside KFC with a sign saying all meat eaters are going to hell, so why do people get into my business?
“Do you want some milk?”
ME: “No thanks.”
“Why not?”
ME: “I’m a vegan, I don’t eat dairy.”
“Why do you people have to go to extremes!”
….you people? You mean what? Pet owners? Volunteers? Librarians? What?
Or my favorite: “Man was made to eat meat! Don’t you understand the facts of life? You’re going to die from protein deficiency and lack of B12!”
Seriously? WHY DO YOU CARE?! This has nothing to do with you! Do you understand that it is none of your business?! And I get over 40g of protein a day, FYI! I eat beans, whole grains, and nuts EVERY DAY! And B12? Are you kidding me? I take a multivitamin every morning, plus my soy milk, plus the cereal, plus the veggie burgers, on any given day I get over 200% of the RDA, over 4 micrograms.
But seriously, why do people care what I eat? If I don’t eat meat, eggs, cheese, whatever, then that’s more for them! So why do people care?
-Alika613
Best answer:
Answer by praise seitan
i’ve heard that people feel like they are being judged just because a vegetarian or vegan is just there.
before i went vegetarian i was eating lunch with my cousin who is vegetarian. she mentioned that she was and i yelled something like “how do you get your protein”. not verbatim.
not entirely positive why i got upset, it might have been that i thought she was starving and i didn’t know anything about vegetarianism then
there is something called carnism. its an unspoken assumption of our society. that explains alot of it.
either way if someone needs to force their opinions on you then their parents probably didn’t raise them right.
and if someone needs to go into the woods and kill they probably need therapy
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
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21 Responses
its nobody’s business but yours
Goodluck
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
I don’t care if you are a vegan. If that’s what you want great for you. I just don’t like it when (some) vegans try to push their beliefs onto me. Ive been told Im a murderer and no better than someone who has killed a child just because I eat meat. I know you said you don’t preach, but some vegans do. Just like some omnivores do as well. I agree, it would be a better place if everyone just minded their own business.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Isn’t it annoying? I told my grandma that I stopped eating fish (I was a pescetarian) and she kept asking, Why?
Me: Because it’s not a vegetable?
Her: Fish is good for you.
Me: So is being a vegetarian.
That seemed to be her only argument. Plus she had a ‘vegetarian’ friend who ate fish, so that might have coloured her impressions.
All I can say is, ignore the stupid arguments like the food chain or the teeth thing or that all vegans are anemic hippies. You know what you’re doing and you know what feels right to you. As long as you’re healthy, your dietary habits are no one’s business but your own.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
People question what they don’t understand. Instead of telling them you’re a vegan, just say you’re allergic to milk or don’t care much for meat. There really is no need to explain your dietary preferences beyond that. Telling them you’re a vegan just invites criticism (through no fault of your own). I don’t care much for meat myself, but am not a vegan or vegetarian. You can’t really argue with people’s likes and dislikes, can you?
Also, there are some people who really brag about their vegetarian diet. I have a neighbor who tells me she’s a vegetarian at least 15 times every time she sees me. She evidently is very proud of that fact. Although you don’t do that, the people you are with may have encountered that scenario before and become rather testy about it, expecting a lecture.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
I don’t know why you lit it bother you , people are entitled to opinions, the world is always been this way, we all have pros and cons . You are right to say you eat what you want it’s your body ,but make sure that you get checked by your doctor in case you need some supplement to replace what you don’t have. Other than that if someone says something you just tell them that you don’t criticize what they eat and neither should they .
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
You ever wonder about B12? I mean almost EVERYTHING is fortified with B12, cereals, milk, ect… Do they do that for the <1% of the population that’s vegan?? I doubt it… B12 is a bacteria and we live in a sterile society so NO one gets enough B12. Olympic athletes and pro athletes regularly get month B12 injections and are mostly meat eaters shouldn’t they be getting enough B12??
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
I’m pretty certain it’s because they own shares in bio-diesel companies and don’t want you using up all the veggies being grown for fuel.
That’s really the only logical explanation, no? :)
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Well, be paitent with people. Remember that just like there are some “Meatans’ who do that to you, there are Vegans that are also very militant and get on everyone who eats meat. I can’t tell you how many times I have been out with Vegans and been in your same shoes with them basically yelling at me for eating animals.
Personally, I feel it is your choice as eating meat is my choice, and my cousins who are Vegans have opened my eyes up to at least healthier eating and some things that i now find yummy like lentils and and spanich.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Sorry about my first post but this is my take on the subject and please don’t take offense. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan and don’t want to be. I hunt and fish but i eat what I harvest. I have no problem with vegetarians or vegans everybody has there own opinions of things. But here is what I and other carnivores have a problem with: PETA is constantly making commercials and magazine ads cramming there beliefs down our throats and constantly trying to get bills passed to outlaw things. Many of them are extremists that just enjoy keeping the pot stirred and pissing everyone off. This is why I think your getting criticized for what you do because your peers criticize us!!!
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
because people are nosey and it makes them feel superior
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Next time someone asks you why you are vegan ask them why they find joy in eating a defenseless, beautiful animal.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
It’s not their business, but they are curious. After being a vegetarian (and usually vegan) for 18 years, I have learned just to say “no thanks”, I’m allergic, or that I’m on a diet. Just makes it easier.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I get asked that question often. Personally, I believe it’s because it’s something different than they’re used to and for some reason meat eaters cant grasp the idea of not eating meat. They think it’s different or weird.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
I supposes it’s the same reason why anybody thinks that my being an omnivore is any of their business.
Some people are just obnoxious jackasses, no matter what they eat.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Once upon a time, we could have civil discourse. Our leaders would get on television or the radio and debate the issues of the day. The discussions would be heated, but all sides were heard. Today, we have radio and television hosts with strong opinions. They bring on people who agree with them. Those who watch and listen begin to believe that everyone thinks that way. If you always listened to Bill OReilly, you thought everyone thought like he did. If you always listened to Al Franken, you think everyone thought like he did. We forget there are other viewpoint.
I appreciate you understanding that what works for you doesn’t work for others. I also face people who don’t understand why I choose to be a vegetarian. I have no problem with those who ask questions, “How do you get your protein? How do you get B12?” They’re looking for information. I also get frustrated with those who are accusatory about how I eat. I just tell them, “Don’t yuck on my yum.” I learned that from a three year old. I won’t make snide comments about their ground up, roasted cow butt, and I expect them not to make nasty comments about my bean curd.
What business is it of theirs? Unless they’re planning to cook for you or pick a place to go to dinner with you, it shouldn’t matter. I equate it to a person being straight or gay. Unless I’m interested in going out with them, it’s not an issue. Of course, if I get to know the person I will likely figure it out. If you spend time with me, you’ll find out I’m a vegetarian.
It sounds like you’re well informed about nutrition. It sounds like you’re doing things right. Learn to hear what sounds like anger as concern. Learn to answer back gratefully and gracefully that you’ve done the research know what you’re doing. Let them know how much thought you’ve given to doing what you’re doing right.
I really do get the frustration, but try and picture the standard American dinner plate. It’s filled one third with vegetable, one third with starch and one third with animal protein. For those who haven’t explored eating another way, imagine what it must seem like to picture your dinner plate. Most of them really are concerned.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
You need to eat meat, that’s what our bodies were intended for.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Because you posted it on the internet.
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
this is more of a rant than a query.
why not ASK them yourself..
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Why do you tell people that you are a vegan? You can simply tell them that you don’t like milk. I told my parents that the whole time that I lived at home (didn’t do any good,but as soon as I moved out of the house, I stopped consuming milk products and got rid of a lot of physical problems right away. If people ask me if I want some milk or cheese, I just smile and say no thank you.) I became a vegan, but I felt that my food choices were my own and I did not share them with anyone. If people invited me to dinner, I told them that I would be happy to come, and asked it if would be possible for me to bring a dish to share –if they agreed, I would take my favorite, tastiest dish so that I would have something to eat and others could try it. Then I would eat anything that they had that was vegan (if they asked if I had tried this or that thing, I would simply shyly explain that I was allergic to some of the ingredients, and usually they would drop it)
I think it is actually pretty boring when people make a big point about being a vegetarian or a vegan (when I invite people over, I don’t tell them that I am a raw vegan, but what they get is going to be raw vegan food). We have one woman at work who will stick her nose in all the food at a party and then start protesting that she cannot eat this or this or this or that because she is a vegetarian. It seems to me that she is trying to show off. I guess she has so little self-esteem that she is trying to make herself seem more important by protesting so much about being a vegetarian. No one cares.
Posted on February 19th, 2011 at 12:18 am
they take it as an insult
when i first stop eating meat my family didn’t take me seriously and took it as me saying
“i’m too good to eat meat”
me being against things like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4
has nothing to do with me wanting to stick my nose up at you
after seeing raw evidence like that i don’t even see meat as food kind of the way a meat eater
wouldn’t think raccoon road kill would make a good steak
and again referring to that video i question how my meal got on my plate rather than worry if my “big mac” suffered before it got to me i just don’t eat meat at all
i can not condone nor support that kind of treatment of living things
Posted on February 19th, 2011 at 12:43 am
Good question! I must say, I’ve never got the B12 argument either! Most of the food in my house has B12 in it! I get plenty of it and I’ve never had any health problems in my 5 years of being vegan!
Posted on February 19th, 2011 at 12:50 am
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