Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Veganism is an ideology, not a choice.... Vegans do believe it’s moral to avoid animal products, but they also believe it’s healthier and better for the environment.
A Thanksgiving feast. pixabay.com, CC BY
At the age of 14, a young Donald Watson watched as a terrified pig was
slaughtered on his family farm. In the British boy’s eyes, the screaming pig
was being murdered. Watson stopped eating meat and eventually gave up dairy
as well.
Later, as an adult in 1944, Watson realized that other people shared his
interest in a plant-only diet. And thus veganism – a term he coined – was
born.
Flash-forward to today, and Watson’s legacy ripples through our culture.
Even though only 3 percent of Americans actually identify as vegan, most
people seem to have an unusually strong opinion about these fringe foodies –
one way or the other.
As a behavioral scientist with a strong interest in consumer food movements,
I thought November – World Vegan Month – would be a good time to explore why
people become vegans, why they can inspire so much irritation and why many
of us meat-eaters may soon join their ranks.
Early childhood experiences can shape how we feel about animals – and
lead to veganism, as it did for Donald Watson. HQuality/Shutterstock.com
It’s an ideology not a choice
Like other alternative food movements such as locavorism, veganism arises
from a belief structure that guides daily eating decisions.
They aren’t simply moral high-grounders. Vegans do believe it’s moral to
avoid animal products, but they also believe it’s healthier and better for
the environment.
Also, just like Donald Watson’s story, veganism is rooted in early life
experiences.
Psychologists recently discovered that having a larger variety of pets as a
child increases tendencies to avoid eating meat as an adult. Growing up with
different sorts of pets increases concern for how animals are treated more
generally.
Thus, when a friend opts for Tofurky this holiday season, rather than one of
the 45 million turkeys consumed for Thanksgiving, his decision isn’t just a
high-minded choice. It arises from beliefs that are deeply held and hard to
change.
Veganism as a symbolic threat
That doesn’t mean your faux-turkey loving friend won’t seem annoying if
you’re a meat-eater.
The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain famously quipped that meat avoiders
“are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”
Why do some people find vegans so irritating? In fact, it might be more
about “us” than them.
Most Americans think meat is an important part of a healthy diet. The
government recommends eating 2-3 portions (5-6 ounces) per day of everything
from bison to sea bass. As tribal humans, we naturally form biases against
individuals who challenge our way of life, and because veganism runs counter
to how we typically approach food, vegans feel threatening.
Humans respond to feelings of threat by derogating outgroups. Two out of 3
vegans experience discrimination daily, 1 in 4 report losing friends after
“coming out” as vegan, and 1 in 10 believe being vegan cost them a job.
Veganism can be hard on a person’s sex life, too. Recent research finds that
the more someone enjoys eating meat, the less likely they are to swipe right
on a vegan. Also, women find men who are vegan less attractive than those
who eat meat, as meat-eating seems masculine.
Crossing the vegan divide
It may be no surprise that being a vegan is tough, but meat-eaters and
meat-abstainers probably have more in common than they might think.
Vegans are foremost focused on healthy eating. Six out of 10 Americans want
their meals to be healthier, and research shows that plant-based diets are
associated with reduced risk for heart disease, certain cancers, and Type 2
diabetes.
It may not be surprising, then, that 1 in 10 Americans are pursuing a mostly
veggie diet. That number is higher among younger generations, suggesting
that the long-term trend might be moving away from meat consumption.
In addition, several factors will make meat more costly in the near future.
Meat production accounts for as much as 15 percent of all greenhouse gas
emissions, and clear-cutting for pasture land destroys 6.7 million acres of
tropical forest per year. While some debate exists on the actual figures, it
is clear that meat emits more than plants, and population growth is
increasing demand for quality protein.
Seizing the opportunity, scientists have innovated new forms of plant-based
meats that have proven to be appealing even to meat-eaters. The distributor
of Beyond Meat’s plant-based patties says 86 percent of its customers are
meat-eaters. It is rumored that this California-based vegan company will
soon be publicly traded on Wall Street.
Even more astonishing, the science behind lab-grown, “cultured tissue” meat
is improving. It used to cost more than $250,000 to produce a single
lab-grown hamburger patty. Technological improvements by Dutch company Mosa
Meat have reduced the cost to $10 per burger.
Watson’s legacy
Even during the holiday season, when meats like turkey and ham take center
stage at family feasts, there’s a growing push to promote meatless eating.
London, for example, will host its first-ever “zero waste” Christmas market
this year featuring vegan food vendors. Donald Watson, who was born just
four hours north of London, would be proud.
Watson, who died in 2006 at the ripe old age of 95, outlived most of his
critics. This may give quiet resolve to vegans as they brave our meat-loving
world.
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