Calling all vegans!

[camarina]

Hey, vegan buddies,

 

Do you also get bombarded daily with ignorant questions/concerns about your diet? If so, how do you handle it? Here are a few of the most popular questions I receive:

 

Wow! You're a vegan? What do you eat?

 

Where do you get your protein?

 

Sometimes, I feel like responding with:

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

cami

[jonny15]

How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

It takes a normal amount of time that it would anyone else.

 

Animal products aren't gonna automatically hurt you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless you choke on some. That probably isn't healthy.

[shikashika]

You have to realise that a lot of people really just don't know.

 

so, why respond with something rude, instead of just educating them

 

I dont' know everything about a vegan diet, so if I were to ask a question about it, I would hope to be informed rather than just told how unhealhty I am

[dragon lady]

Yeah, I get these questions/concerns. If someone asks a question because they are genuinely interested in my diet, then I will take the time to respond. If they just want to pick on me, then I brush it off and change the topic. Generally I try not to talk about it because I've had to answer the same questions a thousand times. These days most people don't even know until I order something a bit out of the ordinary and I have to explain.

 

My all time fav. question:

 

You don't eat any animal products? What about seafood?

 

comment:

 

My doctor says I should go on a vegetarian diet. I'm going to try, but I'm still going to eat bacon and chicken.

 

 

You can't get mad at people if you are in this for the long-run. It will turn you bitter. You need to develop a sense of humor about it.

[Smoothie58]

Hey, vegan buddies,

 

Do you also get bombarded daily with ignorant questions/concerns about your diet? If so, how do you handle it? Here are a few of the most popular questions I receive:

 

Wow! You're a vegan? What do you eat?

 

Where do you get your protein?

 

Sometimes, I feel like responding with:

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

cami

 

I don't think people mean anything offensive by it. Its more like, wow I'm not a vegan and I don't know a lot about it, but it seems interesting so I'll ask some questions. For many people, its a topic starter and if you find out someone does something you are unfamiliar with, its natural to ask questions.

 

If it bothers you so much, just say "I don't feel like talking about it."

[RelaxByWater84]

Hey, vegan buddies,

 

Do you also get bombarded daily with ignorant questions/concerns about your diet? If so, how do you handle it? Here are a few of the most popular questions I receive:

 

Wow! You're a vegan? What do you eat?

 

Where do you get your protein?

 

Sometimes, I feel like responding with:

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

cami

 

Maybe they are thinking if they were to have you over to dinner, they could fix what you eat so that you aren't offended or bothered. My friend is a vegan and she knows that most people aren't trying to offend her but rather learn something about her life to make things easier for her.

[camarina]

I recognize that many people are simply curious about a vegan diet and want to know more. I enjoy speaking with those people about it.

 

Often, people make rude comments about my diet, such as "You're not going to join a cult are you?" and "I hear that vegetarians smell bad downstairs." Most of the time I find this stuff humorous, but sometimes I do get tired of it. Perhaps I should just laugh it off all of the time.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with eating animal products, I simply prefer not to for health reasons and because I don't enjoy the taste of most animal products.

[dragon lady]

I recognize that many people are simply curious about a vegan diet and want to know more. I enjoy speaking with those people about it.

 

Often, people make rude comments about my diet, such as "You're not going to join a cult are you?" and "I hear that vegetarians smell bad downstairs." Most of the time I find this stuff humorous, but sometimes I do get tired of it. Perhaps I should just laugh it off all of the time.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with eating animal products, I simply prefer not to for health reasons and because I don't enjoy the taste of most animal products.

 

I hear ya. It does get a bit tiring.

 

The other day I got "if you're a vegan, how come you're not skinny?" Hmm...maybe because I eat plenty of calories? Animal products are not the only things that make you fat.

 

There are so many misconceptions out there. I don't know where people pick this stuff up. I'm not sure I want to know!

[jammin_james61]

I get the same with my Atkins diet.

 

People seem to think I only eat meat (which isn't Atkins). I get comments on how all the fat I'm eating is going to make me fat and kill me. It's a good thing fat isn't actually bad for anyone and dietary cholesterol doesn't affect cholesterol levels.

 

So many misconceptions.

[dragon lady]

I think that any unsolicited advice or comments about diet have the potential to be offensive. What people eat is very personal and it can hold a lot of meaning beyond nutrition.

[pinkelephant]

I recognize that many people are simply curious about a vegan diet and want to know more. I enjoy speaking with those people about it.

 

Often, people make rude comments about my diet, such as "You're not going to join a cult are you?" and "I hear that vegetarians smell bad downstairs." Most of the time I find this stuff humorous, but sometimes I do get tired of it. Perhaps I should just laugh it off all of the time.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with eating animal products, I simply prefer not to for health reasons and because I don't enjoy the taste of most animal products.

lol you can tell them that... actually, vegans/vegetarians are known to taste and smell really good downstairs... lol

[ohemgee]

Sometimes, I feel like responding with:

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

cami

 

Maybe because mostly every vegan has this superiority complex where they think they're better than people just because of what they eat.

 

Thats the reason im ignorant to vegans. Because they're ignorant of non-vegans.

[pinkelephant]

Maybe because mostly every vegan has this superiority complex where they think they're better than people just because of what they eat.

 

Thats the reason im ignorant to vegans. Because they're ignorant of non-vegans.

 

i really don't understand this attitude. if you've been on the crap end of the stick, why would you want to poke this at someone else?

[dangletsbang]

Maybe because mostly every vegan has this superiority complex where they think they're better than people just because of what they eat.

 

Thats the reason im ignorant to vegans. Because they're ignorant of non-vegans.

 

 

I've noticed this..I've met a few that didn't care about my chicken strips..but most of them stare at me like i'm an alien.

[Sky-Cherries]

I'm a meat eater and I'm sick of being bombarded by vegans thinking they're better and healthier than me just because they eat nothing but vegetation.

[camarina]

Well, I don't know what most vegans do, but if they pick on you meat eaters, then shame on them!

 

I find it rude to spout off unsolicited negative remarks about another's dietary preferences. Some folks enjoy consuming animal products and don't feel healthy without including these foods in their diet; others, like myself, don't feel healthy if they do consume animal products. Thankfully, many of us have a choice in terms of what we want to eat.

 

To each his own.

 

cami

[jammin_james61]

Well, I don't know what most vegans do, but if they pick on you meat eaters, then shame on them!

 

I find it rude to spout off unsolicited negative remarks about another's dietary preferences. Some folks enjoy consuming animal products and don't feel healthy without including these foods in their diet; others, like myself, don't feel healthy if they do consume animal products. Thankfully, many of us have a choice in terms of what we want to eat.

 

To each his own.

 

cami

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

cami

 

Ummm... what now?

[camarina]

Sometimes, I feel like responding with:

 

What do you eat? Really? How long does it take you to crap out that country-fried steak and gravy? Three days? Impressive. What's your cholesterol level?

 

 

I see I'm making friends around here (ahem, jj61).

 

Feeling like spouting off and actually doing so are two different things. You know? I handle the rude comments gracefully.

 

cami

[InBruges]

I went vegan for a while. One of the main reasons I quit was it wasn't worth all the trouble gained from interacting with others. Not only will you get question after question, which becomes redundant to the point that you just want to stab yourself in the neck with a fork, but also you'll find yourself more limited in being able to go out with friends and family. Either friends and family are going to have to bend to accommodate you or you'll have to sit there and drink water and eat celery, the latter of which will no doubt invite more comments and questions from said people.

 

In the end, I decided I had two options: 1) deal with the facts because the facts weren't going to change, 2) not be vegan.

 

I don't regret giving it a try for a while. I learned about a lot of new foods and my diet has more variety now. But it wasn't for me in the long run because in my mind, it's not worth the stress it'll put on relating to others.

[camarina]

...it wasn't worth all the trouble gained from interacting with others. Not only will you get question after question, which becomes redundant to the point that you just want to stab yourself in the neck with a fork, but also you'll find yourself more limited in being able to go out with friends and family. Either friends and family are going to have to bend to accommodate you or you'll have to sit there and drink water and eat celery, the latter of which will no doubt invite more comments and questions from said people.

 

These are the same challenges I face. I don't generally expect anyone to accommodate my dietary restrictions, but people get upset anyway. I can go to a steakhouse and be perfectly happy eating a baked potato with some ketchup on it and a salad. At a sushi joint, I'll eat rice and veggies. I enjoy that type of food and it's the same sort of stuff I make for myself. For some reason, it bothers others that I don't order something more similar to what they are eating. Perhaps they are concerned that I'm not enjoying myself even though I am and I try to make it clear that I am.

 

Fortunately, I don't eat out that often. And when I go to someone's house for a holiday or meal, I bring a dish or two that I can eat and that hopefully others will also enjoy.

 

I make a real effort to keep my veganism on the down-low, but as soon as I order up a "strange" meal, the questions begin and usually continue throughout the meal. As I said before, I don't mind talking about it, by I don't appreciate rude remarks, such as "Are you sure you're not anorexic?" I eat constantly and am nowhere near anorexic, nor do I appear to be, so this remark is unfounded.

 

I get called high-maintenance often, even though I have never asked anyone to go to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant unless they indicated a desire to try it.

 

cami