Standard Arguments Against Veganism, Pt. 1

Nov 04, 2019

“One meal, soon forgotten, in exchange for a whole life.”
–Unknown

I Just Love Animals, Ok?

After I went vegan, I was absolutely terrified of talking to anyone about it. I went out of my way to avoid the subject for two reasons: one, to the general population, it made me a freak; and two, I didn’t know how to talk about it. More specifically, I didn’t know how to answer questions people would have, because the only thing I knew for certain was that I loved animals and I knew not being vegan was wrong. Obviously, that sort of argument wouldn’t go over well with most people, so I kept my mouth shut. It’s only now that I’ve educated myself further on the topic and learned the most common criticisms that I feel much more comfortable being a vegan. But if you don’t have time to read all the books, watch all the documentaries, listen to all the podcasts, or see all the activism videos, I hope this will serve as a good resource for logical answers to the standard arguments against veganism.

You can also check out my posts "A Guide to Vegan Education & Activism" and "How to Talk to Nonvegans" for more information. Always remember that most people are usually curious about veganism or, especially if they’re being argumentative, that there is a battle happening in their conscience. What may seem stupid or rude to you may just be them attempting to come to terms with the fact that there is absolutely no justifiable argument against being vegan.

1. Protein

By now, you’d think this excuse would be dead, as it’s usually one of the first arguments against a vegan diet, but it still lingers. However, the reasoning behind this argument is pretty sad and upsetting. Our government, in league with the gargantuan animal agriculture industry, is quite literally shoving protein down our throats like geese force-fed for foie gras. We are constantly bombarded with protein-fortified bars, shakes, milks, powders, etc. Every time we go to a grocery store, there are things all around telling us to eat more protein. Every time we turn on the television, there are advertisements for foods touting how much protein they contain per serving.

I can’t claim to know exactly how this started, but I believe animal agriculture wants us to associate protein only with their products. We can also see this in milk advertising, claiming to build strong bones when dairy products actually have a causal relationship with osteoporosis, causing bones to become more brittle and break more often.[1, 2]

Either way, the protein predicament is upon us, and we have been brainwashed to believe that protein is of penultimate importance to our health.[3] In fact, Americans eat double the amount of protein we need in a healthy diet but only half as much fiber. No wonder so many people deal with constipation and other intestinal issues.[4] But here’s the cherry on top of the (vegan) cake: after three years of veganism, I was completely shocked to learn that all protein comes from plants! All protein. The animals we feed, mostly herbivores, eat monstrous amounts of food, primarily corn, soy, and wheat (along with remnants of other animals that have died or been killed before them). The protein is more concentrated in their flesh. Overall, if you’re eating a healthy plant-based diet, it’s impossible to become protein deficient since you’re getting nutrients right from the source.[5, 6]

2. Health

Many people become incredibly concerned with their health once they are confronted with switching to a vegan diet. They believe that it is essential to good health to eat animal products; this is usually an argument not based on any scientific evidence other than what society has been brainwashing us to think since we were infants. Would you say we have a healthy society, with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and various forms of cancer being the most prolific killers of humans? I wouldn’t say so.

Some may try to argue that we’re living longer now than in the past, when they never lived long enough to develop these diseases. However, there has been sufficient scientific research to determine that ancient peoples, even the oldest among them, were not in the process of developing these deadly diseases. In fact, something even more disturbing is that children today are beginning to be diagnosed at increasingly younger ages. What was once called adult-onset diabetes is now known as Type 2 diabetes because it is becoming more popular among children. It is only with our amazing advances in medicine that we are staying alive so long with our terrible diseases.[7]

But why do we develop these diseases in the first place? Why does this diet cause these sicknesses? Well, it’s because humans are herbivores eating an omnivorous diet. If you examine our physiology – the shape of our teeth, the structure and movability of our jaw, the length of our intestines, and more – there is nothing to suggest that we are meant to eat other animals.[7] Presented with a bunny and an apple, which would you eat? The apple, obviously. We have no natural instinct to kill, and we have no natural ability to do so either. We have poor vision, hearing, and smell. We have dull teeth and no claws. We cannot chase down prey and rip into their still-living bodies to devour everything – and I mean everything – edible inside.

My last point in the realm of health is probably the most disappointing, upsetting, and infuriating of all. Only five to ten percent of illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are caused by genetics. The other 90 to 95 percent are caused by diet and lifestyle. When you think of all the loved ones – friends, family, neighbors, colleagues – you’ve lost to our top killers, the fact that politicians and agriculture businesses continue to hide this from the public just to line their own pockets is completely disgusting, despicable, and disrespectful. If you are interested in checking my facts or learning more about health-related issues, check out my favorite health book, How Not to Die, as well as these nutritionfacts.org videos and documentaries on the subject.[8, 9, 10]

3. Tradition

Mealtimes, especially around holidays and special occasions, are often treated as sacred. It is a time to bond and enjoy the company of people whom we care about deeply. Take Thanksgiving, for example. We gather together with family, look back at what we’ve done and look forward at our aspirations. We sit around a beautiful table filled with delicious home-cooked food, ingesting every piece as thanks for all the precious things we have in life.

Dozens of millions of turkeys are killed just for this occasion. To them, this is a grotesque ritual of industrialized exploitation and murder in which their dead bodies are not only cooked and garnished, but are molested as humans reach into their carcasses and eat food out of their insides. What should be a joyful time with loved ones is actually serial murder. At the end of the day, you don’t need a turkey’s dead body on the table to enjoy Thanksgiving. You can be thankful for your life without taking the lives of others. And I’ve been doing it now for four years, and I have never appreciated a good Thanksgiving meal as much as I do now, knowing that no one died for me to live.[11, 12]

4. Taste & Texture

Ultimately, most arguments against veganism can be boiled down to this. We have gotten accustomed to the taste and texture of animal flesh and secretions, so we are reluctant to go out of our comfort zone and completely change our diet. I appreciate the candor that comes with this excuse, but it’s an excuse nonetheless. It does, however, open up the door to a real discussion about veganism. The point being that vegans don’t give up animal products due to taste; we do it despite taste.

When I went vegan, I hated fruits and vegetables and mostly lived off pasta and meat alternatives. I knew that I would do whatever I needed to do to stay vegan, even if it hurt my health and wasn’t particularly exciting. It was what I had to do to not harm animals. After three years of this, I finally discovered real food. And I started eating everything. There’s nothing you can put in front of me that I won’t at least try (as long as it’s vegan, since animals are not food products). Honestly, I can say that I’ve never eaten a more diverse diet than I do right now – even though I don't have access, so to say, to a "full range" of foods – and I’m still trying new things.

But for those of us who aren’t as extreme as me and actually enjoy food, most of what we eat already is (or should be) vegan. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices are the largest component of what we already eat. All we have to do is take out the animal products and fill that space with more plants. And if you’re not ready to give up meat, dairy, eggs, or honey, no need to worry! There are so many amazing vegan companies creating incredible alternatives for all your nonvegan favorites. Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have revolutionized the way we see meat, with their products being nearly identical in taste and texture to traditional (there's that "tradition" excuse again) animal meat. The only difference is that their products have no cholesterol, less saturated and trans fat, and are 100% murder-free.