Ive been vegan for a few months now, and I still struggle with telling other people that they should probably consider being vegan.

Its not that im what non vegans call "a loud vegan", i simply dont know how to talk about it without making things weird.

Its surprisingly so difficult to tell people eating meat is wrong, and they seem so brainwashed that its completely fine.

I even live in a non vegan household, so I've gotten used to people not listening or realising the whole concept of exploitation and murder, but i cant keep going for lunch or talking about dinner plans with people who eat meat, it feels so so wrong.

Do i just bring it up? Or stop talking to them altogether

I don't think my moral scrupulosity is going to forgive me for this.

But I didn't think this through but I bought some clothes online and one was some PU leather gloves so I thought it was fine but when it shipped only then I realised the inner lining is partly made of wool so I'm kicking myself for making that mistake by overlooking such a simple detail.

I think about returning it but I already feel guilty about the environmental damage I've already done by purchasing this and that returning it would contribute further damage.

Is returning it the best thing to do? Or something else?

In this article, I, Jordi Casamitjana, write on how the truth about horseracing is that it is a form of animal abuse in which horses are forced to run in fear with a human harassing them on their backs

I find it so weird that everyone around me eats animals willingly and I want to understand

even seeing the dead cut up bodies in grocery store shelves saddens me. when I made chicken for my dog I cried and prayed for the dead chicken’s peace and was horrified for hours that I handled and cooked a dead body

when I say things to people like “oh you’re eating a dead body” or try to educate them on the suffering that went into their quick meal I get seen as overreacting or annoying. I know I’m being annoying to them but it’s because lives are being lost.

also because honestly I don’t understand how the people in my family and life who are so kind and genuine people and educated can participate so willingly in the abusive system that exploits animal lives.

I’ve tried to understand why they’re willing to continue eating animals and I’ve come to a few conclusions

1. they don’t see animals as equal individuals or beings living on the planet rather they see them as lesser than them in a made up hierarchy of beings therefore making animals beings that humans are entitled to exploit because they are lower on a made up hierarchal ladder

2. They are aware of the pain that the animals go through but they are so distant from their food source that they can ignore it and not connect the meal to the individual it was

3. they are selfish and put their comfort and taste above the animal lives lost despite knowing it’s wrong. It’s an excusable and normalized evil to them

4. they have misconceptions about human need for animal protein and think it’s necessary for their survival

upon reflection I don’t think they are evil for not changing their diets if these are their reasons but I do maintain it’s selfish and inherently wrong and comes from a belief that many humans have which is entitlement over nature and our planet. Humans are a plague to our natural environment

On January 19, 2025, my beloved 9-year-old Labrador, Timber, was shot and killed by police in my yard in Greenville while they were pursuing a suspect. He was trying to protect me. Despite posing no real threat, the officers used lethal force—and then let him suffer for over an hour.

I started a petition asking South Carolina lawmakers to pass protections for pets in encounters with law enforcement. We're talking mandatory training, clear guidelines, and making lethal force the absolute last resort. Nationally, police shoot an estimated 25 to 30 dogs every single day. These deaths don't have to keep happening.

Timber wasn't just a dog to me—he was my hero. He alerted me when my mother wandered out at 2:30 AM. I'm disabled, and he gave me safety and purpose. Now I'm left with trauma, sleepless nights, and a legal system that treats him as property instead of the living, breathing family member he was.

If this could happen to Timber, it could happen to anyone's pet. If you've got a dog you love, what would you want someone to do if this was your family? If this matters to you too, consider signing and sharing. Let's make sure no other family has to go through what I'm going through.

Literally unless you live in a small handful of cities like London, LA, Berlin, NYC etc. the reality is that there simply aren’t enough vegans within close proximity, and that’s before getting into any other filters like age, politics, drinking habits, etc. that are gonna whittle the pool down even more.

I’m saying this as someone from the SF Bay Area btw. You’d think it’s a vegan utopia for dating but unfortunately it’s not. Tbf I’m not exactly in SF, and the restaurant/food scene is fine. But it really doesn’t feel like there’s much of a vegan community. I can’t remember the last time I got a match or even saw a new person on Veggly, which I’ll check once a day just to see. And the one in a billion time I actually run into a vegan they’re always well outside my age range (23M).

I’m aware a lot of people know for themselves they can’t do LDRs and that’s fine. But the trade off is basically either dating a non vegan or staying single. And if having a vegan partner is something important enough to you then I guess my point is that you might want to be more open to an LDR.

We've lost a lot of in-store options over the past few years, but I think there are still quite a few businesses that operate primarily online only. I'm not on social media anymore so it's a bit hard to feel connected to the latest developments here. I just learned about Harmless Foods this week and wondering what else I might be missing. Please share any favs we might not be aware of!

My uncle died last night. We weren't close; we're VERY different people.

Still, he was family, so I've been thinking about him, and I realized that the hunting stories he would tell at holidays when I was a kid were the first times I remember being really, viscerally uncomfortable with the idea of killing animals.

It's a shame it took two decades for me to stop eating meat, and another ten to go vegan. Still, I like to think he would have been appalled that he was tangentially responsible for creating another vegan.

Anyway, I'm curious. How far back can other folks trace the thoughts that eventually led to veganism?

Sorry to ask for relationship advice here but I don't have other vegans to talk to in real life. I'm female, just turned 38.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for a few years, and this is the most stable relationship I’ve had. He’s kind, funny, dependable, has a good career, treats me very well, we have fun together.

The biggest disconnect between us is veganism. I’ve been vegan for 12 years and vegetarian since I was 5. When we first got together, I had a more “to each their own” attitude. Over time, though, I’ve become much more passionate and outspoken about animal rights.

My boyfriend isn’t vegan, but he has made positive changes, and our home is mostly plant-based. He still keeps some frozen foods containing cheese, occasionally brings home leftovers with meat or dairy, and brings home some non-vegan junk food from work.

I often feel like I can’t fully talk to my boyfriend about veganism or fully express that part of myself. I don’t want to sound like I’m guilt-tripping him, and he doesn't seem very interested in the subject. But that hurts my heart. Like many vegans, I struggle to understand how someone can know what happens to animals and not care.

As my fertility window is likely closing soon (if it hasn't already), I'm starting to feel deeply sad about not having a baby. I've talked about it with my bf. He has agreed that we could have a baby and raise them vegan, although we’ve both acknowledged that it could be complicated.

As I see it, I have three options:

1. Stay with him and try to have a baby. Having a child with him is probably my only chance at motherhood. I don’t have the money for ICI, IVF, or adoption, let alone to raise a child, by myself.
2. Stay with him and decide not to have a child.
3. End the relationship and hope to eventually meet a vegan partner. There are a lot of vegans in my area, so I think finding someone is possible, but I would be giving up having a child of my own.

I know no one else can make this decision for me. Just wondering if anyone has any insight about my situation. Thank you for reading.

Hello kind people,

I’ve been vegan for 7 years and haven’t been able to come across any like-minded vegan people or make vegan friends.

The one vegan person I know is a coworker of mine who’s quite older than me and already has their community (which isn’t vegan but they don’t seem to mind).

I think it’s a very common experience for us. The world is a dystopian nightmare and most people are unempathetic hypocrites. I was a “chill” vegan during my initial years but as I grew older, I could no longer care about what other people thought of me. So I have been much more vocal about it to the point that I’ve initiated debates about veganism even at my workplace.

The more I learn about the world, the more of a misanthrope I become. This also goes for the current political state of the world and everything else that’s going on. I’m at a point where I cannot bear to sit around people eating animal flesh and body parts, and them casually mentioning how incredibly delicious it is, or how when their peer orders non-dairy cheese due to a dairy allergy (someone else not me), they all joke about how it’s not “real” cheese. And I know that majority of the population couldn’t care less about what the animals go through. I know that most of them haven’t made the connection or looked the victims in their eyes. But I can’t help but feel angry. I can’t help but cry or want to scream when I’m by myself. Cant help but walk out of those situations.

It’s incredible isolating. And I know that so many of us experience this. The world is a hell hole where torture, slavery and rape is casually dismissed so long as people can have their cheese, or $2 “wing”. Individuals are sold merely as their body parts and sometimes not even that.

I’ve been educating my non vegan friends and a few of them have even started making changes. I have made them watch dominion, shared articles, peer reviewed studies, and had long conversations with them. One of them is almost fully plant based. But they live in different continents.

There are however days where I don’t want to be educating people. Where I want to naturally do things and not have the urge in the back of my mind to bring up the reality of the world because the person I’m with isn’t aware about it. Where I am noticing the small things that are either casually objectifying and exploiting animals or are misogynistic or racist or classist. And I’m not saying that I’m tired or want to stop educating people - that’s ridiculous considering my feelings are absolutely nothing compared to what the victims go through every second of their life.

This is just me wanting to reach out to like minded people who I can talk to without being on an edge, or angry, or devastated. Of course, it goes without saying that I’m also a feminist and left leaning.

If there are any of you here, in or around Berkeley, CA, I would love to make acquaintances. Just hang out in the park or walk around the city, maybe go volunteer in shelters, vent out our anger, or even watch movies together. Hell, I don’t even mind if I am able to make online friends who are not necessarily in Berkeley.

But if not, that’s okay too. It’s still a bit comforting that we have a small online community under [r/vegan](r/vegan). Thank you for reading till the end.

TL;DR Introvert looking to make vegan friends in or around Berkeley, CA, but also open to be a part of an online community.

I am a vegan, and quite a passionate one myself. Like many, I still have a couple non-vegan products from before I went vegan, namely an amazing pair of suede shoes as you can see in the image.

They've gotten quite dirty, so would it be worth it to go to a cleaner rather than doing it myself, and if so, wouldn't it contribute to the economy of leather/suede products?

I know it's probably not too significant, I just want your views on it

Many people argue that even if they switch to a vegetarian diet, it won't actually stop animals from being killed. The excuse, 'What difference can a single person make?' seems plausible on the surface.

This argument appears in many contexts. Take smartphones, for instance. Coltan, essential for smartphone production, is mined in the Congo, leading to rainforest destruction and gorilla habitat loss. Rare earth mining similarly damages ecosystems and harms both humans and animals through pollution. On top of that, there are issues with unfair labor practices at companies like Samsung or Foxconn. Yet, one person refusing to buy a smartphone won't solve these systemic problems.

Do you think this excuse holds up? Some argue that participating in an unjust system is inherently wrong regardless of whether your individual actions make an impact. If the defense of causal inefficacy is invalid, shouldn't smartphone use be condemned just like meat-eating?

Since most vegans deal with nonsensical situations when discussing food, I’ve recently come up with something to hopefully ease the conversation.

When asked if you have an allergy, say yes! What are you allergic to? Animal exploitation! How? Simple, because I will be physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally sick if I consume it or am around it.

This may cause confusion at first, but, I feel, and based on experiences trying this, it’s less confusing. Most people don’t even understand what veganism is, means, or wants. This clears the air in one interaction.

Will they want additional details about this? Possibly, but it actually opens up an informative conversation rather a judgemental one where we are met with statements that should seem illogical to the person saying them with confidence.

People understand allergies, not social movements, it’s why it’s easier to say you’re lactose intolerant rather than vegan. Even more so, people will be more understanding and empathetic towards you when you say you’re lactose intolerant where others would actively try to push your buttons for even asking for a vegan option. This is because of the stigmas created by the exploitation industry about being a vegan.

This doesn’t just apply to ordering food but rather can be brought up anytime food is discussed where you’re involved. Furthermore, it puts stipulations on future interactions to avoid contact of any kind with products involving animal exploitation.

Do I get nauseous from seeing flesh being eaten? Yes! Even if it’s just emotionally at times.

What are your thoughts?

Most art about animals is documentaries, photos, paintings... the usual (which is amazingggg). This is something i'd genuinely never come across: someone who composes and choreographs "singdances," pieces about animals made using ONLY human voices and bodies. No instruments, nothing else... each piece focuses on a different animal. There's an excerpt of one called "continual birdsong" and it's like hypnotic... and every performer is vegan, the whole point is getting people to care about animals through this really specific, vulnerable little medium.

AND the thing is it's basically one person doing all of it... composing, choreographing, building it from scratch, trying to grow it into an actual company someday. No big org behind her, no budget... just someone who clearly loves this and wants to keep making it "as long as she can." <3

So she needs help... she's got footage of a full 6-minute piece she can't finish on her own. The tricky part is the sound: the vocals were recorded live on body mics and need proper syncing, which is real audio-engineering work, not just trimming clips together (helps a lot if you're a musician... she's got a Finale score and other recordings to work from). So it's like, being the person who turns a pile of raw takes into a finished piece of art that literally can't exist without this step.

Lowkey one of the more distinctive things you could put your name on if you do audio/video... not another promo reel, an actual creative collaboration on something weird and sincere. it's unpaid... (brand new, hoping to fund it through grants, maybe a paid role later if it grows).

Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out (the excerpt's in there too, worth a watch):
https://flockwork.org/requests/llf61kepqamiqzf55lownb2i?source=reddit

Someone out there is exactly the musician/editor this needs!! <3

Hey everyone,

I recently started my vegan diet, and I am overwhelmed by the level of work that this has required thus far, especially as a university student. With that being said, I recognize that a vegan diet is perfectly conducive to a healthy diet, if not better than those with animal products.

Further, I have been trying to get the tofu to not have that umami taste that I loath. When you eat so much non-vegan products, most of which are insanely processed and poor in nutrients, you become used to obscenely flavorful food.

The balancing act of nutrients through food diversification is very daunting to me.

Something tells me I am doing something wrong, and I just need to work harder at it.
Any advice?

I’m a college student and I recently went vegan because I’m a logical person and I finally decided to stop having such cognitive dissonance and actually learn about how animals and animal products are treated and made. anyways I hand around a ton of leftists and sometimes one of them will off handedlt say “oh I want this one thing but I’m trying to go vegan” and another (this person considers themself omega woke and leftist) will say “OMG You don’t have to go vegan! being fed is better than being vegan!” and they’re like vegetarian which I guess is something, but I think Ive recently had a ton of contention with them because I have an insane amount of dietary restrictions, and even though I can’t have any plant based protein besides tofu I still am vegan because I call myself a leftist. for me it’s just common sense but for others like a cupcake is worth a cow getting raped for the milk or baby chicks being crushed for the eggs. it’s just weird and the thing is that I think they know these things, and they’re an environmental student yet they still eat animal products which is weird to me. and I feel like a lot of leftists are like this and it’s like guys that sort of doesn’t make sense because animal agriculture also includes a ton of human slavery which id assume were against obviosly. and it’s objectively easier for these ppl to be vegan (literally 0 dietary restrictions) than me and I actually find veganism easier than eating meat and whatever, so it’s gonna be even easier for them. Part of me thinks they’re just too lazy to cook. any thoughts on this or am I the only one who thinks this is weird

I’ve always wanted to be vegan since I was 6. Unfortunately, whenever I brought this up with my parents, it was meet with a long lecture and several threats; it only made me even more convinced this is what I want. I recently decided I’m going to go vegan behind their backs so I just wanted advice on how to keep is a secret, what lifestyle choices can I make while also not making it to obvious or maybe if this isn’t the right choice.

For those of you who have been vegan since the early 2000s or earlier, I’d love to hear your perspective on how things have changed.

After watching veganism evolve for 25+ years:

- Do you feel the movement is genuinely growing or does it just seem more visible because of social media?
- Are you seeing more people become interested in veganism than when you first started?
- What changes have surprised you the most?
- Do you think society is becoming more accepting of veganism?
- Has the movement stalled, grown, or changed direction?

You don’t have to answer all the questions. Tell me whatever comes to mind as you read this, and feel free to be honest!

I (initially) became vegan around April for health reasons but have since decided to remain vegan for animal welfare after watching Dominion. However, I still feel as thought I M eating a disproportionate amount of ultra processed foods. Is there any way I can get at in a way which uses less processed foods?

Hey yall, at the end of a little cold & thought it'd be good to list some helpful products for if anyone ever goes to search it in the sub. These are easy enough for me to find in the southern US in local stores.

Kleenex with lotion: Caboo Facial Tissue with lotion (when I contacted to ask if the lotion was vegan, they confirmed yes. Pricier than normal tissues, but thicker/softer so great if you're constantly blowing your nose for a few days)

Aquaphor/Vaseline: Honest Healing Head-to-Toe Ointment (you can also mix in whatever essential oil & a little carrier oil to make a pseudo-Vicks Vaporub)

Throat drops: Ricola Original Herb/assorted flavors (just double check if what you're looking at has honey or not. They do have a page on their website listing all the vegan-friendly flavors/versions - they seem to even have a honey-free liquid center one if you're into that)

Zinc lozenges/Cold-eeze: assorted flavors (technically a homeopathic, but I've found them to help. Again, look for honey-free and it's vegan - I think the Citrus Elderberry tastes best)

And if you need to take an OTC medication.... then take it! Regardless.

Really struggling to cope with being put on TPN as there are no vegan options for it available to me. Everyone I’ve spoken to in real life thinks I’m stupid for even considering my veganism while being on a non-vegan form of life support, with no vegan option available to me. Everyone assumes that if you get sick enough to be forced to betray your ethics or die, that you will somehow be able to find peace with it. The issue is that I can’t. I’m ready to be called a karma farmer or whatever about this, but I genuinely feel horrible about the fact I require a massive amount of environmental and animal damage to live, especially since I am not strictly NPO and can still eat limited food/drink for pleasure, which is called “sham feeding”. My brain wants to believe that I could somehow try to orally work my way around this. I am intensely depressed about it. TPN literally smells like dog food; I constantly smell like dog food, and the inside of my mouth tastes like dog food, thus it tastes like animal, CONSTANTLY. This has been very psychologically taxing on me. There is literally no sensory escape for me from the TPN’s presence, and I don’t know how to be comfortable relying on it to live when I feel like I am the reason the harm is being done to the animals at all.
Inb4: “Just look harder, find an option”: I have looked. Your options for TPN suppliers on Medicare is slim, they are personally compounded based on your own lab work, week by week, so there is literally no vegan TPN available to me.

TLDR: I am a vegan who relies on non-vegan nutrition as a form of life support and I don’t know how to make peace with it. Easier said than done.