Being Vegan Isn't Simple Anymore

Depends how rural it is, the options still can be bad, but if you're near at least a Walmart then its not terrible.
 
Well, there's no Walmart in Euope as far as I know and not the whole world (or everyone on this forum for that matter) lives in the USA. Options in Europe will be vastly different than in US and I guess in US it will also differ from city to city or state to state. I would guess it'll be particularly difficult in the bible belt.
 
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Doesn't have to be walmart. I think most mainstream grocery stores have a decent selection, but the worst part of being a rural vegan is the lack of vegan options when eating out.
My bf asks me if I ever get tired of burger king. It's just the best option I can get.
 
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In Europe that is just a problem in its entirity, not a rural problem. Cities even only have a couple of options, at most. "A couple" often litereally meaning 2.
 
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I reached my limit and don't want to subscribe :pout:
Maybe a VPN (like ProtonVPN) paired with private mode in your browser could be an option.

Like it was said in this thread before, I think the options available are a double-edged sword. It's really nice to see the vegan sections growing in the stores and the vegan label is great to save time for not have to read all the ingredients. On the other side, there is the industry, processing food and stuff it with harmful ingredients. So "vegan" is no longer a synonyme for "healthy" (I know, it never was, but I hope you get the point :) )

There is also some kind of uncertainty in restaurants. With all the replacement products available, it's not that easy to determine whether the order is actually vegan or not.

And i also ask myself a general question: should one buy at Fast Food Restaurants like it was mentioned here in this thread? It is undoubtedly good that the offer is expanded with vegan products, but they keep killing all the animals for the good part of their customers. I personally avoid these chains and look for alternatives that take the right approach from the ground up.
 
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So.. this article popped up in my newsfeed a few days ago and I just now realized it is relevant to the discussion that @Tomas and @Danielle are having. It's sort of an interesting contrast.

I regretfully also can't read it. Thing is that I feel most "regular" restaurant (those that serve meat and/or fish) are really complacent. Menus are always the same. vegan options, if any, are always limited to a wok dish with rice, veggies and tofu or spaghetti with the most basic tomato sauce in existance. When I take non-vegans to vegan restaurants they are always pleasantly surprised about the creativity and taste of the great dishes they serve.
I don't know if this is what the article is about though. Just wanted to share my thoughts.
I am of the opinion though that it is GOOD to buy vegan items, dishes, articles at non-vegan shops. The majority of shops and restaurants is non vegan but if they notice an increase in vegan products being sold they will be more inclined to increase the amount of vegan products, which in the end, makes it easier for all consumers to buy vegan options. Some people might be buying vegan clothing or shoes for instance without even knowing it.
 
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And i also ask myself a general question: should one buy at Fast Food Restaurants like it was mentioned here in this thread? It is undoubtedly good that the offer is expanded with vegan products, but they keep killing all the animals for the good part of their customers. I personally avoid these chains and look for alternatives that take the right approach from the ground up.

I agree with you and so I compromise by going at least once when they bring out a new product, to be supportive.

If I was traveling a lot again then I would consider them if necessary however supporting them because I didn't feel like cooking is not an option for me. Even pizza, I always keep ingredients for it at home (a base in the freezer) so that I have no excuses.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
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It's gotta be healthier than the alternative, if I weren't vegan I'd be eating much more unhealthy. Like mcdonalds
 
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It's gotta be healthier than the alternative, if I weren't vegan I'd be eating much more unhealthy. Like mcdonalds
Actually, I just read a report that said the McD's McPlant is less healthy that a Big Mac.
But just now I dug a little deeper and it appears to be healthier. which is not a very high bar - but still
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I really like how easy it is to get vegan food nowadays.

Have not been vegan that long, since 2010 (veg for some decades before that), but still remember that I had to order a lot of special vegan foodstuffs online then.

Now, I can go to the supermarket in 5 minutes and find 10 varieties of vegan cream cheese (3 brands with different tastes), 10 different vegan cold cuts and 5 vegan pizzas, and I think that this is totally awesome.

For reference, I live on the outskirts of a medium sized city (530 K inhabitants) in Germany, but also in the countryside, supermarkets would have a similar choice.
 
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I seem to get a lot of push back in pointing out that the diet of vegans is not defined other than no animal products, and doesn't infer health or not.
I bring this up because I again see a post from nutritionfacts.org about the benefits of vegan foods geared to appeal to omnis as well as vegans. Sooooo many responses just blasting the post and trashing vegan processed foods. They may as well of just said you might as well eat meat,and I'm sure someone probably did! 🙄 :fp:
 
I ate at a Thai restaurant today. So many options. Of course 90% of their menu was "off-limits" but there were at least 5 things I could have ordered.
The nasty fish stuff!
I love Thai food, and every one has had vegan options, just wish they'd leave the fish stuff out of the prepared sauces, as they would have so many more choices
 
Options at non-vegan restaurants (which account to 99.9% of restaurants in big cities, 100% outside of the big cities) are still bad in Germany. At best you get a mediocre tasting dish for premium price.
The only good vegan foods in restaurants so far I got were at a vegan restaurant in Hamburg and at a high-end restaurant in the town I live in (rural area) when we had our X-mas party at work where they have a cook who had the ambition to provide good vegan food for me and the two vegetarians instead of "just something barely edible that doesn't contain animal stuff".

Getting/Being vegan has become much more complicated in another sense as well. 20 years ago it seemed to be enough to - well - not eat or use anything derived from an animal. Today you have to march in straight line in regards to environmental issues and both political and cultural views or you aren't "a real vegan".
 
Getting/Being vegan has become much more complicated in another sense as well. 20 years ago it seemed to be enough to - well - not eat or use anything derived from an animal. Today you have to march in straight line in regards to environmental issues and both political and cultural views or you aren't "a real vegan".

Yeah. I've added quite a bit.
Pesticides harm animals so I mostly go organic. (yeah, I know that some organic farms use organic pesticides - you just do the best you can)
Harvesting of palm oils can destroy habitat which indirectly harms animals - so I avoid that. (yes there are sustainably grown palm, try to figure that out when its worth my time)
Then there are coconuts, almonds, and avocados.
Then what about people - they are animals, too. so you buy free trade chocolate and free trade coffee.
 
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Also the health factor. The WFPB movement was a game changer as well.

On the German vegan subreddit one can't post a product one was glad finding at the local supermarket without at least one user going within the first five comments: "Oh, it's so unhealthy and no one really needs it, just eat lentils and fruit, and it's wrapped in all that plastic and some evil company exploiting environment, animals and people produced it!!!!!!!11"

*bats a jealous eye at the UK product thread"
 
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What was veganism like in early 2000s? Curious if I really did try when I was a little kid.