#Veganuary: The Complexities of Ethical Veganism (and Week 3 Winner Announcement!)๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐๐
Hey friends, so it's the end of week 3 of Veganuary... how did that happen??
By this stage if you are taking part in the challenge you will have a good idea of what veganism is all about. And hopefully those of you not taking part have perhaps learned a little about veganism and it won't seem like such an alien and unachievable concept anymore.
www.tivonit.com
Everybody has their own path, and the choice to go vegan is a profoundly personal one.
There are 3 main reasons that people make the change:
Animals - Environment- Health
While most people go vegan for ethical reasons, abstaining from meat and dairy due to moral opposition to the inherent mistreatment of animals perpetuated by these industries, that is not always the main factor leading to choosing a plant based diet.
Some are opting for a diet free from animal products as they are concerned about the environmental damage our industrialised farming is inflicting on our planet. Films like Cowspiracy shine a light on how unsustainable our current rate of meat and dairy production is, and the devastating effect it is having on our oceans and forests- not to mention the shocking degree of pollution created contributing heavily to global warming.
www.cowspiracy.com
There again, some people decide to go vegan purely based on the myriad health benefits associated with cutting out meat and dairy. The release of recent documentaries like What The Health and Forks Over Knives saw an influx of people decide to go vegan, their eyes suddenly opened to the dangers of a Western diet. While a decision based on health is absolutely fine, some in the community take issue with the use of the word vegan rather than 'plant based' in these circumstances as the word vegan infers a refusal to eat meat based on ethical standing.
www.forksoverknives.com
www.whatthehealthfilm.com
The Vegan Society defines veganism as:
"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to excludeโas far as is possible and practicableโall forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
www.vegansociety.com
So you see, veganism doesn't begin and end with what is on your plate. It is not just a diet, it is an all encompassing philosophy of living a life that causes the least suffering to others.
And so, for many vegans, their lifestyle is not only about not perpetuating cruelty through eating animal products, it is also about making informed decisions about what they support.
This includes not supporting animal exploitation in any form -
- so avoid visiting zoos or aquariums, or taking part in dog or horse racing or tourist activities featuring animals such as elephant riding.
- Not purchasing garments made of leather, fur or wool.
- Not purchasing products/ cosmetics that have been tested on animals or that contain animal products.
The first two on this list are pretty obvious. I doubt many vegans would be happy seeing animals suffering in a cage or would be seen dead wearing a fur coat, but the third one is tricky and one that many don't give much thought to.
We all of course know that most cosmetics are still tested on animals, fortunately, many great cruelty free brands are emerging, and on varying price scales, so finding vegan friendly make up and bath products is not the challenge it once was.
Here are my top 3:
LUSH:
www.lush.ca
I'm a huge fan of Lush, they are an amazing company with an incredible ethos and have been campaigning for animal rights for years. They have always been staunchly against animal testing, and most of their products are vegan (all are vegetarian). Perfect for a little pick me up every now and then :)
www.simplylivingvegan.com
SUPERDRUG:
www.londonafrovegan.com
A little easier on the wallet, is high street chemist Superdrug (Uk). In recent years they have made all of their own brand products not only cruelty-free but also vegan! They have everything from makeup to hairdye, shower gel to toothpaste. And all affordable even on a tight budget.
Kat Von D-
www.recipesforcompassion.com
Celebrity Tattoo artist and long time vegan activist, Kat Von D recently launched her own makeup brand and it is amazing! Vegan and not tested on animals, she makes the best high end cruelty-free makeup I have tried. It isn't the cheapest but the products are very high quality and last a long time so I think it's worth the investment for great makeup and a clear conscience ๐๐
www.bestproducts.com
There are lots of other companies taking note and adjusting their barbaric practices- even Supermarkets like Sainsburys and Waitrose are starting to insist on ethical production practices.
www.crueltyfreeworld.co.uk
If you are not sure whether a product is cruelty free, look for the leaping bunny- it is is the gold-standard in cruelty-free certification for personal care and household products and signifies no animal testing took place at any stage of product development.
www.crueltyfreeinternational.org
Household products are another source of consternation for vegans. Most cleaning products are still tested on animals but thankfully, again, some companies are sitting up and taking notice that consumers want to have a choice!
Astonish:
I was so happy last week when I discovered the Astonish brand, proud pioneers of animal-friendly cleaning products, they never test their products on animals or use animal ingredients. They even bare the leaping bunny to prove it- amazing!
www.reallymissingsleep.com
And what's even better, their products are not expensive at ยฃ1 a bottle. I found them at a local ยฃ1 store and couldn't believe my good fortune!
Now I know it's hard to take in, sometimes I feel so saddened by the amount of animal products that are in pretty much everything we own- from bank notes to plastic bags to condoms (yes, condoms!). It would literally be impossible to abstain from engaging with everything that contained some form of animal product, unfortunately that's just the world we live in.
What is important to remember is that veganism isn't about being perfect, it's about doing the best you can to do the least damage- to the animals, to the environment, and to yourself.
Your decisions are your own, and whatever your reasons for going vegan you should be resolute in what you decide if it enables you to be your best you!
Now... onto the competition!
Without further ado, the winner of this week's #veganuarycontest...
This week's winner has been consistently posting yummy and inventive recipes throughout the contest, but this week she had to win for her brilliant healthy burger!
The winner is @plantbasedmiri for her Healthiest Burger Ever!
 | Veganuary Contest: The Healthiest Vegan Burger Ever โ Steemitsteemit.comSuper healthy sweet potato-bean burger in zucchini bun This is my entry for #veganuarycontest organized byโฆ by plantbasedmiri |
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Big thanks to Miri for supporting the contest and creating delicious yums to spread the veganuary message ๐
Check out her page for lots of foodspiration!
And check out #veganuarycontest to see all the great posts that have been submitted over the last 3 weeks.
Next week is the last week (sob!) so please keep the entries coming in!
Organising a meetup on 2 Nd Feb if you free
https://steemit.com/steemit/@ultravioletmag/eurosteem-meetup-london
Xx
A great idea and such an awesome venue but sadly I'm busy that night. ๐ฆ Next time!
Great information about choosing better products Lisa! I went plant-based for health first, but quickly identified with the vegan lifestyle after a little more research. I'm still finding things to switch over, but for the most part I have tried to convert my make-up, bodily cleansers and household cleaners to be animal and eco-friendly. You are so right, it is really shocking when you look at the ingredients in common products. And it is terrible to know poor animals were basically tortured to make sure a product is "safe" for human use.
On a happier note, congratulations @plantbasedmiri! That vegan burger looked delicious! Looking forward to the last official week of veganuary!
I totally agree, it can make you feel despondent the more research you do, but we can all only do our best to live as ethically as we can ๐
Wow thank you so much my dear @lolzwithlisa, I'm thrilled after seeing that I won the contest!! Thank you so much for your support and I'm really glad I could share my super healthy recipe with you all . :)
Thank you so much for your contest, it is a great inspiration and motivation for people to eat more healthy and take care about the animals, too!
You're very welcome! Thank you for supporting the contest and continually submitting great recipes and content to inspire aspiring vegans! ๐
Such a great post :) I've been looking for vegan hairdye for a while now so I will definetly check that out :)
I've never tried kat von D's Products but I will take a look at it :)
Have you tried Lush's henna? It's all natural, no chemicals at all. I love it! ๐
I can't say I have :) I need to check it out. Thank you so much for the tips <3
This is pretty amazing. I wonder if people would still be opposed to eating meat if the animals were treated well. Given there are other benefits to this lifestyle, but if animals were treated more humane? Would it change your mind?
The more you look into farming you realise there aren't any humane methods of killing animals. Even if animals are grass fed and free to roam on a farm, they still end up in the same slaughter house and die the same traumatic death ๐ฆ It may be different on very small farms but after making the decision to go vegetarian I don't think I could ever justify the death of an animal to satisfy my appetite, no matter how it was treated.
Lisa, thank you so much for your amazing work spreading the vegan message โฅ And congrats to @plantbasedmiri on winning the contest, you deserve it!!!
Thanks so much for your support! I love the community here ๐
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