Miyuki McGuffie’s four-week trial of a vegan diet is over—and she’s decided it’s not for her. Here she discusses the vegan philosophy, and questions why ‘cruelty-free’ should apply only to animals, and not the earth. Is favouring animals over the earth just swapping one form of exploitation for another?
Blogger Miyuki McGuffie took on a vegan diet for a month to challenge her beliefs and curb her curiosity. Here, she ponders the vegan philosophy and discusses why it is not the right one for her
In my last post I wrote about going vegan: what I ate, my initial motivations, and my eventual conflict. As far as the diet goes, I think it’s great. It’s a well known fact that plant foods are better for you than animal products, and as a person who was never too dependent on milk, meat, eggs or cheese, it wasn’t particularly hard to give them up.
My diet was pretty good to begin with, as my only source of animal products was from outside the house and I had already given up most of them because of my ethical concerns. The biggest difference being vegan made was the automatic exclusion of food from my work at a restaurant, which I used to take home to save it from getting biffed. No more old scones or almost-expired brulees.
I didn’t realise how much there was to veganism when I decided to take it on for that initial month. If what I’ve read on one vegan forum is enough to go by, it seems that veganism is much more than just a diet, but a lifestyle, and it’s one that is taken very seriously by the people who practice it.
Veganism is an ideology centred on the belief that animals are not ours to keep or kill for food, clothing, entertainment and so on. A common phrase used to describe the vegan lifestyle is “cruelty-free”.
But where a vegan would prefer acrylic over wool, or polyester over down, I have to raise my hand.
I believe in a cruelty-free life. But to me that includes cruelty to the earth as well. I haven’t totally made my mind up as to whether it is right to buy wool, which has been taken from a poor unsuspecting sheep, or if it is better to buy something that resembles wool but is made from petrol (most plastics produced today are made from petrochemicals).
To me that is just swapping one form of exploitation for another, favouring animals over the earth. Of course it doesn’t have to be that way, and I’m sure there are better options that favour both of our beloved causes, but when it comes down to it I prefer something natural over something fake.
I like veganism as a diet because it’s healthy, it encourages the consumption of whole foods (although there are still a plethora of processed foods available to vegans), which decreases the consumption of packaged items, and it doesn’t support factory farming or its horrendous practices.
One thing I don’t like about the philosophy of veganism is its impracticality as a goal. Call me a pragmatist, but the chances of convincing someone to go vegan who isn’t already that way inclined are slim.
My objectives for an ethical diet are to use my consumer power and encourage those around me to consider better eating habits. I don’t believe that people are necessarily going to emulate another’s behaviour, but statements and information have a lot more integrity when they come from someone who practices what they preach.
Another thing I don’t like about veganism is its impracticality in everyday life. I don’t prove anything to anyone by refusing a dessert otherwise destined for the rubbish bin. If I can save money and resources by eating wasted food (those oft-mentioned muffins and scones from my work) then I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Nothing is gained by letting food that could be eaten go to waste.
For now, for me, it’s going to be about being sensible and fitting in with the world as best I can. Not by being the same, but more like a puzzle piece—versatility, not uniformity. I’m going to take old baking home if I have a use for it, and I might indulge in a past-its-prime pudding if there’s one going. I will give a little here and take a little there, all the while encouraging the puzzle pieces around me to be kinder to the earth itself and all the creatures on it.
