I live in a heavy farming location and i think it’s really starting to depress me. I’m probably one of the most joyful 30 year old vegans around! I am joyful and childlike with a pure compassionate heart. But this area really depresses me. (I just feel the suffering of everybody. Obviously the people have to be suffering to remain in ignorance. So I feel the people’s suffering and the animals who are on the outskirts of town. I guess I am like a light in the darkness. I really need to move to California or something where there is more vegan restaurants and food options. Of course Wegmans and ALDIs has great vegan options which I am VERY grateful for. Any of y’all feel depressed about where you live?

SENDING LOVE LIIGHT AND STRENGTH

I have two holland lop bunny rabbits living with Me. they are my best friends plus they are veg too!

I'm the president of the vegan student group at my university (Binghamton). At a recent meeting we had with the company that operates our school's dining halls (Sodexo), we talked about their use of honey in foods. We suggested they replace it with corn syrup to make those foods more vegan friendly. After the meeting, the company's sustainability officer approached us and asked how this makes sense. We are against honey because it results in the mistreatment of bees. Colonies of bees are transported from place to place, many die in the process, and when the beekeepers remove their honey they replace it with a sugar-based substitute which is bad for the bees health. But doesn't the process of making corn syrup also result in many insect deaths?

I thought about this and it seems like a good point. All agriculture results in some deaths. Animals get run over by machinery, eaten by predators, or killed by poison (though all these things are far less common than alleged by Piers Morgan & Co.). For all other foods (except honey), it is clear that veganism vastly reduces the scale of deaths and suffering one causes. When crops must be grown to feed animals who are restrained under abhorrent conditions, this results in all the suffering of growing the crops plus exponentially more (I would say factory farming is the worst thing ever to happen in earth's history). Then we have the fact that most victims of crop agriculture are insects who are far less sentient than farm animals.

But in the case of honey, the problem is predicated on insect sentience and with my very limited knowledge it's hard for me to make a case that the bees are treated significantly worse than the insects that would die for the corn syrup. So can I justify replacing honey with corn syrup?

Our Honor needs help! If you're interested in taking on this job, please apply to help with your resume, website, or linkedin, your email, and a little bit about you - thanks for your activism!

Bot to watch USDASPENDING.GOV

Website: http://www.ourhonor.org

Compensation: This is a volunteer role, please help the animals!

Description: We would like to track the spending of bailouts and indemnity payments to animal-based production businesses via the website USDAspending.gov. The information is there, but we are wondering if a bot can be created to mine the site for the information we want and create a spreadsheet of pertinent info.

Interested in this request? Please click the link below to apply to help on Playground!

Click here: Link to request

Thanks for your activism for the animals!

VH: Playground by Vegan Hacktivists

Find other requests to help animals, click here!

You know, I don't make a big deal of my diet at work, but I will make sure there's something I can eat if I'm at a meal related to work.

Meanwhile, I have a coworker who constantly and loudly proclaims themself to be vegan. All the time. They once complained that the shared fridge shouldn't contain meat which I found to be a bad PR strategy for veganism.

Today we are eating at a work thing at a restaurant. Despite me generally ordering the only vegan thing on the menu wherever we go, she and I never order the same thing. In response to another coworker, I say that yes, I've been there before because it's the only place in town with vegan black beans.

My proclaimed vegan co-worker then looks at their plate containing cheese, sour cream, and refried beans that they ordered, and says "yeah, I was just so hungry I forgot to ask them to leave off the dairy. They continue to eat their meal.

At this point I said "there's lard in the beans anyway." (Because, maybe they didn't know?) To which they respond "Well, it's not going to kill me." Then, 2 coworkers who have been listening excitedly say "No it won't."

Just annoying, and weird, and wanted to share.

Apologies if there’s already been a thread about this, but I’m curious.

I grew up in the US and I’ve never seen soy curls in stores. I’ve only seen tofu, tempeh, and expensive meat substitutes in stores.

I lived out of country for a while and grew to love the bags of soy curls / textured soy curls. You can get a pound of them for like 90 cents in Europe and Mexico and you soak them, so a pound goes really far. They get very meat like because they’re more rugged shapes and I just miss them.

Since getting back the US, I haven’t seen them anywhere. I know they’re at winco, but that’s 40+ miles from my house, and online, they’re like $15 for what I was paying literal cents for elsewhere.

Does anyone know where to get soy curls or tvp at a rate comparable to other countries? Or are we just screwed over in America?

In a landmark moment for animal rights, Mexico has officially enshrined animal welfare into its national constitution. On December 2, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a set of constitutional reforms that pave the way for a comprehensive federal animal welfare law. This is the first time nonhuman animals have been mentioned in the Mexican Constitution, signaling a significant shift in the country’s approach to animal rights and welfare.

A Victory for Animal Advocacy

The reforms are the result of years of campaigning by animal advocacy organizations, including Igualdad Animal Mexico, Humane Society International/Mexico (HSI/Mexico), and Movimiento Consciencia. Dulce Ramirez, executive director of Animal Equality Mexico, described the changes as “huge,” noting that they mark a turning point in addressing pervasive animal cruelty and confinement within Mexico’s expanding

meat industry.

Globally, few countries include animals in their constitutions, making Mexico’s reforms a standout achievement. Kristen Stilt, faculty director at Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Program, highlighted the uniqueness of Mexico’s approach: “It’s longer, it’s more specific. It’s in several provisions. It’s not just a general statement.”

What the Reforms Include

The reforms amend three key articles of Mexico’s Constitution, with significant implications for animal welfare:

1. Article 73: Grants the federal government the authority to legislate on animal welfare and protection, moving away from the inconsistent state-level laws that have been in place.
2. Article 4: Prohibits mistreatment of animals and directs the state to guarantee their protection, adequate treatment, conservation, and care.
3. Additional amendments establish the groundwork for future federal laws that will include all animals, from pets to farmed and wild animals.

These changes aim to provide comprehensive protections, including for farmed animals, which are often excluded from welfare laws globally.

Challenges Ahead

Mexico’s agricultural industry is among the largest producers of beef, chicken, pork, dairy, and eggs in the world. As such, there are concerns about the influence of business interests on the development of these new federal laws. Antón Aguilar, executive director of HSI/Mexico, noted the challenges ahead: “The question now is what changes the constitutional reforms will really bring to animal law in Mexico, and how effective they will be.”

A Global Impact

The reforms set an important precedent for Latin America, where a growing animal rights movement is gaining traction. Experts believe Mexico’s actions could inspire similar reforms in neighboring countries, potentially elevating the status of animals across the region.

What’s Next?

The reforms are a significant milestone, but the work is far from over. Animal advocates and policymakers must ensure the new laws are comprehensive and enforceable, covering all animals and addressing crueltyin industries like intensive animal agriculture.

For now, Mexico’s inclusion of animal welfare in its constitution is a hopeful step forward—one that underscores the interconnectedness of human and animal welfare and signals a future where animals’ rights are better protected.

End of news article

I would also like to point out that Mexico was the first country in North America to prohibit testing of cosmetics on animals and also the sale of products tested on animals from other countries. Canada has since passed a similar law. As a person who lives in Mexico and follows the news closely I have been encouraged to see people going to prison for animal cruelty as well in recent years. As well as massive campaigns to end bull fighting, which is already banned in some states. Even in states where it is not outlawed, many arenas stand unused or are used for other, unrelated events.

Hi! I have not eaten meat in over a decade and have been vegan for 5 years. Personally, I do not know any other vegans so here I am to start a conversation.

Today I was listening to someone I work with vocalize their opinions about certain topics pertaining to women and their sex life. Said person (29F) thinks that if you have a high “body count” you are a whore, disgusting, etc. While most of this goes in one ear and out the other for me, what she stated next I agreed with; our bodies are temples and should be treated as such….

Skip ahead to lunch, she drives to McDonalds and buys herself chicken nuggets. I laugh to myself. How can people not realize that this “food” they are consuming is probably one of the worst things they could be doing to themselves? Why is it that I , and no one else that I personally know , thinks about these things. I understand most people are habitual meat eaters and consume without thinking, like cavemen, but it just makes me wonder. Maybe our vegan brains are different in a way?

I like my veggie/beyond burgers and the unhealthy vegan foods but at-least it never had two eyes and a soul…

Do you feel as if Veganism and Spirituality go hand in hand? Should it only be about animal rights? I believe that people who can make the conscious effort to make healthier and more ethical decisions are truly more evolved than those who eat cheeseburgers and buy new clothes everyday. Thanks for reading if you’ve gotten this far! Start some meaningful conversations below please :)

I recently started gym workouts and started also searching for high-protein meals for muscle recovery and growth and I came across two pdf guides with vegetarian high-protein meal recipes here is where i found it "High-Protein Meal Prep Recipes: Your Guide to Nutritious and Tasty Meals"

Guide 1: High-Protein Vegetarian Meal Planner

breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Some of the highlights include:

Confetti Breakfast Burrito (easy to veganize with tofu scramble or chickpea flour!)

Bean and Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

Roasted Edamame (such a simple, high-protein snack!)

Cheesy Eggplant Casserole (swap for plant-based cheese!)

Guide 2: 4-Week High-Protein Vegetarian Meal Plan

there is a lot but, my favorites are:

White Bean Pasta

Zucchini Frittata (can be adapted with chickpea flour)

Pumpkin-Orange Muffins

And if anyone here has a good experience with gym training, could you please share your meal plans for bulking🙏? please Im strugling, share advices or anything that can help me, and thanks.

I’ve searched and asked and read online and cannot find a definitive answer… I’m looking for vegan Pulling Oil. Specifically Guru Nanda. I found one listed as vegan on Amazon but no where in the product details nor on the box does it say it’s vegan. I’ve asked about the source of the vitamins as they are what can be either plant or animal derived. I can’t get a clear answer. This is the link to the one I found on Amazon. https://a.co/d/f8kH542 Anyone have any knowledge on this?

Hey there! Out of own interest and perhaps also for future presents i came across the Koro website and i like the items they sell, though when i searched through the internet i found a lot of people having a negative opinion on it, especially saying it is quite expensive etc.

What are good/cheaper alternatives to it? I'm very new to this so any info is appreciated

if it matters regarding prices, i live in Europe

A 77year old New Zealand man, Stuart Edmondson, was involved in the shooting of two men who apparently were poaching on his property where he keeps his pet pigs. One of the poachers has died. Stuart is a well known character and his pet pigs were a popular tourist destination. He's been dealing with poachers bullying him for the last 15years or so and needlessly killing and torturing the pigs on his land who he has a close bond too. It just sounds like he's tried to bury his emotions about it and he finally snapped. Really sad.

The NZ vegan community is doing their best to help the situation with the pigs by staying on the property taking care of them during the day, but at night it is considered too dangerous.

You can find a short documentary about him in this article https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/536909/man-charged-over-coromandel-double-shooting-named-as-pig-collector-stuart-edmondson

EDIT: The article is being updated in realtime and it looks like the link to the documentary on him was removed. You can find it here https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/361042/coromandel-man-condemned-to-house-arrest-to-protect-pigs-from-torture.

EDIT 2: I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for me to place a donation link into the post title text so hesitated. But if you wish to donate to help support the ongoing care and feeding of the pigs and the legal expenses of Stuart, you can here https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/save-the-coromandel-pigs-urgent-appeal. I have no affiliation with the organizer.

i recently became vegetarian and am moving towards veganism. i still live with my family, and they respect and tolerate my vegetarianism, but they are judgmental about veganism.

my mother has an old mind, obviously it is difficult for her to change her way of thinking and seeing the world. when i give my reasons, she argues that it sounds like a conspiracy and that the information is manipulated by vegans to make other people become vegan.

most of my peers just acknowledge the industry is fucked up, and either just say they can't go vegan because they love cheese or say we need to find less cruel ways of getting the milk/eggs/meat. my mom, though, firmly believes none of these things happen, and dairy cows receive gentle treatment, and produce "too much milk" and need us to drink some of it.

i would like her to understand that most of these horrible things are actually legal, and are not a secret that "few people know". please provide me with sources and ways to show her that this is all true! and please don't be cruel, she is older and probably means no harm (:

I don't know if this is weakness on my part.

I keep up with 200ish animal rescue/charity accounts. Domestic, farm and wild. Every single time without fail I read one that involves a farm animal, the comments are filled with dozens (if not hundreds depending on the reach of the post) laughing, posting steak/chick nugget GIFS and saying how good they taste.

Jokes are jokes, whether you find them funny or not (which I don't) but these people seek out an ANIMAL RESCUE that takes in ABUSED farm animals and decide to mock them. These same people would most likely comment how awful it would be if it were a domestic animal, can they not see how unhinged that behaviour is?

To seek out a farm animal rescue with the sole intent of wishing harm upon these already abused animals isn't someone having a laugh, it comes across psychotic. It fills me with so much rage and confusion. How can somebody be a normal, decent person in real life if they enjoy laughing at abused animals online?

Seeing the abuse we inflict on animals in general is awful but then to see regular folk say things like that brings out even more misanthropy in me. Does anyone else feel this?

My beautiful wife and i have been vegan for 3 1/2 years. She is undergoing cancer treatment and has lost a dangerous amount of weight. We are also sober (20+ years) so the recommendation to take medical marijuana to get the munchies is a no go. One of her doctors wants her to start eating flesh protein again for the short term until she regains to a healthy weight. Can anyone suggest a plant-based way out of this predicament? TIA

Edit: Thank you all so very much. We are reading these right now and i am so very moved. It really does work if you work it.

For Breakfast:

Orgain Sport Protein Powder (30g)

Soy Isolate (10g)

Sometimes a Banana

Life extension multivitamin

Lunch:

Half a block of tofu

10g protein Collagen mixed with water

---Hit gym---

Dinner:

Orgain Sport Protein Powder (30g)

Soy Isolate (10g)

Sometimes a Banana

Life extension multivitamin

This is my diet from Monday to Friday, while on the weekends I eat out

(Pizza, chinese food, indian food, sandwiches/burgers, sometimes I make chilli...)

Also Im 5'11" and weight 158 at the moment.

I just struggle with finding the time and motivation to really cook

And yes I am aware that i might be eating under 1000 calories a day

I go to the gym for 2h three to 4 times a week, no cardio, just weight training

hello all I hope to explain my side and look for some advice. I also am not trying to open up a huge debate on different type of things and I hope you all understand where I'm coming from. I really just need some advice.

When I was in college, I was a vegetarian for a few years. I was basically vegan, but wasn't fully vegan because I didn't look into the byproduct of everyday things. i definitely wasn't eating any meat or animal by products at the time. I really don't like the taste of meat and I'm severely lactose intolerant. But after a few years, I progressively got sicker and sicker until I had to see a doctor to figure out why I was so sick. Turns out I have a ton of food, allergies, and a bunch of deficiencies. Because my food allergies are so severe at times it makes it really hard to get all of the vitamins that I need. But being a college kid, I never looked into it more and when a campus doctor suggested, I try eating red meat every once in a while to help with iron, I took it at face value and introduced red meat back into my diet. The past six years or so I have been eating a low meat diet. I still deal with my deficiencies and my allergies so my current diet is also not the best. But I absolutely hate that I have to eat meat.

I hate that I eat it not just because I don't like it, but because I don't find it fair that we as humans have to eat animals to survive. It makes me so sad thinking of the animals I eat so I tried to disassociate every time I eat chicken or beef. I don't have a huge problem with eggs as long as the chicken chickens that I'm getting them from a free rage chickens (my mother-in-law has chickens on her farm and they're taking very well care of) but the idea of an animal having to die so I can eat just makes me so sad.

So here's my dilemma, I want to be vegan, but I'm worried that because of my allergies I can't be. So I'm hoping that you guys can help me if I left out my allergies. Can you help me see different vegan options of foods I can eat? I don't wanna get violently again like I did last time when I was a vegetarian. I just wanna feel healthy and feel like I'm doing my part.

allergies:

1. bananas
2. figs
3. dates
4. strawberries
5. mangoes
6. tomatoes
7. chick peas
8. avocados (can eat in low doses)
9. lactose (dairy of any kind really)
10. citrus fruit

Hi, my name is Gustavo and i am being a vegan for almost 3 years. Not-eating-animals was never hard to me, i don't miss meat, eggs, milk or something, but recently i have been thinking about going back to eating eggs and milk. This is because of my mom. She don't accept my diet and says that i'm "ruining my health" and things like that. Also, she says that it would be easier for her if i went back to eating eggs and milk (she prepares my lunch everyday because of the university). So, for all of this, i'm having this dilemma.

I love my mom and i really don't like to argue with her. Am i a bad person if i go back? I want some more opinions.

I apologize if this text cointains any grammatical errors, english is not my first language.

Me and my partner have been vegan for 4 years now and my family still has not accepted it. This year, my sister invited us for Christmas day at her house (with her daughters and partner, my mum and her husband). My mum is going to be cooking traditional food from my country, which involves meat. They have not made any slight effort to adapt this food to veganism (it's possible to make it vegan), and asked me to bring our own food. I feel pretty sad, when I wasn't vegan I could enjoy my mums food and after going vegan she or my sister have never made an effort to make me or my partner feel like home. I miss my mum's food... I miss the love I received when she cooked for me. I will never eat non vegan food, I just wish they understood my view. Looks like for them, being vegan makes me an ungrateful child.

Edit: I've read all your comments and I feel better, happy to have such a nice community, thank you all! I know how to cook, I love doing it! Of course I would not expect them to make a fully vegan feast for me, but at least a small effort to make us feel accepted would be appreciated. It's a special day and I wanted to feel that I'm loved by my family, and that my choices are at least accepted, not criticised or shamed, as it has happened before. I put a lot of effort in showing them my love, but it's not reciprocated :(

Hello. I would Iike to help out my mom by going home once in a while and make dinner for her. I'm looking for recipes that meat-eaters can enjoy. My mom isn’t a fan of meat substitutes and refuses to eat anything like that. Tofu is off the list because she sees it as a substitute, even though it technically isn’t. She’s fine with eating vegan or vegetarian in general she just dosnt want anything that is ment to replace "the real thing".

My brothers are also picky eaters. Everyone in the family loves pasta, so pasta recipes are especially welcome. we’re not a family that usually eats dishes like stews or recipes with a lot of greens.

Thanks in advance to yall.

I've been vegan for two years now and my mum has always been worried about my diet. But when my hair started to become slightlhy thinner and different (probably because of hormonal birth control, and I can't tell her that's the reason because she is against that too) she's been worried about my hair to a point that she can't sleep at night, has nightmares about it, fasts for me to have an awakening (she's a Christian), and she said that she panicks and her heart breaks everytime she sees me.

She's basically been insulting me and saying bad things about my appearance to try and convert me, but she did stop that after months of doing it when I told her it really wasn't okay anymore. She doesn't say things as much now but I can see that she resents me by the way she looks at me and my hair. It's incredibly difficult to endure every day and it's making me very insecure and unhappy. I just want my mother to accept me and be happy with how I am and look. I had a mental breakdown a few days ago, telling her I would give in and do what she says. That I would eat eggs and fish. I just couldn't take it anymore. Obviously, I don't want to do that and I haven't. It was an impulsive reaction because I just wanted to feel happy and accepted again. She was very happy when I told her this and told me she is so relieved because her heart breaks everytime she sees me.

Now it's two days later and well, I'm not eating eggs nor fish. I'm very happy with my vegan food and I have no desire to contribute to cruelty and literally go against my beliefs. I just woke up and she sent me a long voice message saying that she notices that I'm pulling back in what I said and that she thinks it's not okay and she dissagrees with me not quitting veganism as I said I would for her. I told her it's none of her business what I do and she needs to stay out of it. And even if I was quitting veganism even that's none of her business. Then she said she was done with me, opened my door and said that, yelling. She says she's going to have a talk with my dad about me because she can no longer live in a house with someone is 'damaging herself'. That's how she sees it. She doesn't want to live in a house with someone who causes her to feel fear and panick every day. Well I don't think that's normal at all, because even though my hair is slightly thinner it's still quite thick and healthy. There's nothing crazy going on. There is nothing wrong with me. Even when I was anorexic and my hair was REALLY thin, she still wasn't like this. She just can't stand that she doesn't have control over me. My boyfriend is not a Christian and I turned vegan with him and she can't stand it.

I feel so anxious and stressed. I think if my hair got thinner it's mostly because of the stress she gives me. I want to move in with my boyfriend but he lives in a different country and I'm still in school. I don't know what to do anymore.

This is what my hair looks like now. It was indeed even thicker than this because my hair was just really thick, but even now it's still thick and there's nothing wrong with it. https://imgur.com/a/sYgjVU1 https://imgur.com/a/hihd1jq

Hey

I was looking for some non judgemental advice please. 36/F.

I have been vegan for 6 months and it is hands down the best decision I have ever made. I went from a diet of meat and dairy to vegan over night.

Over the last month or so I have been feeling pretty awful and feel I am seriously lacking in something. I have real extreme fatigue, nausea, headache, hand numbness, just generally feeling rubbish. I have previously had a borderline folic acid deficiency as well as iron. Nothing major, but enough to make me feel rubbish and have a prescription from the doctors.

Admittedly I don’t have the greatest diet, I am also a frequent alcohol drinker and I know that I knew to supplement a lot more than I currently do. At the moment I only take veg1 (when I remember).

I know supplements and vitamins are by no means a magic cure / fix and it requires more of a lifestyle change on my part but I was wondering if anyone had any must have supplements, essential vitamins, things you swear by.

Also any advice more than welcome!

TIA!

ETA - thanks so much for your comments so far. Regarding alcohol consumption I am not a daily drinker, more a typical binge drinker on a Friday or Saturday night and perhaps a bottle of wine once in the week if I fancy.

Food wise an average day of food would be - a peanut oat bar for breakfast, lunch of either left overs (pasta, cottage pie etc) depending on how physical my work day is or a vegan ready meal, soup or a wrap and crisps, dinner is usually either something like rice with veg and tofu, stir fry, burger and chips, pasta, cottage pie, stew. I’m not a snacker but will try and have some fruit once a day but I’m really not a huge fan so have to force it down haha.

Hi all,

I've been pescatarian (no dairy) for over ten years, and my desire to stop ruining the oceans has finally caught up with me.

I strength train so am very keen on getting an upwards of 80g protein daily, and have vegan friends so am already pretty clued in to taking my b12 and vitamin d supplements.

Looking for advice on protein options beyond tofu+protein powder (I hate tempeh so please not that!), and any advice re: micronutrients beyond ensuring I get my b12 and vitamin d.

Thank you!

EDIT: quick edit in case it influences replies - I'm female and eat approx 2250 calories daily, of which most atm are carbs and protein.

My boyfriend and I want to make this red velvet cookie cake bars but I’m not sure if there are any vegan red velvet mixes. I’m hearing so many people say that the red velvet box mixes from Duncan Hines & Betty Crocker are vegan (if baked without milk & eggs ofc) while others are saying the ingredients in the mix alone are not vegan so 😭 can anyone lmk? It would be greatly appreciated