Is it ok to eat dairy, when there is a meat by-product?

[Renee1]

I think this is a complicated issue and it needs to be talked about, but always with the utmost of sensitivity and never with the assumption that all experiences are equal.

 

[RascalsMom]

I think it's very similar to veg*ns talking to meat eaters. A lot of people who eat dairy & eggs complain here about people they know IRL who won't give up meat for the same reasons they won't go vegan.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

As for the social anxiety - I have it too, so I won't call restaurants. It is very hard to force myself to ask for special requests, but I make myself do it. When I first went vegan, I admit that a lot of times my sister spoke for me. Like all things that anxiety prohibits - it gets easier each time you MAKE yourself do it, even of your voice is shaking and you're having a total inner (and partly outer) freak out over it. I've been there, so -hug-. It's a work in progress for me but I just FORCE myself.

That's not something I'm willing or able to do at this point in my life.

I do eat vegan for MOST meals. I think using plant milk, dairy-free cream, coffee creamer, and ice cream are of greater significance than a loaf of bread a month and occasional cheese in a restaurant meal.
I have also gotten my husband to switch to dairy-free yogurt, and he is my official new recipe taste tester, so I've reduced his meat and dairy consumption a lot.

 

[Amy SF]

I think it's very similar to veg*ns talking to meat eaters. A lot of people who eat dairy & eggs complain here about people they know IRL who won't give up meat for the same reasons they won't go vegan.

This is true, for me at least. I never used to understand why it was so difficult for some omnis to go vegetarian, because it seems very easy for me. As it's been pointed out, many people are more willing to accommodate vegetarians than vegans. But I eventually realized that it can be as difficult for some people to go vegetarian as it is for me to go vegan. So I'm more understanding about that than I used to be.

 

[ledboots]

I just wish they didn't feel the need to put cow milk in so many products. I buy expensive whole grain bakery bread that goes stale in 2 days unless frozen because I can't find vegan regular sliced bread. And I buy expensive ezekial bread also, it is vegan. We eat a lot of ww pitas, too, I'm getting sick of them.

 

[Muggle]

I'm trying to word this in the most non confrontational way - it's hard to convey tone over text, and it's something I fully admit I haven't quite mastered. So please, I mean no offense by this - I am honestly curious. And of course, feel free to not answer.

For those of you who say you feel guilt every time you consume dairy - whats the biggest factor in you not giving it up? Lack of substitute? Phasing it out? Convenience/taste/feel it would be too difficult? I ask because from the posts here, it seems like something you don't want to support, and feel bad about doing so. If there's anything I can do to help a transition to giving up dairy - recipes, support, product recommendations, anything - please let me know.

This is going to be hard to explain without going into too much detail. (Certain things in my life which are behind why I am not vegan still (I was 1 for 2 years) are not things I am willing to discuss outside of the members-only sections. )

But basically, I have enough **** to deal with in my life right now without the added stress and worry of trying to be vegan.
Because of things that had happened, going back to being lacto-ovo vegetarian was compromise I had to make. And even just being vegetarian is enough of an issue already.

When I'm back being independent again the dairy and eggs are going. Not sure if I'm going back to being fully vegan but I will do as much as I can manage.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I've also never found the "if I can do it anyone can" sentiment to be particularly motivating. (In any situation, not just regarding this.) It generally just ends up making me feel bad when I fail at the thing that "anyone" is supposed to be able to do.

I know it's meant to be encouraging, it just doesn't work for me.

 

[AeryFairy]

Ok, here's an example for me... I have found one commercially available wheat sandwich bread that doesn't require me to drive far out of my way, or cost $6 for a tiny loaf. This one bread does not contain dairy or eggs, but does have added D3. It also tastes like crap.
(I have spent literally hours in all the grocery stores near me reading labels.)
Dark rye appears vegan, but I don't like rye. Or potato bread. Gross.

I am too lazy to make my own bread constantly, plus I don't like homemade bread for everyday sandwiches.

So I have gone back to eating bread that contains dairy.

If there was a bread that was identical to Pepperidge Farms German Dark Wheat or 15 Grain Whole Wheat, just minus dairy, I would switch. I just haven't found anything in my area (believe me, I've looked), and am unwilling to eat bread I don't like or give up bread totally.

I posted my frustrations about this here and on Facebook. People offered a few suggestions, but none were practical or available to me.

I do make my grilled cheese sandwiches with Daiya Cheddar Shreds, and use Vegenaise instead of mayo. But for now anyway, I'm going to continue eating bread with dairy.

I know this is not at all helpful to your situation... But it continues to baffle me that most US breads seem to contain dairy! In my UK-based experience, there are barely any commercially available breads that aren't vegan...

I think, if I were faced with a similar situation, I would continue to use non-vegan products. I'm super lucky that it's so easy to substitute almost anything around here.

 

[Blobbenstein]

yea, we're lucky in the bread situation in the UK......though I think there is a brand of sliced bread that has added fish oil.

I don't really eat out, unless you count the chips...

 

[thefadedone]

yea, we're lucky in the bread situation in the UK......though I think there is a brand of sliced bread that has added fish oil.

I don't really eat out, unless you count the chips...

Gross!!

 

[Muggle]

yea, we're lucky in the bread situation in the UK......though I think there is a brand of sliced bread that has added fish oil.

I don't really eat out, unless you count the chips...

Family once brought olive oil which had added omega 3 in it. The bottle looked identical to the one we normally have. I didn't realise until I'd been using it for 2 weeks to cook a lot of my food. Finally noticed the tiny little "with added omega 3!" thing, thought "oh ****", checked the ingredients. Yep, fish oil. In extra virgin olive oil! WTF?!

 

[shyvas]

This is going to be hard to explain without going into too much detail. (Certain things in my life which are behind why I am not vegan still (I was 1 for 2 years) are not things I am willing to discuss outside of the members-only sections. )

But basically, I have enough **** to deal with in my life right now without the added stress and worry of trying to be vegan.
Because of things that had happened, going back to being lacto-ovo vegetarian was compromise I had to make. And even just being vegetarian is enough of an issue already.

When I'm back being independent again the dairy and eggs are going. Not sure if I'm going back to being fully vegan but I will do as much as I can manage.

Same here. I don't like discussing certain things in the public forum.

 

[Tom L.]

I'm trying to word this in the most non confrontational way - it's hard to convey tone over text, and it's something I fully admit I haven't quite mastered. So please, I mean no offense by this - I am honestly curious. And of course, feel free to not answer.

For those of you who say you feel guilt every time you consume dairy - whats the biggest factor in you not giving it up? Lack of substitute? Phasing it out? Convenience/taste/feel it would be too difficult? I ask because from the posts here, it seems like something you don't want to support, and feel bad about doing so. If there's anything I can do to help a transition to giving up dairy - recipes, support, product recommendations, anything - please let me know.

I really have been pushing myself to give up the last traces of dairy in my diet- mostly because I worry that if I don't draw that line, I'll keep crossing it. (Huh... that wasn't very clear... let me try again...)

In comparison to my change from omni to pescetarian (2 or 3 days), and then pescetarian to ovolactovegetarian (20 minutes), it took me a long time to drop egg and milk. I can't make excuses: it was just much more effort to eat a vegan diet- but I would have attempted it much sooner than I did if someone had explained to me earler what chickens and cows had to go through for this (although I should have known about the chickens- but that's another story).

The only dairy I consume now is traces of whey in the margarine I use sometimes, and I purchase that only once or twice a year. But even if that doesn't make a difference to animals, I still think that if I keep using margarine, I might go back to consuming milk products more regularly- so I'm dropping that too.