~arcus - Veganism

Last update: 2026/03/03

It's not a diet. In fact, there are vegans that eat meat. There's no agreed definition of it, but if I were to define it: It's a practice with various philosophies that aims to reduce animal suffering, primarily through boycotts and a plant-based diet.

There's many varieties of veganism that approach this from different perspectives. Some notable ones:

Black Veganism: Primarily examines the ties between racial and animal oppression.
Freeganism: Focuses on food waste and allows animal derived products as long as it doesn't support the industry.
Total Liberation: Examines the industry's connection to various forms of oppression, capitalism, and the state.

Why are you vegan?

I wasn't big on the whole murder thing as a kid and went vegetarian. A few years after that I got interested in how food was made. Even now, I keep learning new things about the industry. It's not just animal farming either: The agriculture industry as a whole is built on abuse.

Some things I dislike about animal agriculture:

It has roots in white supremacy and the industry inspired modern corporate practices (mentions bestiality.)
The working conditions are really bad physically and mentally (heavy articles, contain descriptions of physical injuries, with photos and descriptions of animal abuse.)
The water usage, which is much greater than the tech sector's as a whole (yes, including AI usage).
The pollution is so bad that it makes drinking water carcinogenic, and spreads E. coli.
It's the leading cause of deforestation.
That half of all habitable land is used for agriculture, with 80% of that land used for animal farming, directly and indirectly.
That 12% to 19.2% of greenhouse gas emissions are from animal agriculture directly.
Ag-Gag laws: Jail time over filming inside a farm.
Lobbying.
Propaganda campaigns.
Climate science censorship with propaganda campaigns.
Climate science censorship with propaganda campaigns, yet again.
Same as above, but for the kids this time.
That animal products are only affordable because of taxpayer's money. A $5 big mac in 2015 would have cost $13 if not for government subsidies (in the United States, in USD.)
It's a major contributor to pandemics and kills workers.
It funds anti-trans propaganda in the United States (descriptions of bestiality.)
That even Palantir is involved.

And that's without mentioning the animal abuse. Most of these links are about the USA, but they apply globally.

But don't you miss...

The only thing I miss about not being a vegan was that I wasn't exposed to insecure white people online complaining about how white veganism is. It's similar to men who are overly obsessed with complaining about other men to signify that they're feminist, but end up being really weird about it and sexist in the process.

Chicken was nice but I prefer the alternatives.

But what about...

No, I don't eat chocolate, coffee, quinoa, almonds, agave, figs, palm oil, or whatever the latest trend is. I also try to avoid sugar. Mushrooms too, they scare me a little. Ethics aside, I avoid tomatoes, soy, and gluten, but I will still have them occasionally.

I avoid buying plastic too, but I gotta say: Pleather is a joke. Corporations like it because it's cheaper to pump out. Everything is plastic these days. Besides, leather isn't good either: The tanning process has a heavy impact on the environment.

PETA

I hate them. I also hate that they are used as an excuse to ignore the issues with the industry. Many other vegans hate them too. Either way, take anything about them with a grain of salt: They have a history of being infiltrated, including by a former CIA official, and the farming industry runs propaganda campaigns. PETA supports euthanasia, but the rumors surrounding PETA are misleading (links contain descriptions of animal abuse and death.)

Don't you have to be rich?

Depending on where one lives it's cheaper, especially if one can cook. Food labeled as vegan is marketed as a health food and overpriced because of that. There's plenty of cheap plant-based food that aren't labeled as vegan such as frozen chips/french fries, onion rings, samosas, gyoza, spring rolls, oreos, various cereals, and skittles. Maybe not the best examples, but that's what came to mind.

Are human body fluids vegan?

If no one is harmed in the process then sure. If it involves breaking into an IVF centre for a cheeky snack, then no.

Vitamins?

New vegans should supplement B12 to be safe. Some foods are fortified with it, but the legal recommended daily intake for B12 is misleading: B12 is absorbed poorly and needs to be taken 1000x as much as the daily recommended intake (1mg vs 1mcg) or taken in small amounts throughout the day.

Everything else is fine with a balanced diet. But anyone that spends enough time on the internet to stumble upon my site definitely needs vitamin D, vegan or not.

I'm interested in veganism, where should I start?

The Animal Abuse

Human workers suffer and die all the time without companies getting punished. There's no reason to treat animals any better when it's legal and more economically efficient to make them suffer.

Some people will suggest to watch Dominion (requires JavaScript), it's also on Wikipedia but without subtitles. I don't recommend watching it unless one believes that animal abuse in the industry is hyperbolic: It's a very heavy film that shows animal abuse uncensored. Instead, I suggest reading the transcript. It has some tasteless comparisons at the end but the rest of the film is fine on that front.

Plant-Based Diets

Interested in a plant-based diet? Don't rush into it. It will take a awhile to figure out what's plant-based and what's not. Things that one would expect to be plant-based such as orange juice, are sometimes not.

It's impossible to have a harm free diet, aim for a less harmful one.
Don't try to go plant-based overnight, focus on trying new things over elimination.
Don't throw out animal derived food: Eat it or give it away.
Search for local vegan websites.
Find easy meals to cook.
Check the frozen isle for prepared meals.
Try new snacks.
Get vitamin B12 supplements to be safe.
Get a blood test later on to make sure everything is fine.

Meat Alternatives

The texture, quality, and taste of meat alternatives depends on the flavourings and the main ingredient. Can be expensive. Not always plant-based. Some popular main ingredients:

Pea protein: Rarer, but the most realistic in the right hands.
Mushrooms: Has a texture similar to chicken but not quite. Quorn uses this, and some people swear it's identical to the real thing, but I disagree.
Seitan (gluten/wheat protein): More realistic than soy but needs to be cooked carefully. Overcooking destroys the texture and flavour.
Soy (tofu and tempeh): Better for something with a similar flavour profile but different. Never tried tofu before? Try it at an Asian restaurant first.

Milk Alternatives

Just like meat alternatives, the same kind of milk can vary a lot in taste and texture by brand because they use different ingredients. Note that most milks tend to have added sugar unless they've specified that they're unsweetened.

Hazelnut milk: Rare and expensive but incredible.
Macadamia milk: Really good with cereal. Expensive.
Oat milk: Pretty good, but avoid if sensitive to gluten. Oats contain avenin, a protein similar to gluten that can effect sensitivities.
Rice milk: Can have a chalky texture, depends on the brand.
Coconut milk: Can be too creamy, depends on the brand.
Soy milk: Not a huge fan, high in histamine.
Almond milk: Exists. I don't recommend it, see below.

Plant-Based but Not Vegan

Chocolate: Slavery, child labour, and environmental damage.
Coffee: Slavery, child labour, and deforestation.
Cane sugar: Slavery, child labour, deforestation, and more. Another article. Uses bone char in the refinement process (screen reader unfriendly) in some countries.
Almonds: Bad for for the environment, especially for bees.
Agave: Environmental damage.
Palm oil: Deforestation. Palm sugar is different.
Corn: Bad for the environment.
Figs: I will not elaborate.

Quinoa is fine. Soy's impact on the environment is because 85% of soy is used as animal feed. Do research into any of the foods above that claim to be fair trade, corporations lie all the time.

Anything Else

Contact me, just be nice.

Veganism