‘Humane meat’ – a nice marketing term coined by the industry in order to make us feel better about buying meat, to soften the experience for us. The very fact this even needs to be done shows that intrinsically a lot of people are uncomfortable about what’s on their plate.

The definition of humane is: ‘Having or showing compassion or benevolence‘. But how can we kill and harm with compassion?

Consider some facts and questions:

• Intensively-farmed animals, and ‘humanely’ raised animals, are all slaughtered in the same abattoirs in the same way.
• For decades now, suffering has been exposed on humane farms. RSPCA-approved Freedom Food farms with high levels of disease and injury, no access to the outside, and hot temperatures. Small, ethical farms containing suffering. Animals on ‘high welfare’ fur farms resorting to cannibalism. Let me say that this is not true of every single farm out there. But unless we visit the source of our meat on a regular, unannounced basis, how can we be sure what’s going on?
• We think of a humane death for our pets, to be under anaesthetic, via injection, to make it as pain-free as possible. We don’t allow them to die unless they are gravely ill, or elderly, with no quality of life.
• Farm animals are killed well before the end of their natural life span. Humane chickens reared for meat are slaughtered at roughly 8 weeks old but could live 7 years on average. Is this really humane?
• Watch Peaceable Kingdom, a documentary about five farmers who expose the humane myth and share their inspiring stories of transformation.
• Note: on a similar topic, you may be interested in reading my guest post: ‘Why Free Range Isn’t Enough If You Love Animals.’

Let me leave you with a quote from Ed Winters: “There is no humane way to kill somebody who does not want to die.”

Come on, does anybody really believe this any more? Vegan food is like any other food, you just have to find what you want. You’ve spent your life since birth so far, finding out what you do and don’t like, how to buy and prepare food for your tastes. Trying vegan food, there will be things you don’t like (just like in a non-vegan world!) and products you instantly take to. Vegan cheese, for example, is like dairy cheese – there are different flavours and brands. You just have to get experimenting.

Venturing into veganism can be an adjustment for your taste buds too. You can be used to the rich, fatty cheeses and texture of meat. However, within a month or so you do get used to the different tastes. It’s an opportunity to get diversity into your diet and try new recipes. Many people say they could never go back, as meat and dairy makes them gag! You start to smell the fat and thickness of dairy milk. Meat cooking can smell like burnt flesh.

Also, remember that meat-eaters already eat a proportion of vegan food anyway! Chips, fruit and veg, rice, pasta, baked beans, most bourbon biscuits, some bread and cereals… all vegan. There are even meaty flavours of crisps and pot noodles that actually don’t contain any meat at all. If you check your cupboards, you may be surprised at what you can carry on eating as normal.

One of the most common questions vegans are asked is: “Where do you get your protein?” which is fair enough. The food industry has done NOTHING to dispel the myth that protein primarily comes from meat and eggs – it keeps sales going, after all! That means unless you do your research, you might not know any better.

Amino acids (they make up proteins) are only created in plants. Animals eat the plants in the form of grass or grain, then we eat the animals. What a long-winded way of doing things, when we can go straight to the source! By consuming a good range of different plant products, we can get the whole spectrum of amino acids into our system. A small handful of almonds has the same amount of protein as an egg. Nuts are generally a great source of protein, as well as everyday foods such as oats, broccoli, tofu and lentils.

Don’t forget, you can actually consume too much protein. Proteins turn into amino acids when in the body, and then we store them as energy in the muscles. But if we overload ourselves, the remaining amino acids are stored as fat, equalling weight gain. Find out how much you need and where to get it from, in my guide to basic nutrition.

The fitness industry has also turned protein into a massive selling point. Protein bars, shakes, supplements and powders containing whey (part of milk) are everywhere. You don’t need these fancy products to gain muscle, or get your daily requirement of protein. Several of the leading non-vegan brands of protein powder we looked at had less than 20g protein per serving, as well as added sweeteners and flavourings – not great for health! VivoLife protein powder contains 20g protein per serving, and nothing added – just pure plants. You can also check out similar brands such as the Vega powders, Vive, Enrichd, Wyldsson, and Pulsin.

If you want inspiration from people who are batting way above the average on a vegan diet, check out this fantastic list of vegan athletes. Olympians, powerlifters, bodybuilders and endurance runners are breaking records on a vegan diet. Austin Aries, Carl Lewis, Venus Williams – completely plant powered. There’s also your inspiring super-fit vegans, like the Hench Herbivore. Don’t tell any of these guys that they don’t get enough protein – they may just die of laughter.

So where do vegans get their protein from? Straight from the source, just like the animals we eat do!

Photo by Sara Dubler

Well yes, in some sense it is.

It’s neither illegal nor frowned upon by many in society. You can choose to do it, with no repercussions (except perhaps your health). But does it truly align with your morals?

In developed countries such as the UK, the disconnect from our food is so great that animals are seen as products rather than living, breathing beings with emotions and the ability to feel pain and desire life. We grab food from a shelf without a second thought about how it got there. We even give many of our food products a different name .eg. flesh=meat, pig=pork, cow=beef, baby cow=veal, which doesn’t help matters. 

When people say that eating meat is their personal excuse, it really is a way of saying “go away” because they don’t want to confront the realities of what this entails. If that person had to follow their pork, from tiny piglet in a tiny crate, taken away from its mother too soon, to live in a dark shed, with injuries, disease, pain, and ultimately a feared death… would they really say it was THEIR personal choice to make? And, should we respect people’s right NOT to be vegan, when that infringes upon the rights of others?

Eating meat isn’t much of a personal choice for the animal. This choice has a victim, and the victim is completely ignored. The poor animal doesn’t care about our morals, or whether we have carefully thought through our eating habits – it simply wants to live. A true personal choice has no victim.

In order for a choice to be entirely personal, all those involved with or affected by it must give their consent.

Let’s cut straight to the chase here:

Plants are NOT sentient. They have NO brain, NO central nervous system, they cannot feel pain or react in a conscious manner.

Many studies that highlight how plants release chemicals to defend themselves (ie. when a caterpillar is eating them) are taken out of context by the media. Whilst plants can react to chemical stimuli and vibrations, it’s autonomic.

This is also an argument brought up only against vegans, and not in an everyday context. If somebody broke into your house and stole a plant, would you have the same reaction as if they had stolen your dog?

If you still believe that plants have feelings, know that it takes anything from 4-16lb of plant material to produce 1lb of meat, so as a vegan you consume fewer plants than a meat-eater, anyway.

Photo by Markus Spiske

Yes, you can! Of course, we understand that your efforts may seem like a tiny drop in the ocean compared to the number of animals consumed, used and abused. But…

One human consumes around 7,000 animals in their lifetime, so the sooner you go vegan, the more lives spared. That doesn’t even take into consideration the animals saved by choosing cosmetics not tested on animals, and opting out of clothing such as leather and wool. You are a consumer, and the market responds to demand. As the demand for vegan food, clothing and products not tested on animals grows, supply also grows. Production of items eventually go down if the sales decline, so as more of us reject meat and dairy, we can drive even more change collectively.

Buying fewer animal products = supermarkets placing fewer orders for them = less animals bred and killed.

Photo by Jordan McDonald

You can also think about the unintended consequences your decisions may have. Your choice to be vegan could inspire others to change their eating habits. A conversation with a stranger about veganism could plant a seed.

Every societal change begins with a few dedicated citizens speaking up. Think about the abolishment of slavery, same-sex marriage, women being allowed to vote. Just imagine, if the very first people who went vegan for animal rights, had simply thought “why bother? I’m in a minority”, the movement may not be where it is now – with millions of vegans worldwide! Sales of red meat and dairy are down, plant consumption is up, and this trend is forecast to continue, according to the EU agricultural outlook report.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples” – Mother Teresa.

Ok, so humans DO have canine teeth, but that doesn’t mean we’re created to eat meat. In actual fact, most mammals have canines but many don’t eat flesh. Hippos have the largest canines of any land animals – and they are true herbivores! A hippo doesn’t use its canines for feeding, but for combat instead. Similarly, gorillas use their impressive canines for intimidating competitors, not eating.

Take a look at the picture. In comparison, human teeth are rather small and dull!

True carnivores with canines, such as wolves and lions, are fully equipped for hunting, killing and dissecting their prey. Our small teeth, short fingernails, and weak jaw muscles for chewing hardly compare, and would not serve us well for this purpose. For further reading, check out a great comparative study here.

By using this argument, we also get into scary territory. Even if we had the sharpest, ‘most perfect for meat chewing’ teeth on the planet, that doesn’t mean we have to use them for that. We don’t have to use what we are born with, we can do what feels right. We were born with strong legs, should we walk around kicking everybody? Don’t do things just because you can. Do what’s moral, do what’s best for your physical and mental health instead.

Being vegan can be expensive… but so can any other diet. If you live on vegan cheese and gourmet fake meats, you may find it pricey. You’d find the same if you were a meat-eater consuming salmon and steak every day. But just like any life choice, veganism is what you make of it. What you used to buy as a meat-eater VS what you will now buy as a vegan, varies from person to person.

A delicious vegan meal can be as cheap and simple as curry, or chilli and rice

Some of the cheapest ingredients out there are pasta, vegetables, beans, fruit and rice, potatoes, tinned tomatoes – all vegan! Compare these items to the price of non-processed meat and fish, which can be some of the most expensive items in the supermarket. PLUS, as UK taxpayers we all contribute to the subsidies that the meat and dairy industry get from the government, meaning we’re indirectly paying more on top. Money can also be saved on cruelty-free beauty products.

Not convinced? Let us compare a few products. On the ASDA Groceries website (Jan 2019) their vegan cheese ranges from £7-11 per kilo. Dairy cheese is £4-20 per kilo, so it all depends on what you buy, as to whether vegan is more expensive. Vegan burgers are £3-10 per kilo, and their meat counterparts vary hugely at £3.30-12, so not much difference here. Of course, these products are luxuries rather than staples. You can buy a can of chickpeas for 33p, a bag of pasta for 29p, and most supermarkets have different fruits and vegetables on offer every week for less than 50p. These will make up the bulk of your diet, so your overall trolley total should reduce. For milk, Aldi has 1 litre soya for 59p, and 1 litre almond for 89p. Protein replacements are also comparable, with tofu at £2 for 4 servings, and a pack of sandwich meat (Quorn ham) for £2. This is around the same price as meat counterparts, and the good news is you don’t need to consume a lot of them for a healthy diet, meaning the cost won’t stack up. Like these tips? I have a comprehensive post on being Vegan On A Budget.

A fantastic way to save money on a vegan diet is to use your cooking skills, instead of buying ready meals or more processed foods. Pinterest is an amazing tool for easy vegan recipes, so even if your most famous dish is beans on toast (also vegan), there’s no excuse to stay away from the kitchen! Once you find recipes and meals that you really enjoy, try making big batches of them and freezing. You can whip them out on lazy days. It also saves money, as you can use up any food that’s approaching its ‘best before’ date, reducing food waste. Plus, many foods can be bought more cheaply in bulk, such as rice and pasta. Perfect!

This topic would be great at a debate club – it goes deep. What is intelligence exactly? And who decided what intelligence is?

Our very perception of intelligence is created by humans. Who are we to judge which species are intelligent enough NOT to be eaten? Who has set this invisible criterion, that you must meet to be deemed worthy? Indeed, humans do have qualities that other animals don’t – I mean we have created the Internet, impressive buildings, the written word. However, many other animal species can do wondrous things we can’t – fly, breathe underwater, survive at the very bottom of the ocean, run at top speed, communicate in their own language – I could go on. Whilst we can out-compete other animals in some ways, we can also fall far short in others. Many humans in the 21st Century, couldn’t survive without the added extras in life – electricity, transport, food being prepared for us – we’ve lost the basic survival skills we had, our very basic intelligence. Isn’t it actually great that animals don’t need cars, computers and complex politics? In actual fact, animals are highly in tune with their own bodies, minds and instincts. They’re content without it. We simply feel superior, because we have the ability to manipulate animals, use tools, machinery and buildings to imprison other species. We don’t always do this through pure intelligence alone – it’s through lesser qualities such as greed, spite, consumerism and lack of true education.

There are several species that have the intelligence of a child – pigs for example. Therefore, if our argument is on the basis of intellect, is it ok to eat children if we raised them for that very purpose? Can we eat or abuse another adult that is less intelligent than us? I hope most people would say no.

Another point about intelligence and humans – we’re slowly destroying the planet we rely on to survive but are doing very little to stop it. Where’s the intelligence there? Remove humans from the equation and the Earth is better off. Other species would recover and benefit. Unlike other species, we don’t live in balance with our surroundings – we exploit, to the point of self-destruction.

And really, for all of the skills and talents humans amass – what’s the point if we can’t show basic compassion? If we can’t use our minds and hearts to realise we are needlessly causing pain, suffering, fear and death when there’s another option out there?

I would conclude that every species, every life, is unique in its own right. The animals that we eat all have a desire for freedom, to live. For that reason, we should respect them and not eat them.

Jeremy Bentham – “The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?” 

We all care about other humans. We wouldn’t want to see people out of a job, unable to feed their families. With the decline of the meat, dairy and egg industries, people such as farmers, butchers, and slaughterhouse workers could all lose their jobs. But this doesn’t necessarily need to happen in a vegan world. Let’s look at it a little more deeply…

We already pay farmers a tiny amount to do their job – most of these people work long, gruelling hours and are NOT wealthy. Slaughterhouse workers get minimum wage or less (plus also suffer from poor mental health due to their work). Parts of the industry are supported heavily by government subsidies and propaganda advertising. If these industries were to shrink, it could be a positive thing. Demand for other foods would grow. There is already a huge growth in plant-based products, creating jobs all the time. Land and skills could be used in other ways – we still need to eat, after all. In fact, those who adhere to a whole food plant based diet can often eat higher volumes, as food is more easily digestible, and takes up less space in the stomach.

Workers in many industries have to adapt to advancements and consumer trends – just look at technology, industrialisation, the growth of the Internet. All have made certain jobs obsolete but created a myriad of other opportunities. We have to adapt and move with the times. There’s nothing to stop a career farmer from producing other foodstuffs. We’re not asking them to do it tomorrow, but veganism is on the rise, and there is time to put plans in place. Farmers that are already accepting this change, are reaping the benefits. In addition, as the meat, dairy and egg industries decline, and subsidies fall, we should see an increase in schemes to help farmers adapt to alternative ways of farming. Some farmers have already made a switch from animal to plant-based farming.

So… are we really doing animal farmers, slaughterhouse workers etc, a favour by continuing the meat and dairy industries? The bulk of these jobs are underpaid, psychologically damaging and stressful, with high rates of PTSD and PITS. Working on an animal killing conveyor belt isn’t fun.

Weapons of war, tobacco – both industries create jobs and make money for the economy, but would we really encourage people to start smoking, go to war, buy WMDs? We cannot justify the existence of an industry just because it creates jobs and money, if it is toxic in every other way. We are entitled to our ethics and conscience, not to be blackmailed or guilted into keeping a bad industry going. It’s a strange argument, one that we don’t apply to other areas. We strive to rid the world of crime and disease… even though it would put many out of a job if we had neither. Meat and dairy are both bad for the animals, our health and the environment. There’s another way that we, and the economy, can thrive – veganism. Give it a go!

“You knew that you were taking them to what must be a terrifying experience. It was soul destroying, that’s how it felt. It was very difficult to do. But wanting to keep the farm working as a farm… I just needed to keep doing it until I could find what else to do” – Jay Wilde, former dairy farmer (full article here).

Some people argue that animals are lucky because we’ve bred them into existence, reared them… and killed them. Without us, they wouldn’t have been born at all. So is that really more cruel than causing their suffering and fear?

Basic ethics tell us that just because we helped to create a life (in the loose sense, as we didn’t give birth to them), we don’t have the right to dictate their life, or treat them as a commodity. We wouldn’t do that to our own children, just because we made them. Plus, is giving these creatures a life really a gift, if it is spent imprisoned, without free will, uncomfortable, full of fear and suffering, unable to behave naturally? Many people in physical or mental suffering, would rather choose the release of euthanasia or suicide, than the poor quality of life they feel they have. So why is it a privilege for animals to live like this?

This also links in with a question we’ve heard before – if we all became vegan, where would all the farm animals go? Well, for one, the entire human population isn’t going to become vegan overnight. It’s us that breed animals for food, and so we could simply slow breeding down and stop, as supply and demand lessens. The industry would cease to exist, as it would be unpopular and unprofitable. Unfortunately, most of these animals could not live in the wild, as we’ve selectively bred them into an unnatural state. Any leftover animals could be taken care of by individuals or sanctuaries, living naturally as companions.

Oops… wrong again! In fact, the opposite is likely true, according to a 2018 study on food loss. If every American switched to a plant-based diet, we could feed all 327 million of them, plus around 350 million more! That’s because the meat we eat also has to eat something…

plants, feed or crop of some kind. So we’re indirectly eating the animal AND its plants, when we could go straight to the source. Livestock is also raised on land that could be used for growing plants – a double whammy. If we DID use that land for growing crops instead, farmers could feed double the number of people they do now. 80% of the world’s hungry children actually live in countries with a food surplus – food which is fed to animals consumed by richer countries.

If you like statistics, around 34% of human-edible crops are fed to livestock. If we continue this inefficient way of producing food, we will need to increase the number of edible crops grown by 119% in 2050. With our current diet and population growth, we need more land and food to feed everybody…and quick. What a strain, when we could simply adopt a kinder lifestyle.

For more details, this report by VIVA! is very thorough and has full references.

They do indeed. But let’s not compare ourselves to other species, with different needs, digestive system and instincts to us. Well, if you insist…

A lion eats raw meat, that they have hunted and killed using their hunting skills. We stroll into a supermarket and buy a sanitised, often reconstituted, pre-packed piece of factory-farmed animal that we then marinate/douse in oil/do whatever is necessary to cover up the raw flesh taste, and cook.

A lion is an obligate carnivore, meaning it absolutely NEEDS meat to survive. Humans have no biological need to consume meat – the thriving vegans around us can give testimony to that. In actual fact, there is a huge amount of evidence to suggest that we are natural herbivores. Our teeth and hands are useless for tearing flesh, for example. We are not consuming meat through necessity, like other animals, but purely for pleasure and due to tradition.

Also, since when do we have to do things other animals do? Let us not cherry pick from others. Lions kill offspring in other Prides, but we don’t kill babies to become boss. Male geese gang-rape females – a crime for humans. We have our own moral code and behaviours.

As a final point, it’s also worth remembering that just because something seems ‘natural’, doesn’t mean it’s moral. The two don’t go hand in hand.

For some, cultural or societal traditions are a free pass to eat meat. But unfortunately, traditional does not mean ethical.

Remember slavery? No civil rights for people of colour? Completely culturally acceptable at the time, but unethical to the core. And guess what, we got rid of them! The fact that they were a tradition meant nothing to us, because we knew better and did better.

We don’t have to do anything that isn’t aligned with our ethics, just because it’s a tradition. We all hold the power to make changes as individuals.

The other point to consider is that we are no longer like cavemen/women biologically. Our brains are shrinking, we battle different illnesses, have different emotional needs, and longer lifespans. Thus, we need to eat differently. Ancestors often didn’t live long anyway to battle the illnesses and cancers associated with pro-longed meat-eating, so they didn’t need to think about consequences. A plant-based whole foods diet is unequivocally shown to avoid chronic disease and improve quality of life, as well as length.

Let’s pretend that we should eat exactly how our ancestors did. Well firstly, which ancestors? The Palaeolithic era – or something else? And who gets to decide anyway? Secondly, how did our ancestors eat? Well herein lies the problem, because many anthropologists cannot agree on this. In fact, the most convincing arguments tell us that most of our nutrition came from gathered fruits and nuts. Eating other mammals was very rare, and meat-eating likely began by scavenging what bigger mammals had left behind. In that case, we’d better go and stalk some lions.

Can’t you do both? Just as many of us have more than one hobby, it is possible to care

about more than one cause at a time. Vegans are not asking you to choose. For example, you could go vegan whilst spending your time working abroad for food security, LGBTQI rights or in an orphanage. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to do anything more for animals than simply not eat them – it’s a completely passive act.

Working for human rights or supporting people-based charities, has a number of things in common with veganism. It all ties in with ending exploitation, suffering and improving the world we live in. Most vegans are all-around empathetic by nature.

The great thing is, veganism is kinder to both animals AND people. Through veganism, we can feed a greater number of people. We can reduce the mental health issues experienced by slaughterhouse workers. We can improve our energy levels and reduce the risk of a number of diseases. We can reduce the use of antibiotics. Isn’t it great how going vegan can benefit all life on this planet?

Being vegetarian is an amazing step towards a cruelty-free lifestyle. I was actually vegetarian for 12 years before I went vegan, and my reason for going vegetarian was animal cruelty. I also knew nothing about the dairy and egg industries for a long time, and that’s probably what stopped me going vegan sooner. I simply thought that I was doing enough, that veganism was a little extreme, and too difficult to implement. I couldn’t have been more wrong!

What reason did you have for going, and staying, vegetarian? I bet going vegan would enrich your life and reinforce that reasoning. If you’re vegetarian due to animal cruelty, you may already know about the horrors of the dairy industry from my Benefits of Going Vegan page. Going vegan further reduces harm to animals. A vegan diet is also better for our health, plus is kinder on other humans and the environment.

Veganism is a passive act, and nobody is asking you to become an activist, attend marches, or argue with meat-eaters on Twitter. You don’t need to physically do anything. All you need to do is NOT eat animal products, and replace them with less harmful alternatives. In 2020 and beyond, we have so many vegan options in every supermarket, it’s really easy! You’re already halfway there by being vegetarian. After a few months, we promise you won’t miss eggs or cheese – you’ll have an exciting range of new foods going into your body instead. Your taste buds change, too.

Eggs and dairy are so easy to replace

If you genuinely feel that veganism is too much for you right now, why not take small steps? Try out some plant-based milk, buy vegan cheeses and experiment, watch a few vegan documentaries perhaps. Have a go at making an egg-free cake – they’re delicious! Many small steps make the transition much easier. And if you have any concerns about making the leap – get in touch! I can support and advise you along the way.

Even a vegan will admit that there is no perfect way of living. Just by existing, we all have some impact on the planet. We have a carbon footprint, step on ants, use transport, spend currency containing animal fat. It’s just something we have to accept. However, the definition of vegan from The Vegan Society is ‘a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation

 of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.’ Basically, you don’t need to be perfect, you just have to do what you possibly can.

If we can never be 100% vegan, why bother? Well, if we apply that to other situations it seems a little silly. Would you give up on your dream of being a writer, if you were told you would never be the most successful author in the world? Would you give up running marathons if you could never beat the World Record? Veganism is about reducing your contribution to the harmful practices in the world. It’s done through compassion, to ease our conscience and do what’s moral. It’s about showing a demand for less cruel products so that companies are forced to change and evolve. By doing this, governments will eventually be forced to use fully vegan currency, develop more eco-friendly transport systems, and stop testing medicines on animals.

You don’t have to be perfect, or the best, to make a positive impact.

Let’s look at some facts. Vegans can easily get adequate nutrition. Vegans can have a reduced risk of certain diseases. Heart disease is almost exclusively caused by consuming animals. People following a plant-based diet have even REVERSED Type 2 diabetes!

Like any lifestyle choice, veganism is what you make of it. There are vegans who are overweight, suffer from health conditions, body-build, and run marathons. If you live daily on junk food and processed ‘meats’, it’s not very healthy in the long-term. However, if you choose mainly whole foods with treats in moderation, you can thrive in ways you never would on an omnivorous diet. Even if you were a junk food vegan, you are not better or worse off than eating meat, but you are kinder to animals and the environment. That has to be worth the swap, surely?