Do you have to be all or nothing to be able to call yourself vegan?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Hi, actually most vegans accept that it is not possible to live 100% vegan 100% of the time.

The vegan philosophy is about doing your best to minimize your contribution to animal suffering. Nobody is expected to eliminate it entirely.

You can change things at your own pace. As long as you're working to live without hurting animals, that is what matters.

You are still a vegan and don't let others bring you down.

Keep up the good work.
x

Vegan

No one is perfect. Eliminating animal meats and by products is the great first step! Doing things one by one is the smartest, I mean, very few people have the resources to just throw out everything they own and by all new vegan products! I think you are making wonderful strides and you are very much a Vegan :D

Congrats!

You don't have to be, and most of the items listed there depend on the company. My suggestion is just stick to vegan food, or use different brands, because they do exist. My family uses them. Just keep in mind that they will cost more.

No, it's not all or nothing. It's not using animal products, as much as possible. And it's up to you to decide what's too much for you. Anyone can claim to be vegan.

I think you are doing fantastic and would call you a vegan!

no theyre wrong. As far as eating and ingesting things, yes that part is all or nothing. No animal products go in your mouth, and you are vegan.

As for the other things, you have the right idea... slowly replace.

Its such a mistery as to why people are so hostile toward vegans and vegetarians. I dont know if maybe its jealousy? Like jealous of our willpower and devotion to our beliefs? Or just classic picking on someone who is different... the same way the nerd in high school got made fun of.

basically, just get used to the hostility and learn to rise above it. It wont stop any time soon.

Hi :)

Generally, there are a few more changes you have to make, other than not consuming animal products, to be able to say "I'm a vegan", but it certainly doesn't have to be 100% everything! And like you said, you're just getting started :)

Veganism isn't completely arbitrary. The things that you do or do not do as a vegan depend on your reasons for being a vegan (health/animal welfare/environmental), and there are different degrees of each :)

Don't let what your friends are saying bother you :) It is effectively impossible to be 100% vegan! just think, even the vegetables we eat come from fields which are ploughed. Ploughing kills small animals which live in the fields, and destroys habitats. It's the like the first answerer said, it's about REDUCING the negative impact we have on the lives of animals, we can't eliminate it entirely :)

If only your diet is animal-free, you're technically not a vegan. If you continue to purchase and use cosmetics, toiletries, and clothing that are made out of animals, you're not a vegan. You should call yourself a strict or total vegetarian and explain that you follow a vegan diet if anyone asks.

If your friends are vegans, then they are simply frustrated that you are spreading misinformation about veganism. It's the same reason that vegetarians hate it when someone says that they are a vegetarian if they continue to eat chicken or fish. It's simply incorrect and can result in someone giving you non-vegan things.

If you are just getting started and you know that you aren't actually vegan, why not say, "I am trying to go vegan" or "I am working on going vegan" or something that acknowledges that you are early in the process? It is honest, accurate, and shows that you care about veganism and are moving towards it.

So no, you are not vegan if you continue to purchase unnecessary items that contain animal products or are tested on animals. You're doing a GREAT job and deserve mad props, but it is dishonest and inaccurate to call yourself a vegan if you aren't. There's nothing hostile about it, they simply don't like you telling other people that non-vegan stuff is vegan, as it can have an impact on them. (A vegan is not going to want leather shoes or lotion made with sheep sebum, and if you are using these things and calling yourself "vegan," you are telling people that such items are acceptable for vegans.)

I am not a vegan and I don't call myself one. It's simply respect. If and when I decide to move in that direction, I will say "trying to become vegan" until I can say "vegan" honestly. You're doing a great job, keep it up!

By the way, my answer was based on the definition of "vegan" that is given by various vegan organizations, including the Vegan Society, which actually invented the word. I am sorry if I offended you. I understand that you are frustrated because you feel that your friends are dissing you. The "just vegetarian" remark is totally catty, as being vegetarian is awesome. I do think you should be careful about calling yourself a vegan if you still purchase and use non-vegan items like leather, wool, and various cleaning products/toiletries/cosmetics, as it does create ambiguity. You wouldn't want someone to make you a special "vegetarian" dinner that had shrimp in it because their friend, who eats shrimp, refers to themselves as vegetarian, right? The same goes for vegans who have eliminated animal products from their clothing. They wouldn't want to get a wool sweater because someone got the idea that wool was vegan from you.

Why do you have to call yourself anything? What does a label do for you? I think people should just eat what THEY are comfortable with and not worry about what a label says they can or cannot eat.

LOGIC

Rubber bands are manufactured from the sap that comes from the rubber tree in Malaya and other tropical countries.

Save your own life, let your friends save theirs. Be a nice vegetarian, live the life. SMILE. Ignore the naysayers and do some research beyond Wikipedia. Go to your local Farmers Markets and see where the food comes from. Remember: NO FARMS, NO FOOD!

You can buy all your lotions and other notions from a health food store, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
Good luck.