There are so many and I want to...answer them all!
Hi it's Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome to a vegan Q&A.
It's been quite a while since I've done a Q&A for you guys. Except the time that I did the back-to-back live
Q&As on Facebook and YouTube in October. And I'll have the link to those and all the of the other
Q&As I've ever down in the description below, along with all of the questions that I answer today and
additional resources for each. Before I jump in—because this is one of the rare
times that i have a kind of non-formulated video,
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So I got of great questions from you guys and a good number of them are going to need their own dedicated
videos so if you don't see your question answered today, it might be that I'm answering it later in its own
full video, or that I'm saving it for another Q&A, but because there was quite a good number of them
And you guys, Ii did answer on the actual... platform
So Clara Rodriguez—I'm sorry if I'm not pronouncing that correctly—asked:
"What's the best for doing activism in a place where veganism is very unknown and rejected by most people,
and where animal agriculture is something normal? I live in Uruguay."
That's a really great question and that's something that I even faced when I was looking into doing the speech
for Ireland. I think there is great value in considering the differences and coming from a perspective that will
most effectively connect with whatever kind of cultural framing there is. And at least what I tried to do, is use
that framework to kind of bring down people's walls and meet them where they're at.
But the end message and the core of what I always end with is the same.
I kind of try to use the the framework of the familiar.
And so in a lot of my videos you'll hear me say things like "pets," or in my "Bestiality video,"
if you abandon it within the first couple minutes, you might think I'm going in a super shady direction...
So I try to start kind of in the framework with which most people are familiar. And so you would know that
in your culture in Uruguay far more than I would.
So kind of starting with the language, the beliefs, the concepts that are familiar and that are
espoused by the majority of people. But then it using that in a way to kind of, you know, at least identify, and
connect with your with the people that you're talking to.
But the heart of a message is the same. The way that we exploit non-human animals, and even one another,
is pretty universal— these are living beings, they're sentient. They feel just like we do.
Mother cows want to have their babies with them
just like mother humans want to have their babies with them.
It's kind of just bringing it down to these base logical things. And showing people—
I think one of the most effective things showing people how the values
that they already have aline with veganism
and so it's not like this big radical change or this, you know, turning
against one's culture and country but rather just starting to act the way that
we believe already and if you're looking
through the the human perspective and
and we think about there's a tradition
maybe within our culture that involves
consuming the bodies of certain animal
if you just come straight out that and
say you know this is wrong to do this
that can be interpreted as my family
history is wrong with these very
deep-rooted things of value our are
being threatened whereby if we can
disarm and in bringing people through
this thought process to the point of
things from the perspective of that
animal then it becomes far more evident
that to that being the one who is going
to have to throat slit or who is going
to die in some terrifying painful manner
how does it being a tradition alleviate
that suffering and how did it justify
that suffering There's all kinds of examples
throughout human history of things that
we've done because of its the way that
we've always done it or it's been tradition
or it's been widely accepted
and we even look back on these things
in horror today. And you can wonder like how
could that even have been acceptable?
The final thing that I would say is to dig
through the the actual laws and
regulations of your country if you can
find them, if they have them, because
a lot of times what we think happens is
not even close to what actually does happen.
And what the laws say is like the
ideal and usually what's happening is
far less than ideal, but when we actually
look at the laws in and of themselves
they can be pretty awful a lot of times
which is what i found in any country that I've looked into.
Peace.and.plants asks:
Have you heard about taking wild yam pills as "herbal contraception"?
I have not, but I did do a quick search on it and
this is by no means expensive, but I will
put links to the rest of the resources
on the blog post so that will be down
below because there's a number of them
and it's too much to pop into the
description. What I did find was actually
a lot more information and research on
wild yam being used for like menstrual
cramps and menopause and things like that.
And not really any research
directly on birth control.
So from what I found is then used for
quite some time for a number of
applications. But as far as the birth
control aspect, it does contain diosgenin
which is a phytoestrogen or
plant-based estrogen. And diosgenin was
used to make the first birth control pill.
But even with the studies but I did find
on treatment for menopause, menstrual cramps and those kinds of things
there doesn't seem to be any kind
of conclusive proof of the effectiveness.
And again like I said nothing actually
looking at it as a birth control method.
And the reasoning for this might be that
our bodies cannot convert diosgenin into
progesterone on their own. It has to be done in a lab setting.
I do have a whole video on birth control methods, and talking about
whether they are vegan or not. So there are options.
And there are ones that have, you know , pluses and minuses for each.
And I'll put that down below. So zm_vegan asked:
As a new vegan, how do I get the balance right between being true to my values -WITHOUT annoying my family and friends?
I think we'd all like to know the answer to that question.
I think that's a huge concern for new vegans and even long-term vegans.
Family and friends, family especially, can be
very difficult to navigate. I think that
maybe re-framing this might be a little helpful.
Just even having to ask the question about how to balance your values
based on making other people comfortable
I mean that alone in and of itself is a bit of a troubling question.
Especially because the value that you're
talking about are you know not harming
innocent beings i guess for your own
sanity and comfort continuing to educate
yourself and in knowing that you're not
alone in this and that you know many of
us has been there before many of us will
go there again and so I was really also
recommend reaching out to two other
vegan version to these people that you
didn't feel that you can talk to and and
knowing that you shouldn't have to
apologize feel bad about not wanting to
harm others and you shouldn't feel bad
or like your family is going to turn
against you because you want to be
nonviolent and you don't feel like its
your right to wake up other people
families or sentence them to an early
does so where can find them or violate
them in any number of ways I know that
doesn't make it easier give you a
blueprint necessarily for exactly what
to save your family but I just I just
want to emphasize that you know you
shouldn't have to sacrifice your values
especially when they're the values of
not wanting to hurt family can be the
most difficult
and sometimes just living by example and
continuing to educate yourself and and
sharing that with them when it feels
appropriate but also know that you can
set boundaries if you need to and it
doesn't mean arguing or yelling or even
telling them that they're horrible
people but having kind of more from this
perspective added of this is something
that's really important to me
this is a decision I've the eyes come to
based on these things that i've learned
and I'm happy to share them with you and
to tell you what it is that maybe sighs
get to make these changes but regardless
of whether you agree with them i would
love to have your support and just doing
what i feel is right in and being able
to follow through with my own core
values about the Clark asked what are
your thoughts on the growing criticism
of people who come to veganism only for
health reason or the argument that we
should not use health claims to promote
veganism so i said from the very
beginning of my channels out there are a
million reasons to go vegan and I've
actually get to find a reason not to go
begin people often ask me why I'm vegan
and honestly I haven't found a reason
not to be so i decided to do a number of
little clips that have bison information
about different reasons to go vegan and
and I have always been of the mind that
whatever gets you there
bid as long as we can keep you there or
you can find something that will keep
you there and I do find out you know the
health perspective of the unisom can
bring out the deal of people into
weakness I mean there's whether the
health perspective that's again a
infinite range of approaches within that
I do think that it's important to have
scientifically backed up accurate claims
or studies or even and we saying we're
not sure but you know these kind of
things frightened to interview dr.
Greger or bring on the specialists
instead of myself trying to make any
kind of health claims when I don't have
any formal training it's really not my
place
however as far as bringing people into
the health good whatever going to
connect with them and make them feel
that this is
a choice that is in line with their
value
go for it you know because I mean that's
really is whatever I said is that i
think the vast majority of people
already are vegan and mentality you know
whether that's and I do think a lot of
that is ethical because I even think
people who go vegan for health reasons
would still not tablet picking the fruit
if that may be taking some of them and
what they would do it i have a whole
video on bacon lovers who melts many
we're actually have a big one of them so
i just think sometimes it depending on
the intensity of the reason that got you
into being vegan at times there there
needs to be or it can be a shift or
further routing or further
identification with other aspects of
that really kind of locks it in and
makes it less of i'm going to try this
and more of something that this is a
vital importance in cat 14 says I'm in
middle school and my friends always make
fun of me for being vegan and the past
that name you want to give up but I kept
going and even though they still make
fun of me or tell myself that I don't
care what they think but sometimes it
makes me want to quit and I definitely
don't want to do that can you give me
some tips on how to deal with heat from
kids my age
oh man I'm sorry that you're going
through that and I I do hear that from a
lot of people and of all ages and i
would love to tell you that it gets
better with age and that people grow up
and are more mature i attended and
waiting for that to happen for quite
some time and i'm still waiting we'll
see i mean i really wish i could just
kind of protect you and everyone from
from that kind of experience it's an
indication of how far we've come from
from arching nature that someone just
saying hey I would like to not hurt
being these animals have kids you know
we we adore we love them we have movies
with them and then instead of thing i'm
going to love this particular animal and
i'm going to eat this other one and this
one doesn't deserve to live
you're basically saying hey that this
makes no sense they can hurt they can
feel their families and I don't want to
strip them and that's that is nothing to
mock that's nothing to make fun of about
certainly not something anyone should
feel bad about I don't think it's gonna
make everything better but sometimes it
can be helpful to kind of real that take
a step back and realize that that kind
of reaction from people is it's never
really about you or or what you were
doing a lot of times it's more than the
individual feelings imply judgment that
because of you being vegan it's this
attack on the way that they eat and what
they do and that's in and of itself is
pretty telling because if we don't tend
to like get the sense that must be kind
of feel deep down that maybe something
we're doing is wrong
there's a big pressure as well to fit in
and to go with logo with the mainstream
go with you know the the popular kids
and not be kind of the one picking out a
different person the different kids I
was always the different kids and i'm
still very much the different kid so to
speak but for me it really helps you
know thinking about the animals and what
they're going through and thinking about
the environment and like what where our
planet is headed and even if it's like
uncomfortable for me at times or its
hard at times and even if it can be a
struggle i still don't want to be part
of that I i still don't want to hurt
innocent beings and I still don't want
to be part of the model the world racing
towards destruction and I would this
rather cake email being unpopular or you
know having people give me a hard time
over that and I don't say that to it if
you implied that what you're going
through isn't valid and isn't important
isn't incredibly painful because i'm
sure that it is it's not it's not easy
and just my heart goes out to you and I
just want you to know that you're not
alone
and you're not wrong and you are
incredibly strong for for making this
choice especially early on in life
please know that you're doing the right
thing and and you can reach out to
others that you don't have anyone in
your area you can reach out online find
some community i do have a number of
videos with interviewing vegan kids and
a number of them have in the videos you
even said that they would be open for
people contacting them so i'm going to
link those videos down below and you can
maybe even try to get in touch with the
kids and the videos who have their own
channels and their own platforms and are
very receptive to helping others
ok just a few quick ones because it's
getting kind of long the wendy London
ask about when people say that they buy
organic humane free-range type of
products and using that kind of a
solution to the way that animals are
treated i have a number of videos on the
Humane myths and an entire in that
speech that I gave ireland called the
best we have to offer and I'm going to
link all those below magmas asked about
palm oil in so that you didn't notice i
already had addresses i have i have a
video on palm oil so that will be below
and Lauren Walker wanted to know the
story of my tattoos and necklace i've
actually answer those as well so i will
link below the Q&A where talk about the
necklace and then i have three
watchin videos that we link below as
well so I know I didn't get to so many
questions but I'm really sorry about
that i also wanted to let you guys know
if you emailed me if you message me and
I haven't gotten back to you it is by no
means anything personal i kind of a bit
of of overload with all of the different
avenues that are coming in and it
doesn't make it okay it doesn't make an
excusable for you guys to not get a
response especially because I know a lot
of the things that are center very
important and it does really break my
heart to find these things months later
sometime and I just I'm not that kind of
person I've never been my kind of person
I've always been someone who's very
accountable and good on my word and
consistent and reliable and it seems you
know especially in the last year that
the the workload has
both and necessitated or or created me
being this this kind of person that i
really don't want to be so please know
that it's never intentional and I
honestly truly want to answer every
single person and I want to be able to
address concerns i want to be able to
help as much as I can I since it's not
possible at this point and I'm trying my
best to put together the system where I
can be more effective I can be more
available i can create more content and
it's just going a lot more slowly than i
would like it too and a lot of that kind
of area of navigating these kind of but
you know business side of stars or
structural side legal-sized I'm not
terribly well versed with these so it's
a bit difficult to navigate and I'm
doing the best I can so I just thank you
guys for your patience thank you for
your support thank you for sticking
around and I will keep doing the very
best at hand and I can never thank you
enough for everything so I hope that
what i did a dress was helpful and
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