Vegan comebacks

Let me warn you that when you start adopting a vegan diet, you are going to get caught in some uncomfortable situations. Though it has become much more widely accepted over the years, veganism is still considered "extreme", strangely enough. Here are 5 examples and my comebacks for comments you may encounter:

  1. "Where do you get your protein?" Most foods have protein. If I eat enough food, I eat enough protein. The better question is where do you get your fiber?

  2. "If you were stranded on an island with only a cow to eat, what would you do?" I would eat whatever the cow eats.

  3. "But we have canines." Have you seen a cat/dog's teeth? Those are real canines. We have incisors.

  4. "What CAN you eat?" Everything else, which by far is more variety than what most carnivores choose to eat.

  5. "First cows, then fish, then insects. Would you coddle a cockroach?" To which I would just say, is this about my diet or about how you feel judged?

Sometimes there's too much to unpack in a succinct reply, especially if the exchange is online. People will divide themselves into camps and think the other side is just an extreme version of the worst of the bunch. And I think that is detrimental to our end goal, which is to treat all living things equally. I just hope that logical responses help someone to further educate themselves before they start going on attack mode, because why the hostility? I have to remind myself: is this really about what I choose to eat or is this about how you feel about yourself? If you're really curious and ready, there are plenty of documentaries I can point you to.

Vegan diets are really not that insane. Sometimes having a support system of vegan advocates help. Check out my Pinterest board of great recipes I've collected over the years .

So how do you respond to commentary about your vegan diet? What's the craziest thing people have said to you about veganism?