Should I Go Vegan by Adopting a Vegetarian Diet First?
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FROM

The Abolitionist Vegan Society
December 2013

Should I Go Vegan by Adopting a Vegetarian Diet First?

No. We do not recommend you go vegan by adopting a vegetarian diet first for many reasons.

There is no moral difference between flesh and other animal products such as dairy:

Female cows used for dairy get slaughtered for their flesh so continuing to consume dairy is arbitrary and means you are still directly supporting animal slaughter.

Male calves will not produce milk so they are worthless to the dairy industry so they are removed from their mothers so they do not consume their mother’s milk and slaughtered for their flesh (veal). The dairy industry is the veal industry.

Female calves are removed from their mothers so they do not consume their mother’s milk and raised to become a cow used for dairy or slaughtered for their flesh.

There is no moral difference whatsoever between flesh and other animal products such as eggs:

Female chickens used for eggs get slaughtered for their flesh so continuing to consume eggs is arbitrary and means you are still directly supporting animal slaughter.

Male chicks will not lay eggs so they are worthless to the egg industry. They are of a breed that is not profitable to raise for flesh so they are ground up or suffocated shortly after hatching.

Many people who adopt a vegetarian diet actually increase their consumption of dairy and eggs to compensate for their nonconsumption of flesh.

Why learn vegetarian meals only to have to later learn vegan meals? By adopting a vegetarian diet, you deprive yourself of the joy of learning and eating vegan meals.

Veganism is not a diet so conflating veganism with adopting a vegetarian diet means we have misunderstood veganism.

Instead of going vegan by adopting a vegetarian diet, see How To Go Vegan.

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