Vegan For Health vs. Ethics, Yam Birth Control?, Activism Across Cultures & More | Q&A

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 you're talking about are

you know, not harming innocent beings.

I guess for your own sanity and comfort, continuing to educate yourself

and knowing that you're not alone in this.

And, you know, many of us have been there before and many of us will go there again.

And so, I would really also recommend reaching out to other vegans or just people that you do feel you can

talk to and knowing that... you shouldn't have to apologize or feel bad about not wanting to harm others.

you know, you shouldn't feel bad or like your family is going to turn against you because you want to be non-violent

and you don't feel like it's your right to break up other people's families

or sentence them to an early death or confine them

or violate them in any number of ways.

I know that doesn't make it easier or give you a blueprint necessarily for exactly what to say

to your family... but 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 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, coming kind of more from the perspective of: This is something that's really important to me.

This is a decision I've 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 made me decide to make these changes.

But regardless of whether you agree with them, I would love to have your support in just doing what I feel is right

and being able to follow through with my own core values.

Rebecca Clark asked: What are your thoughts on the growing criticism of people who come to veganism only for health reasons

or the argument that we should not use health claims to promote veganism?

So I've said from the very beginning of my channel that there are a million reasons to go vegan

and that I've actually yet to find a reason NOT to go vegan.

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 bite size information about different reasons to go vegan.

And I have always been of the mind that whatever gets you there, GOOD!

As long as it can keep you there or you can find something that will keep you there.

And I do find that, you know, the health perspective of veganism can bring a good deal of people into veganism.

When I say "the health perspective", that's again an infinite range of approaches within that.

I do think that it's important to have scientifically backed up, accurate claims or studies, or even

at least saying we're not sure, but these kinds of things.

But, I tend to interview Dr. Greger or bring on 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 it bringing people in for the health, good!

Whatever is going to connect with them, and make them feel that this is a choice that is in line with their values

go for it!

Because, I mean, that's really what I've always said, that I think the vast majority of people already are vegan in their mentality.

You know, whether that's - I do think a lot of that is ethical because I even think that people who go vegan

for health reasons would still not stab a pig in the throat if that baby pig was in front of them.

I don't think they would do it.

I have a whole video on bacon lovers who melt when they actually have a pig in front of them.

So, I just think sometimes it's depending on the intensity of the reason that got you into being vegan - at times

there needs to be... or can be... a shift or a further rooting, or further identification with other aspects

of it that really kind of locks it in. And makes it less of a "I'm gonna try this" and more of something that

"this is of vital importance". emkat14 says: I'm in middle school and my friends always make fun of me for being vegan.

In the past it made me want to give up, but I kept going and even though they still make fun of me,

I 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 hate from kids my age?

Oh, man! I'm so sorry that you're going through that and I do hear that from a lot of people 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've been kind of 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 that kind of experience

It's an indication of how far we've come from our true nature that someone just saying,

"Hey, I would like to not hurt these beings; these animals"

- As kids, you know, we adore, we love movies with them. And instead of saying, "I'm gonna love this

particular animal and I'm gonna eat this other one and this one doesn't deserve to live",

you're basically saying, "Hey, this makes no sense. They can hurt, they can feel, they have families

and I don't want to hurt them".

I mean that's— that is nothing to mock, that is nothing to make fun of.

That's certainly not something anyone should feel bad about.

I don't think it's going to make everything better, but, sometimes it can

be helpful to kind of take a step back and realize that that kind of reaction

from people is never really about you or what you're doing. A lot of times

it's more of the individual feeling implied judgement that because of you

being vegan, it's this attack on the way that they eat and what they do.

And that—in and of itself—is pretty telling. We don't tend to get defensive

unless we 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 the flow, go with the mainstream

go with the, you know, the "popular kids." And not be kind of the one "sticking out"

or the "different person," the "different kid." I was always the the

"different kid," and I'm still very much the "different kid," so to speak.

But for me it helps thinking about the animals and what they're going through,

and thinking about the environment and where our planet is headed.

And even if it's uncomfortable for me at times, or it's hard at times, and

even if it can be a struggle, I still don't want to be part of that.

I still don't want to hurt innocent beings and I still don't want to be part of the world

racing towards destruction. And I would rather take being unpopular or having people

give me a hard time over that. And I don't say that to imply that what you're going

through isn't valid, isn't important, isn't incredibly painful—because I'm sure that it is.

It's not easy. My hear goes out to you and I just want you to know that you're not alone.

And you're not wrong. And you're incredibly strong for making this choice, especially

early on in life. So please know that you're doing the right thing. And you can reach out

to others. If you don't have anyone in your area, you can reach out online, find some community.

I do have a number of videos interviewing vegan kids and a number of them have, in the videos

even, said that they would be open to 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 in the videos who

have their own channels and their own platforms and are very receptive to helping others.

Okay, just a few quick ones because it's getting kind of long.

So Wendy Linton asked about when people say that they buy organic, humane, free-range type of products

and using that as a kind of solution

to the way that animal are treated. I have a number of videos on the Humane Myth and an

entire in-depth speech that I gave in Ireland called "The Best We Have To Offer."

And I'm going to link all of those below.

meghs_muggs ask about palm oil and said that she didn't know if I already

had addressed this. 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 answered those as well so I will link below the Q&A where I talk

about the necklace and then I have three tattoo videos that will be linked below as well.

So I know I didn't get to SO many questions and I'm really sorry about that.

I also wanted to let you guys know: If you've emailed me, if you've messaged me

and I haven't gotten back to you, it is by no means anything personal.

I kind of have a good bit of overload with all of the different avenues that are

coming in. And it doesn't make it okay, it doesn't make it excusable for you guys

to not get a response, especially because I know a lot of the things that are

sent are very important and it does really break my heart to find these things

months later sometimes. I'm just I'm not that kind of person— I've never been

that kind of person. I've always been someone who's very accountable and

good on my word and consistent and reliable. And it just seems, you know, especially

in the last year that the the workload has almost necessitated 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... It's... it's just not possible at this point. And I'm trying my best to put

together the systems 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 to.

And a lot of that kind of area of navigating— these kind of, you know, business side

of stuff, or structural side, legal sides—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, thank you guys

for your patience, thank you for your support, thank you for sticking around.

And I will keep doing the very best I can. And I can never thank you enough, for everything.

So I hope that what I did a dress was helpful. And please find a bunch more information below.

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