Guilt-free food

A title like 'guilt-free food' suggests that I am going to write about how wonderful being vegan is as you can eat free from the guilt of knowing that you are contributing to the exploitation of animals. That is pretty great, but not what I want to write about today.

I have been feeling a little bit overwhelmed recently by the emerging sub-culture of food shaming that exists within the vegan media. There is an unsettling shift towards avoiding fat, salt, refined grains, gluten, sugar and soya with the same veracity and conviction that one avoids animal products. 

I was told on a forum recently by a dietary vegan that ethical vegans don't own the word 'vegan'. While that may be true, that we don't have the word trademarked or anything, words have meanings. That's what words are. Squiggles and morphemes that convey meaning. 

'Vegan' was coined to describe the practice of excluding all animal products where practical and possible for ethical reasons. Not some miracle weight loss, anti-ageing, anti-mortality diet plan. The emphasis on juice cleanses and specific 'plant-based' diets are in danger of eclipsing the true meaning of veganism.

I see words like 'sinful' and 'guilt' being associated with food as if it is how everybody thinks. Everyone has the right to eat exactly how they want, (although you don't have to right to exploit animals, sorry). By all means eat whatever way makes you feel good (and obviously if you have allergies don't eat things you're allergic to!). 

I just wanted to stand up and say that I don't agree with the emerging culture of vegan food shaming (and its close cousin body/fat shaming, by that's for another post). I hate the implied attitude of some bloggers and organisations (I won't name names) that anything that isn't a kale smoothie is a guilty, sinful indulgence to be ashamed of (just to add that I've nothing against kale).

I am not going to apologise for not being a health food, fat-free, raw, grain-free vegan. I am vegan because I don't think we have the right to use and exploit animals. So I say eat your pizza with vegan cheese, bake a chocolate cake, roast some vegetables. Be brave and discover a world of wonderful vegan food!

A couple of great posts that deal with this issue are :

The Slippery Slope of Nutritional surveillance on the Vegan Feminist Agitator

Some Kind of Manifesto on Cooking on Seitan in my Motor

Nice sh*t really? on Vanilla Rose Tangents