The V Survey

So, without sounding too dramatic, veganism has been compared to 'Being the character in a horror movie who saw a demon and you're trying to warn everyone but no one believes you'. Don't get me wrong, I used to think vegan was a step too far, a bit extreme, unnecessary even, but it's hard to ignore when you learn some truths. (If you are new to the concept, being vegan is living your life seeking to exclude all animal products/animal exploitation.)

(For some reason, the pictures added into this blog with quotes from the survey don't always appear when reading on a mobile.. click blank white spaces for them to appear).

I surveyed 100 vegan people to find out more about living a plant based lifestyle and the results were amazing. I find that people do mock veganism, from countless memes across social media to disregarding facts for fiction but it can no longer be associated with extremists or tree huggers. I didn't want to write a blog solely on my own experiences, I hope that some of the comments published within this blog will encourage your own investigation and questioning.

In early 2015 I couldn't go to work with dogs & cats caught up in Asia's dog meat trade while still eating cows and pigs - it felt hypocritical. Catching eyes with a cow in a slaughter truck made my final decision. I have been vegan for one year now, I transitioned from a vegetarian after about 8 months as it seemed like a logical step after learning a bit more about the food industries and cruelty involved. This led to interest in the environmental effects on our planet from these industries and curiosity about health benefits from cutting out eggs and dairy..

..I found that most others shared my reasoning. Others brought up other topics associated with veganism, such as feminism. The general consensus was that there was a sense of guilt that could no longer be ignored. 

The most interesting part of the survey for me was advantages and disadvantages. Personally turning vegan has been the best decision of my life. Many say this but it is true, it has encouraged me to cook, to know where my food comes from, to be healthier without even trying, stomach problems I suffered with constantly in the past have disappeared, less medication and the most important for me is that I feel morally sound. 

Hearing others describing the benefits has made me extremely happy that I put out a survey before writing a post on this subject. Better skin, Natural weight loss, More energy, Less need for medication previously relying on, More love, compassion and understanding, the vastness of answers were great to read. 

However, while the advantages answers were inspiring, I was saddened reading the disadvantages. I expected more answers which would perhaps oppose the above, which could maybe even question the benefits I felt myself in case I was just bias. But while the question before threw out answers which focused on the bigger picture, the feeling that as an individual you are making a huge difference, this question took it back to the playground. Of course there were people who commented on health downsides - worse skin, weight gain (everyone is different and vegan 'junk' exists too!), and there were comments on the struggle to eat out and supermarket labelling but, the answers mainly focused on judgement, isolation and ridicule.

Before going further, yes vegans too can be dickheads. They are people! Although now my mindset has changed, educating myself took me here, not people belittling me. Personally I don't agree with those who seem to preach veganism (aggressively). I always remind myself how much I hated that when I was a meat eater. Saying that, I understand why some people do 'throw it in your face', it can be hard knowing the truths and frustrating seeing so many who seem to not care. I have regrettably in the past year slipped down that slope and appeared judgemental or extreme, and I do have to hold myself back sometimes now too. However, it's this approach that does seem to put people off and gives veganism the bad rep it often gets. When asked 'Do you ever feel that vegans put pressure on others (vegan, veggie or meat eating) in a way that could be seen as forceful or judgemental?' a staggering 82% of vegans who took part in my survey said yes. I received a huge amount of comments about the vegan approach, which show opinions on both sides.

Common questions would take up an entire post to answer them all.. so I will focus on the main ones!

It isn't as hard when you realise what a huge range of foods you have on offer, your taste buds tend to change and personally I had a new found love for food. I try new foods and experiment with more foods than I used to, which argues against the 'fussy' stereotype. Nobody seems to care about protein intake before they find out you are a vegan.. but whole grains, vegetables and beans provide more than enough to stay healthy. Also no, most of us don't miss meat, of course I used to like the taste of meat - I ate it for 19 years - but I wouldn't touch it again party due to the fact my taste buds changed but mainly due to the fact that there is no longer any desire to eat it.

It is an ongoing lesson, there are so many things to think about as a vegan, where is my food from, my drinks, my clothes, my toiletries, my household items - I have made the mistake of assuming things were ok to later finding out they had animal products in or were tested on an animal. Honestly some of them are surprising and something I wouldn't have given a second thought to before. It might seem like a hassle, but the benefits outnumber any negatives. I have never felt kinder, more compassionate (to all living things, including humans), more confident in my lifestyle or healthier before. My eyes have been opened.


Vegans are often stereotyped. Oversensitive, fussy, hippy, skinny, hipster, preachy... these might fit some people, but I promise not us all! In my survey I asked people what the most annoying or wrong common cliche seems to be...

Thank you to everyone who took the survey, it was interesting to read and has given me a lot more to share than I would have thought to before! Below is a collection of more comments from those who took the survey as I would like to share as many as your thoughts as possible. I have focused this post on the survey, hope to post more soon on the vegan lifestyle and everything associated.

82p to Change a Dogs Life

I had always had an interest in animals, their welfare and helping those in need but it was my time at the Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand that really got the ball rolling and helped me to realise that I wanted my life to revolve around spreading a compassionate message and truly doing good. It was my time here that inspired me to start up equALL - our platform to fund raise and raise awareness for important worldwide issues, it was also when I decided to stop turning a blind eye and give up meat, eventually leading to me avoiding all animal derived products by going vegan.

https://www.soidog.org/

The animals I met at the Soi Dog Foundation will always have a place in my heart and the volunteers and those who dedicate their life to the cause, my full respect. If you read my blogs while I was volunteering, you would already know that the dogs they help are saved from often horrific circumstances including abuse at the hands of humans, neglected pets, struggles from street life, car accidents and of course caught up in Asia's awful dog meat trade. I met Lou Southgate while in Thailand. As well as being equally passionate about animal welfare, Lou now works at Soi Dog and also travelled around Thailand helping at various shelters and sanctuaries. She became an great friend and somebody that I have stayed in close contact with.  

While in Chaing Mai, Lou came across a rescue centre run by a small group of local Thai people called Santisook. Caring for almost 400 dogs, the organisation also educate the community and sterilise and vaccinate - which is so important in a country where there is a high level of animal neglect. However, Santisook are low on funds. Relying on donations Lou contacted me and we discussed how working together we could come up with an idea to help them out. She noticed during her visit that the shelter have a big problem with ticks, fleas and skin problems - the thai climate provides the best breeding ground for these. Simple medical care isn't enough, can be costly and hard to get hold of. 

Lou & Name Daeng - hit by a car and paralysed from the hips down. He has been cared for at Santisook for 3 years.

What is the solution to all of this? Regular baths! Bathed regularly with medical shampoos will help these dogs from future problems. It is a simple but highly effective idea. Lou worked out that installing 3 bathing stations at Santisook will cost £200 (9,000 THB), cost to install at £45 (2,000 TBH) and specialist shampoos at £45 (2,000 TBH). For £290 we can help revive all the dogs at the Santisook shelter from irritation at an estimated cost of 82p per dog. Going forward this would be a huge step for Santisook and will help them continue to care for the animals in such desperate need. 

Regular washes at Soi Dog 

There is a fundraising page for the baths set up by Lou HERE - "Give a dog a bath"

Please keep an eye on our social media for news of the dog walks and how the fundraiser is getting on. We have already reached the target to pay for the installation and specialist shampoos! Please share the gofundme link too and kindly donate if you can. THANK YOU

UPDATE! On the 10/09/16 equall held a 'Dogs Day' in aid of Lou & her mission to help Santisook. A family friendly day of facepainting, goodie bags, obstacle courses, food & drink, meeting local owners & dog photoshoots helped raise £141.33 to install the bathing stations. Lou's total was reached and the work is planned to begin. Thanks to Rob Phillips for our photos!