Any Vegans Around?

[Cheddarnut]

I'm a trans-vegan. (Oh come on, that's funny.)

Lately I've been on the carnivore diet. Seriously. It's a thing.
To achieve nirvana requires one to subsist on grass fed beef and water.
Not there yet. I cheat a lot.

Lost 25 pounds so far. Now instead of being obese, I'm merely overweight.
Really simplifies my grocery shopping and meal preparation.
And I'm not hungry.

But I do have powerful cravings for old favorites.
For example my breakfast staple all my life, cereal with milk and banana.
Ice cream and cookies. I don't miss vegetables or bread but I miss fruit.

As a rancher, rest assured I take good care of my livestock.
That includes having a rifle in my pickup
to administer the saddest duty a cattleman has to face,
a coup de gras for a downed cow, pardon my insouciance.

I trap or shoot feral swine as humanely as possible, eating some and giving away the rest.
Coyotes leave me conflicted, noble predators with beautiful eyes.
But once one kills a calf or tries to kill my faithful dog, it becomes much easier.
Coyote tacos are supposed to be pretty good, but I have not tried one yet.

When I forage for wild Yaupon tea, I use my Spyderco knife.
And that, my friend, is an ethical, plant-based beverage we can share.
Welcome to the community. Cheers.

I had to look yaupon up, i might have to feed Jeff Bezos and have some delivered :) thanks for the insights as well, its reassuring to hear from someone actually involved in lifestyles i never come in contact with IRL and will create a narrative for in the vacuum of my own imagination, you sound like good people.

[Cheddarnut]

I am definitely one who posts hunting pics and I do sometimes pause before doing so out of concern for others. In the end I believe it is a natural and healthy activity. I support someone’s decision to be vegan and have vegan friends. I hope that vegans equally support my desire to live what I see as a natural life. Unfortunately that has not always been my experience.

When I harvest animals I am filled with emotions. I feel gratitude for the opportunity. I feel a connection to something much bigger than myself. I feel reverence for the game I harvested. I feel a sense of accomplishment. Most hunters aren’t “killers”. Most hunters love the game they pursue and deeply respect them and strive to be as humane as possible.

Where I live the state is trying to get more people to hunt. It is losing popularity and because we have removed most of their natural predators we bear the burden of population control. If we don’t harvest enough deer each year the winter starvation rate can be very high. Higher than the number of deer hunters would have harvested if they had met the target set by the division of wildlife. From that perspective, not hunting is more cruel than hunting.

Coyotes don’t lose any sleep over eating meat and neither do I. We are the only animal that feels that guilt. It’s a human emotion and one could argue that it is not part of the natural order of things. That said, I respect your compassion.

I do agree about industrialized farming and find it abhorrent. I have watched too many documentaries about it and it was after I watched one on chicken farming that I started raising my own. I have tried being vegetarian but didn’t stick it out. I tried only eating wild game as well but couldn’t sustain that either.

I am very picky about the meat I eat and it is for both ethical reasons and health reasons. I eat meat I raise myself, I eat wild game, I eat meat friends raise themselves and I buy meat from small local farmers who raise animals ethically.

I doubt you are alone being vegan. You definitely aren’t alone in being appalled by factory farms. Knives are a broad hobby and many of us come into it from different angles. For me it is a love of the outdoors and a love of cooking. There are many people on here who I don’t share hobbies with. More specifically, there are many on here who I do not share ideologies with. We do all have a love of knives and that is why we are here. I don’t think Spyderco caters to the hunting crowd but it does fall under the umbrella of knife usage. Every Hunter must own a knife. Spyderco also covers the use of knives for self defense which I have zero interest in. Those discussions don’t interest me so I just pass over them. If you encounter a discussion that bothers you then just hit the back button. You don’t have to listen.

So no, I don’t think you are in the wrong place. This is a super diverse place with people from all over the world with different backgrounds and different cultures. I personally enjoy your sense of humor and think it would be a loss if you weren’t here.

Thank you for sharing this, it means a lot to know that there is a deep respect there. Maybe i’m just too fragile, my partner certainly thinks so lol. I’m going to go soul searching tomorrow with an appropriate blade…what will it be…
Also, your last paragraph changed my world a little bit, i just figured i’ve been blowing smoke into the ether for the last ten years, the fact that you read any of my posts is a thrill, seeing as how you are a major contributor here and practically the Tom Cruise of the spyderco forum, and it has triggered an existential crisis that i will spiral into like the handle of the Tighe Stick.

[RustyIron]

Was the bread pre sliced?

Nah. Any Amish bloke worth his whiskers is expected to carry a knife to cut his own rhubarb bread. Seriously, how could they expect you to move a barn if you can't even help yourself to a slice of bread?

[Mad Mac]

Another forum member, z4vdBt, tipped me off to Sacred Cow,
a book co-authored by a nutritionist and a biochemist.

They make a case for "better meat", addressing three issues:
nutrition, the environment and the ethics.

I'm only half way through it, but here is one endorsement:

"The answer to our broken food system is not no meat, it's better meat.
If you are concerned about red meat's impact on your health
and the planet, this book is for you."
Mark Hyman MD, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine

I'm open minded, even tried living on Soylent for a while.
One of my nieces is vegan. She's a great looking girl,
however she has some maladies that I think
may be exacerbated by her food choices.

Be it kale or kabobs, knock yourselves out.
Here is to your health.

[JD Spydo]

Back in the days when I was addicted/obsessed with distance running ( 10Ks, 20Ks, Half Marathons ect) I tried two different diets to try to optimize my performance. One was the Nathan Pritikin Diet and the other was a strict vegan diet. I gave both of those strict diets about two to four months.

I'll conclude by saying this: It wasn't for me>> Like Brother "TomAiello" said earlier>> I found that I lacked energy and stamina on both of those diets. And GOD knows I gave both of those types of diets more than a fair trial. I personally think it's something you've got to do from the time you are a kid so that your body will adjust to that type of intake.

Now I could go without meat as a protein source>> I could literally live strictly on fish for my protein source. But I will never try the strict vegan diet again>> it just wasn't for me. But more power to you all who have success with it.

[JD Spydo]

Hey I've got something else to add to the conversation that you all who are vegans might find interesting. There is a lady Doctor>> she is a former Orthopedic Trauma surgeon>> her name is Dr. Lorraine Day. She has two websites and I'll list both of them at the bottom. She claims she cured herself of 4th stage breast cancer by discovering an all vegan diet and by discovering foods that she claims do not feed the growth of cancer. She claims she has been cancer free since the early 90s

She just turned 84 years of age and she looks like a woman in her early 50s. She is a remarkable woman who has written some of the most interesting books I've ever read. There is absolute proof that her cancer recovery story is 100% true and there are several people that back up her story. Her websites are "www.drday.com" and "www.goodnewsaboutgod.com".

I'm currently reading her newest book entitled "The Deliberate Destruction Of America & The World" and it is one super awesome read. She also has 3 books on her vegetarian diet that you vegans might find interesting that you can find for sale on her websites. Her story of how a vegan diet saved her life is most interesting to say the least.

[kennethsime]

I was vegan for about 10 years, just vegetarian now. I started for 100% ethics, but fell out of the view that factory farming would stop if I just never ate pizza. I still enjoy vegan food, and mostly eat vegan, but I also eat pizza. I do think that companies like Beyond and Impossible have probably done more for animals than I ever did as a vegan.

I definitely shared your concern when I joined the forum. I was working at a small specialty cutlery shop in a rural area, selling knives to hunters, ranchers, butchers, chefs, first responders of all stripes, guys headed over seas, guys headed up into the hills, patriarchs of religious communities... needless to say, we didn't all agree on our dietary preferences, let alone our worldviews. Still, most of us shared an appreciation for great knives, and managed to connect over that.

The same is largely true on the forum. It's full of welcoming, considerate, insightful people. There's a lot we probably don't agree on, but we can come together to appreciate the knives we love, and that's what counts. I'd sure rather share a beer with a fellow forumite than a dogmatic vegan, though it'd have to be at some place with veggie burgers. :-)

Ironically, I think most of my favorite knives are hunting knives. The Stretch is probably my favorite folder of all time. The Loveless Drop Point Hunter might be my favorite fixed blade design of all time. I appreciate purpose-built design.

[TomAiello]

Hey JD,

A book I consider to be the 'Vegan Manifesto' is How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It's 100% a sales pitch for veganism, but it has some really good data/research (as well as some not so good--one study he cites had less than 10 participants, for example). It's well worth reading, just from a health perspective.

[Cheddarnut]

Ironically, I think most of my favorite knives are hunting knives. The Stretch is probably my favorite folder of all time. The Loveless Drop Point Hunter might be my favorite fixed blade design of all time. I appreciate purpose-built design.

And the knives i often gravitate to are geared to SD, a field equally inapplicable to my wheelhouse of interest, but like you state are purpose built and have useful characteristics that transcend their original aim. I guess thats true of everything, theres a purpose we prioritize in our lives that we aren’t limited to, and to assume we can be summarized by a key element, such as iron in ore, is a flawed view and negatively impacts our powers of inclusivity, which is one of our strengths here in an “all good just different” environment.

[kennethsime]

I guess thats true of everything, theres a purpose we prioritize in our lives that we aren’t limited to, and to assume we can be summarized by a key element, such as iron in ore, is a flawed view and negatively impacts our powers of inclusivity, which is one of our strengths here in an “all good just different” environment.

Well said, Cheddarnut.

[twinboysdad]

As long as we can agree bourbon is the superior spirit, all is good.



Kidding of course. You do you, bro. I was raised in the “no meat, no meal” type home and that coupled with a desire to grow muscle and lose fat resulted in my having gout now. Not sure if it was too much protein or too few carbs for too long, but everything in moderation seems to be the key. I make a point to do a raw salad with chick peas as the protein a few times per week now

[James Y]

There is a guy named Brock Lesnar, who is a former amateur wrestling champion, a former UFC fighter, and a pro wrestler, who nearly died (twice, if I’m not mistaken) from diverticulitis, because for years he had been subsisting on an almost purely meat-based diet with no vegetables, and probably no fruit. I’m betting he ate bread, though.

I’ll never be a vegan, or even a vegetarian, but I do eat more plant-based foods (excluding gluten) than meats and other animal-based foods. And the only meat I eat is poultry and some seafood, as I mentioned earlier, because I swore off beef and pork back in 1995, even though I hadn’t needed to. I feel my health is better for it, but everyone is different.

Jim

[twinboysdad]

I know who Brock is, one of my sons is a budding folkstyle wrestling star at his school. Brock allegedly ate beef and moose with the occasional French fries and yes, his diverticulitis episode was on a hunting trip in Canada and between the issues with socialized medicine vs insurance he had to basically sneak back into the US…or so the story goes.

[DFD04]

I would not call my self a vegan, as philosophically I have no issue with using animals in an ethical and ordered way. That being said, my family converted to a strict plant based, low sodium and low oil diet a year and a half ago…we’d never ever go back. My wife had issues with cholesterol, blood pressure and the like. All gone…no meds. Weight is naturally much lower, and we feel phenomenal.

There are lots of plant based resources these days that make it easier. Forks over knives, engine 2 diet, plant strong, YouTube channels, especially the whole food plant based cooking show, etc. it goes on and on…I truly have no desire for meat anymore, nor do my blood levels and waistline.

[twinboysdad]

The Beyond burgers are good, and this is coming from a “at least one burger per week” guy

[kennethsime]

The Beyond burgers are good, and this is coming from a “at least one burger per week” guy

Have your tried the Impossible Burgers?

As a long-time vegetarian, I couldn’t handle how real both Beyond and Impossible tasted at first - now I love them in moderation.

I wonder which appeals more to a burger guy like you?

The other cool thing about Beyond and Impossible is that they’re good enough to get served at mainstream restaurants. Vegetarians have to worry less and less about getting a decent meal when they go out these days.

[DFD04]

The Beyond burgers are good, and this is coming from a “at least one burger per week” guy

Have your tried the Impossible Burgers?

As a long-time vegetarian, I couldn’t handle how real both Beyond and Impossible tasted at first - now I love them in moderation.

I wonder which appeals more to a burger guy like you?

The other cool thing about Beyond and Impossible is that they’re good enough to get served at mainstream restaurants. Vegetarians have to worry less and less about getting a decent meal when they go out these days.

I struggle with the oil content on these…I find if I eat clean and eat one of these I want to puke because of the oil. My son yacked 10 mins after he had one…oil=bad (imho).

[Snacktime]

I should chime in, I do vegan/unprocessed food a couple of times a week. Went vegan for 6 months for weight loss and health reasons. Definitely enjoy the challenge of cooking vegan/unprocessed food, really helps in the long run with substitutions to cut calories.

I do buy into vegan health idea, you really don't need animal protein. Health benefits are there and I much rather do vegan than Keto.

I actually fell in love with the Boca Patties, beyond burger are good but my wife won't eat pink meat or fake pink meat... I do like swapping out things for fun, bbq watermelon is pretty awesome with the right seasoning.

I would challenge casual reader of this thread to try cooking vegan, you will see how much processed animal products you actually consume.

[JD Spydo]

Hey JD,

A book I consider to be the 'Vegan Manifesto' is How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It's 100% a sales pitch for veganism, but it has some really good data/research (as well as some not so good--one study he cites had less than 10 participants, for example). It's well worth reading, just from a health perspective.

Tom I might just check that book out. And it could be that my previous lack of success with a strict vegan diet might have been my lack of education on the subject. I was pigging out on the veggies I like the most and that might have been a mistake. Because one thing the Dr. Lorraine Day says in her videos is that you are eating for health and longevity and not "taste".

We Americans have been so brainwashed on foods that taste good>> but may not necessarily be all that good for you. Maybe if I knew more about it I might at some point try it again. I can't believe how young looking Dr. Lorraine Day is at her age of 84. I do think that being a vegan has a lot to know about it.

Again we Americans are addicted to a diet based on good tasting food>> which may not be helpful to us at all. However I have sworn off of almost any fast food joint in the past 2 years. I'm convinced they are all fake and poison foods that they sell based only on taste and not necessary nutrition. Interesting thread for sure.

[DFD04]

Hey JD,

A book I consider to be the 'Vegan Manifesto' is How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It's 100% a sales pitch for veganism, but it has some really good data/research (as well as some not so good--one study he cites had less than 10 participants, for example). It's well worth reading, just from a health perspective.

Tom I might just check that book out. And it could be that my previous lack of success with a strict vegan diet might have been my lack of education on the subject. I was pigging out on the veggies I like the most and that might have been a mistake. Because one thing the Dr. Lorraine Day says in her videos is that you are eating for health and longevity and not "taste".

We Americans have been so brainwashed on foods that taste good>> but may not necessarily be all that good for you. Maybe if I knew more about it I might at some point try it again. I can't believe how young looking Dr. Lorraine Day is at her age of 84. I do think that being a vegan has a lot to know about it.

Again we Americans are addicted to a diet based on good tasting food>> which may not be helpful to us at all. However I have sworn off of almost any fast food joint in the past 2 years. I'm convinced they are all fake and poison foods that they sell based only on taste and not necessary nutrition. Interesting thread for sure.

Gregors books are awesome…total game changers along with Plant Strong and anything from Forks Over Knives. I would say don’t think vegan…think Whole Food Plant Based…it’s like the militant wing of vegans.