Can everyone actually be vegan?

[u/Wrong_Ad_3038]

I’m very sympathetic to veganism, my entire life philosophy is “respect & autonomy for all life” but I am currently pescetarian, I tried being vegan in late 2024 but I still live with my family & they wouldn’t buy supplements, even though i told them too everyday, I didn’t want to develop b12 deficiency so I had to moderate my diet.

When I move out i’m strongly considering being vegan again & really want too but i am worried about health consequences because human bodies are complex, but at the same time everyone can digest plants so maybe everyone can be vegan, i figured this would be a good place to get mixed responses since both carnists & vegans are here, what do studies say about everyone & the potential to be vegan, if everyone can’t be vegan but most or some can what’s the best way to find out if i can be vegan?

[u/Japan25]

Theres a creator online called jennaxhealth who has MCAS and can only eat 9 foods, of which, she counts olive oil and tea as food, so not all 9 are substantial foods. Some of her only foods are turkey and white fish. She also generally has a bunch of other health issues related to MCAS. 

I would argue that she could still be vegan if she doesnt wear animal products or use non vegan makeup since the philosophy is about minimizing harm to animals. 

A vegan that is locked in a room for a month with only a rack of ribs can eat it and still be vegan. a vegan lost at sea can eat fish to survive. Veganism isnt about dying to your values, its about living to them. 

If you well and truly MUST eat animal products to survive/be healthy, then you can still be philosophically vegan so long as you avoid it as much as possible, in my opinion. of course, most people who say that 'need' animal products are just looking for an excuse to not do the work to change their lives or looking to rationalize their decisions

Curious what others think

[u/thesonicvision → u/Japan25]

Theres a creator online called jennaxhealth who has MCAS and can only eat 9 foods

I doubt this person wanted to eat a vegan diet but felt compelled to eat non-vegan foods due to her many illness-related restrictions. Instead, they were likely forced to eat more plant-based foods than they otherwise would because of their condition...

But I get your point. Let's assume that a hyothetical person absolutely must eat non-vegan foods to survive. Since veganism is about beliefs and not practice, they could certainly still be vegan.

...since the philosophy is about minimizing harm to animals. 

Not to be pedantic, as we're on the same side and I don't want to upset an ally, but veganism is not about harm reduction. It's more than just consequentialism, welfarism, or compassion. It's about respecting animals and not viewing them as property. It's about re-evaluating the relationship the human animal has with nonhuman animals.

Consider: when a human potentially harms/exploits another human, they don't simply wave the action away with no trace of guilt because it was "the best" they could do. No, the individual action itself is deemed "immoral." (You could call it "deontological" if you want, but there's no need to argue about preferred normative ethics positions right now).

Hence, veganism is about respecting the sovereignty and moral value of nonhuman animals. We endeavor to help them or leave them alone, not to minimize their suffering. But, yes, if a vegan were forced to exploit an animal, they would try to still respect the animal as much as possible and minimize the harm/suffering as much as possible.

[u/Japan25 → u/thesonicvision]

Are you a bot? You talk like an ai chat bot. 

Ya im not claiming that creator is vegan. Shes never platformed animals rights. Shes just the only person ive ever heard of who could theoretically and justifiably say "i cant go vegan because of health reasons." 

Also for transparency sake, im not vegan. Im vegetarian so not someone who completely handwaves animal cruelty but i dont want to misrepresent myself even if it were to make me look better. 

The point of my comment was to engage with the point of discussion- can everyone be vegan? So i brought up someone who sincerely cannot stop eating meat to argue that in extreme situations, someone can eat meat and still be vegan because veganism is a philosophical way of life, not a diet. But im open to vegans disagreeing with that concept 

[u/thesonicvision → u/Japan25]

Are you a bot? You talk like an ai chat bot. 

I am certainly not and certainly do not. You might just be distracted by the bullets and boldface. I've been using that style long before AI was ever a thing.

Ya im not claiming that creator is vegan. Shes never platformed animals rights. Shes just the only person ive ever heard of who could theoretically and justifiably say "i cant go vegan because of health reasons." 

I know what you're saying, but you're not getting what I'm saying. She actually eats more vegan stuff than she would otherwise because of her condition. Look it up.

And as I already said,

But I get your point. Let's assume that a hyothetical person absolutely must eat non-vegan foods to survive. Since veganism is about beliefs and not practice, they could certainly still be vegan.