My Life as a Feminista

Vegan Privilege

Choosing to have a vegan diet is privileged for numerous reasons:

• It is a privilege to have access to information about alternative diets; this includes knowing what recipes to use, what foods to purchase, and how to make things that taste good.
• Depending on where you live, you may or may not have access to a wide range of vegan foods.  Being able to go to the grocery stores requires transportation to/from; the closest store may not be vegan-friendly and you may have to drive for many miles to find a store where you can get all your shopping done.  This is further complicated if you rely on public transportation or rides from others, in that you are only able to go to the specific stores on their routes, which may or may not have a range of vegan foods.
• Subsequently, vegan food is often very expensive.  For example: fresh produce, dairy-alternatives, olive oil, spices, tofu, etc.
• Having the time and energy to prepare your own vegan food is a privilege.  If you are working many hours a week and/or doing intense labor, spending time preparing meals at home may not be feasible and/or desirable, especially for a big family.
• If you do go out to eat, vegan foods are not usually marked as such on menus (again this depends a lot on where you live).  Therefore, you are likely to have to know enough about vegan foods to ask questions and understand the different ingredients.
• Many people cannot be vegan for health reasons, such as allergies, anemia, food intolerances, etc.
• Choosing to be vegan implies that you have a choice over what foods you can and do eat.  If the food you eat is prepared by family members, friends, a partner, or a school that does not serve vegan food, it is a privilege to be able to supplement those meals on your own.
• In many religions and cultures, it is custom to eat meat and/or dairy products, as well as sacrifice animals.  If one chooses to be vegan, they would therefore not participate in these same activities and [potentially] face negative consequences from family members, friends, etc.