Although we enjoy delicious food, it’s essential to consider if it’s ethical to justify animal cruelty for our taste preferences. Unfortunately, many of our dietary staples, such as milk, cheese, meat, and honey, involve exploiting and killing countless animals every year.

To address this issue, the philosophy of Veganism emerged as a way to eliminate animal cruelty. Veganism is not a fad, but a compassionate lifestyle that prohibits animal products and entertainment. Those who embrace this lifestyle are called vegans.

Today, millions of people are adopting a vegan lifestyle, but some may not know the alternatives to cruel animal products like milk, cheese, and meat. This post will provide answers to this question.

Vegan diets not only spare animals from cruelty, but also provide a rich source of vital nutrients like vitamins, minerals, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Here are some vegan food options to replace animal products:

• Milk: Soya, Coconut, Oats, Cashews, Almonds, etc.
• Meat: Meat alternatives made from soya and jackfruit (mock meat)
• Egg: Roasted: Tofu and turmeric mix. Baked: Soy and mashed bananas
• Mozzarella Cheese: A blend of soy milk and soy yogurt, cashews, and lemon juice
• Yogurt: Yogurt is made from milk of soya, peanut, coconut, cashew, sesame, rice, etc.
• Ghee: Ghee made from coconut and sesame oil
• Paneer: Tofu (Soya Paneer), Peanut Tofu
• Shrikhand: A mixture of almonds, plant-based yogurt, cashews, sweetener, and other ingredients
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk made from soy or peanut curd
• Butter: Butter made from coconut, sunflower seeds, walnut, peanut, sesame, or linseed oil
• Lassi: Lassi made from soy or peanut curd
• Honey: Maple Syrup, Date Syrup, A mixture of apples, lemon juice, chamomile tea bags, and sugar
• Sweets: Vegan Sweets (made without animal products)
• Cake: Vegan Cake (made without animal products)
• Biscuits: Vegan Biscuits (made without animal products)
• Chai: Vegan Milk Tea (using dairy-free alternatives)
• Coffee: Coffee made with vegan milk (made without animal products)
• Ice Cream: Vegan Ice Cream (made without animal products)
• Pizza: Vegan Pizza (made without animal products)
• Burgers: Vegan Burgers (made without animal products)
• Milkshake: Vegan Milkshake (made without animal products)
• Chocolate: Vegan Chocolate (made without animal products)

Vegan Alternative to Milk, Meat, Egg, and Other Food

Below you can find vegan alternatives to animal-based food products.

A Vegan Alternative to Milk

Alternatives – Soya, coconut, oat, cashew, almond milk, etc.

How milk is unethical? The dairy industry subjects cattle to brutal mistreatment to obtain milk for human consumption. The cows are kept alive only as long as they can produce milk, after which they are sent to slaughter.

Cruelty in Dairy Industry:

• Artificial insemination of cattle is done cruelly
• Cattle are kept in dirty places with excreta
• Cattle are beaten, and the vulva is hurt so that the cattle can give more milk
• As a result of continuously producing milk for 4-5 years, the cows’ bodies become weakened, and they are then sent to the slaughterhouse.
• Cattle have an average lifespan of 20-25 years, but the dairy industry keeps them alive for only 4-5 years so that milk can be stolen.
• Cattle are injected with the hormone oxytocin so that they can produce more milk.
• Male calves cannot give milk so they are killed.
• To keep the cattle giving milk, the dead body of the calf is filled with straw and kept in front of it.
• Calves are skinned for soft leather.
• The dairy industry skins live cattle to steal fresh leather.

Choosing vegan alternatives to dairy milk can help prevent animal cruelty in the dairy industry. Making a switch to plant-based milk options such as soya, oat, coconut, cashew, and almond milk can be a great way to do this.

In fact, you can easily make these milk substitutes at home, and there are many recipes available online to guide you through the process. By making this simple switch, you can help save the lives of many cattle and contribute to a more ethical and sustainable food system.

Vegan milk is available here: BigBasket, Amazon, Blinkit 

To make vegan milk, see: link

Vegan Alternatives of Meat 

Alternatives – Mock meat made from soya and jackfruit

How meat is unethical? Meat comes from the bodies of animals that are killed for human consumption. In the process of obtaining meat, animals such as cows, buffaloes, chickens, goats, fish, and others are often subjected to cruel treatment, including torture, inhumane living conditions, and slaughter. It is estimated that billions of animals are killed each year solely for meat production.

In India, approximately 2.3 billion chickens and over 50 million goats are slaughtered annually for their meat. Choosing plant-based mock meat made from soy and jackfruit is an excellent vegan alternative to meat that can help save the lives of millions of animals.

Vegan Alternatives Burji and Boiled Egg

Alternative – Vegan Bhurji: A mixture of tofu, turmeric, and other ingredients. Boiled Egg: Soy, mashed bananas, and other ingredients.

How is egg unethical?  The animal industry brutally tortures layer hens to snatch eggs. The animal industry forcefully obtains around 250-300 eggs per year from hens, while normally, they would lay about 12-15 eggs in a year.

When the body of layer hens gets weaker after laying forcefully eggs for years, they are killed and their meat is fed to other hens. All this happens so that we can eat eggs. 

There’s a vegan mix of tofu, turmeric, and other ingredients for cruelty-free scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. 

See the link to make Vegan Bhurji: link

Vegan Alternative to Paneer

Alternative – Tofu (Soy Paneer)

How paneer is unethical? Cattle are subjected to cruelty in the dairy industry to obtain milk, which is used to make paneer. After the cattle can no longer produce milk, they are often sent to slaughterhouses.

An alternative to paneer that can be used is tofu made from soybean. Tofu has a similar texture to paneer, is easy to make at home, and doesn’t involve any cruelty to animals.

See the link to make Vegan Paneer: link

Vegan Alternative to Shrikhand

Alternative – A mixture of almonds, plant-based yogurt, cashews, sweetener, and other ingredients.

How shrikhand is unethical? Shrikhand is made from dairy milk. The cattle industry brutally tortures cattle to extract milk and kills them after the job is done.

You can easily make Shrikhand at home with a mixture of almonds, plant-based curd, cashew nuts, sweetener, and other ingredients.

See the link to make Vegan Shrikhand: link

Vegan Alternative to Curd

Alternatives – Curd made from milk of soya, peanut, coconut, cashew, sesame, rice, etc.

How curd is unethical? Dairy milk is used to make curd and the whole process of obtaining dairy milk is violent.

Curd made from the milk of soya, peanut, coconut, cashew, sesame, rice, etc. is very nutritious as well as tasty. Choose a vegan alternative to yogurt to prevent animal cruelty. You can make it at your home only.

Vegan curd is available here: VeganDukan, Vvegano, BigBasket 

See the link to make Vegan Curd: link

Vegan Alternative to Ghee

Alternatives – Ghee made from coconut or sesame oil.

How ghee is unethical? Milk is used to make ghee and milk is produced by exploiting cattle. Where there is exploitation there is violence.

We can make vegan ghee with coconut or sesame oil. You can make it at your home only. By adopting a vegan alternative to ghee, we can stop animal exploitation.

How to make Vegan Ghee? | www.veganfirst.com | Indian Recipes

See the link to make Vegan Ghee: link

Vegan Alternative to Butter

Alternatives: Butter made from coconut, sunflower seeds, walnut, peanut, sesame, or linseed oils.

How is butter unethical? Milk is used to make butter and the whole process of stealing milk is exploitation.

Vegan butter is available here: White Cub, One Good, Grabe Nord, 1Ness, Urban Platter

See the link to make vegan butter: link

Vegan Alternative to Buttermilk 

Alternatives – Buttermilk made from soya, peanut curd.

How is buttermilk unethical? Buttermilk is made from curd and curd is made from milk. And the milk is obtained from cruel processes by exploiting cattle.

We can make buttermilk at home by using soya and peanut curd.

To make Vegan Buttermilk see – Link

Vegan Alternative to Lassi

Alternative – Lassi made from soya, peanut curd.

How lassi is unethical? Curd is used to making lassi and curd is made from milk. Cattle are tortured all their lives to make milk.

We can make lassi at home by using soya and peanut curd.

See the link to make Vegan Lassi: link

Vegan Alternative to Honey

Alternatives – Maple Syrup, Date Syrup, A mixture of apples, lemon juice, chamomile tea bags, and sugar.

How honey is unethical? – Many flowers fall in winter, so bees make honey by extracting nectar (sweet substance) from flowers before winter so that they don’t have to wander to eat in winter. But we humans are so selfish that we snatch their food too.

We can make a honey-like substance by mixing apples, lemon juice, chamomile tea bags, and sugar and using it as a substitute for honey.

See the link to make vegan honey: link

View Vegan Products – Click Me

You can buy vegan food items online. To identify whether a food is vegan or not, look at what it’s made of and check the vegan label.

Conclusion

Our current culture of consumption has resulted in us being accountable for the cruelty and killing of animals. While we all enjoy the taste of appetizing food, it’s crucial that we don’t subject animals to torture for our own gratification. 

As individuals with a sense of morality, it’s our responsibility to distinguish between what’s ethical and unethical. Therefore, we should always verify whether a food item is vegan before consuming it.

Switching to a plant-based diet is a highly effective means of preventing animal cruelty. It is also critical for safeguarding the environment and promoting better health for all of us. 

Plant-based foods are excellent substitutes for animal products, and they provide us with all of the necessary nutrients except for vitamin B12. However, vitamin B12 supplements can be taken to address this.

Know more about Vitamin B12: link

Read also: Environmental Impact of Animal Agriculture

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/263961/top-countries-worldwide-by-chicken-stock-2007/

https://sentientmedia.org/how-many-animals-are-killed-for-food-every-day/

https://simpleveganblog.com/9-easy-plant-milk-recipes/

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/cows/dairy-industry/