Daniel Thomas
Daniel Thomas has been vegan since September 2021 after he realised that he could not continue contributing to animal exploitation. No particular incident triggered this. “However, in 2020 I came across several videos about veganism and the ethics of animal consumption. I started delving deeper into this and realised that it was hypocritical of me to claim to care about animals and then consume them. I soon realised that I had no moral justification to continue contributing to the exploitation of animals. And this is when, I decided to make the change,” says Daniel who is the only vegan in his family.
The 20-year-old student at Chowgule College in Margao admits of having no cravings for animal products. “The reason for this is that now, when I think of a dish made with animal products, it is the animals which needlessly suffer and die that I think about. I recognise that a few moments of sensory taste cannot justify the enormous suffering that we force these innocent animals to endure. When you look at it from the animals’ perspective, it isn't hard to beat the cravings.”
It isn't very hard to find vegan food, especially in a country like India. Most of the traditional Indian vegetarian food is either vegan by default, or can be veganised very easily. So long as you make it clear that you don't want your food to be cooked in ghee and that it doesn't have any dairy products, finding vegan anywhere is easy, points out Daniel.
It is true that a lot of medicines have animal products. While most of these have vegan alternatives, this may not always be the case. “It is important to remember that we live in a non-vegan world, and as such, some things may take longer to change. If one needs medication that can only be found in a non-vegan form to survive, they should go ahead and use it. However, as vegans, we are constantly advocating for cruelty free and vegan medication to become more accessible,” says Daniel.
Most toothpastes in India are vegetarian, and do not have bones. Lots of these brands are vegan as well, so it's not hard to find vegan toothpaste. When it comes to items like crockery, belts, shoes and any other items that may have animal derived materials, there are always vegan alternatives which in most cases are even cheaper than their non vegan counterparts. A little research can help with this, he feels.
Deficiencies are not only a vegan problem. Most people tend to be deficient in something or the other. You can get pretty much every essential vitamin and mineral on a plant based diet. Vegans must be mindful of vitamin B12, which is not naturally found in any plant sources. The easiest way to get vitamin B12 is a supplement, which is both affordable and efficient, suggests Daniel.
