Q: What DO vegans eat?
A: Many things! Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, beans, legumes, herbs and spices. (click on the image of the food pyramid to the left to get a better idea of a balanced vegan diet)
Q: The animal industry problem is just too big. You know, being vegan isn’t going to make a difference.
A: Each one of us can make a difference in the world, and even if we can’t– every action we do creates a karmic reaction. My favorite vegan advocate Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has a great quote, “Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything.” Life isn’t about what you can’t do, it’s about what you can do. The truth is that just in one person’s lifetime they are saving hundreds of animals that were not born to be killed. Ten billion animals a year in the US are killed for consumption for a mere 310 million 
people. If you do the math, that’s 322.58 per person. I’m not big on remembering numbers but if you remember a few statistics from reliable sources it does help support that vegetarianism actually does in fact make a huge difference.
(sources: US Census Bureau and United States Department of Agriculture)
Q: Okay… what in the world are you talking about with this ISKCON and Krishna and stuff? Did I miss something here???
A: Some of you reading this blog may not know what the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is!
ISKCON is a spiritual organization that believes in one God, reincarnation, vegetarianism, and practices always trying to remember Him. I am an aspiring devotee of Krishna, meaning that I am on my journey to leading a Krishna Conscious lifestyle. The “spark notes” summary of living a Krishna Conscious lifestyle is:
- Krishna is God. Krishna literally means “all attractive,” so not only is He all-powerful and all-knowing but He is the most beautiful person! Krishna comes from the root word Christos, which is the same root word that Christ comes from. Neat, huh? Krishna is just one of the thousands of names that God has! We to learn about Krishna because we’re all parts of Him, as drops of ocean water are tiny bits of the ocean. So the better we know Him, the better we know ourselves and about our lives.
A great source for information about Krishna and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is www.krishna.com. Go under “About Krishna” and you’ll find tonssssss of information!
Q: Why go vegan if cows are meant to provide milk? Why go vegan if the Bhagavad Gita says we are meant to have dairy products and cows benefit from their service? Krishna loved milk!
A: Well, life is not black and white. Let me explain my position on this controversial issue within ISKCON.
Yes, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada said that the cow’s natural purpose on earth is to give milk. However, it is not natural for the cow to have her tail cut off without anesthesia, to never see the outdoors, to be tied down and beaten by humans, and to be viewed simply as a milk-making machine. The commercial dairy industry makes it difficult for us to see the sacred cow as the individual soul that she is. Unfortunately, by purchasing commercial dairy products, we are contributing to the suffering of these beautiful creatures and giving our money to the industry so that they can continue to do this. The dairy industry is also directly connected to the veal industry. Veal is a by-product of dairy because in order for cows to give milk, they must be impregnanted and give birth. The result of their countless pregnancies are calves that are sold to be slaughtered for veal. By purchasing dairy we are not only financially supporting the heinous abuse of mother cows but also supporting the slaughter of sweet calves.
Veganism isn’t ALWAYS the way, though. My aspiring guru Hridayananda das Goswami (Howard J. Resnick, Ph.D.) is one of the most senior and respected spiritual leaders of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He has decided to live a vegan lifestyle due to the age that we live in but has described that dairy can be consumed ethically. You can find one of his lecture excerpts regarding veganism here.
Q: But the Shrimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.4 states “There is a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human physiological conditions for higher achievements.” What do you say to that?
A: As Krishna Conscious individuals we have three eating choices: (1) eating 100% vegan, (2) consuming dairy from all sources, (3) consuming dairy from ONLY ethical sources. Some go with one option, others with a combination. This blog is to support those who are distressed by the ethical dilemma and choose to avoid it altogether by eating a vegan diet.
However, I personally feel that it is an honor to be offered prasadam (food offered to Krishna), whether or not there is dairy in it. Despite the cruelty the cow has undergone, she still receives spiritual benefit from her service. When I go to the temple I always accept prasadam. However, when grocery shopping or purchasing food for myself I try to choose the cruelty-free option as much as possible so I can do as little harm as possible to the jivas. Remember, it is always your choice.
It’s important to consider that limiting your dairy intake can also keep your cholesterol levels at a healthy range, limit your intake of saturated fat, as well as reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Other benefits of having a “GO GREEN” plate are helping the environment, reducing the risk of salmonella, and not consuming unnatural hormones and antibiotics.
Vegan Devotee 
Radhe! Radhe! What an interesting blog you have! I came across it by accident when researching tapioca. Recently a devotee told me she’s stopped consuming it because the way the starch is extracted involves the death of little critters that spawn in the water when the manioc tubers are soaked. Do you know anything about this?
Also I have another question. What do vegan devotees use instead of ghee for arti lamps and yajnas and is there a substitute for panchamritam and dairy products in abhishekham?
Hari Bol.
Shyama.
Hare Krishna!
Thank you for your question about cruelty-free tapioca! I don’t have any knowledge about this and I will certainly have to look into this.
Melted Earth Balance butter can be easily substituted for ghee in recipes. I feel less comfortable recommending substitutions for arti because I am not an authority in that… I have never used earth balance myself for arti because I get my opportunity for dharshan at my local ISKCON temple and the temple devotees traditionally use ghee. However, if you are going to offer arti to your home deities it seems acceptable to purchase Earth Balance for this purpose. The ideal situation would be to offer ghee from cows that have been treated with love and respect throughout their lives, because you would be consuming their peaceful consciousness, but if this is not possible the only other 2 options you have are to purchase a dairy butter from tortured cows or a plant-source butter.
Hare Krsna,
Srila Prabhupada chastised the devotees in the early days for using margarine in worship. I can’t remember where I read the story, but it stuck in my mind. Margarine was very popular in the 60’s and 70’s. For cooking at home we have so many choices like coconut oil, olive oil, earth balance, etc… As far as worship of the deities goes…..I have never read in satra where ghee was not used for dipa or fire sacrifice. A good friend told me of one story in sastra where sesame oil was used in place of a ghee lamp, but I haven’t confirmed this and he is away on business for the next few months. I will follow up on this though. For HOME worship in Kali yuga there MAY be room for substitutions, but in temple worship……..there is a certain standard. Atleast this is my understanding. I hope this is helpful. You may get some good guidance from a head pujari that is gentle in nature and learned in sastra. She/he may be able to give you guidance and references that are backed by S.P. and Sastra.
Hari Haribol!
Yes, I agree Kalindi Devi Dasi. Thank you for posting this! Only a qualified pujari can answer this question. You make a great point that home worship MAY be the only circumstance where there is some flexibility but this is not confirmed. Haribol!
Nice lovely blog, thank you! Demeter dairy prods. is quite a good alternative against ordinary milk industry, who is a crime & sin. Demeter’s farm milk is creating very little allergic reaction on sensitive people. Their milk hardly has a negative effect on cholesterol, and they are not given antibiotics & growth hormones, neither mutilated (they keep horns, tails intact) etc. They are only fed bio-dynamic grass & hay, and product from this very special farming method.This is were the cow are treated and cared in a better manner, still some cruelty is involved, mainly because they do sell some of their bobby calves ‘:,( We are far in our days and times from being able to keep our own cows as loving pets, and take some of their left over milk with respect. So I guess go vegan is great in most cases, especially in case of doubt about the dairy. Demeter’s brand also has cheese hardened only with vegetarian rennet, which is a good point. – I don’t work for them ;) In Europe there are some other organic dairies, small scale business that offer ghee, and panir too.
yeah, and nowadays with almond milk and rice milk and soy milk and coconut milk, it’s extremely easy to be vegan! the only thing I would miss is curd/cheese
Haribol Chalice
my big concern is on how can one even think to be a devotee of Krishna without offering Him milk and dairies every day? Milk is the pillar of brahminical culture and the very essence of religion. How will one nourish his/her brain without regularly drinking milk and how any offering or sacrifice can be performed without ghee? I know vegans are trying to fight cow abuse, I am very sympathetic with that. But is it the right solution? Will the hellish industry of cow and animal slaughter stop because you and I deprive ourselves of milk? Is there a way we can survive without hurting other jivas or souls? No, not in a million years, let’s face reality. Only first offering everything to Krishna can save us and others. Following a milk less diet means hurting oneself and his/her future health – think osteoporosis, weakness of body and a short life – without really helping any cow by not giving them the chance for their milk to be offered to the Lord, they will die in vain. Also, there is not such thing as veganism. Any grain and veg needs cow dung to grow healthy and nourish the body. There is no alternative, not even chemical (unless you stomach eating food stuff industrially grown without soil with chemical fertilizers, medicines and pesticides). So how can anyone claim they are not depending on Mother Cow for their survival? Also, all the talk about butter is bad for you and so on, it is pure nonsense. This is today’s philosophy, based on meat eating habits. People will say that a little butter is bad for your health but will eat large amounts of meat without a worry. Butter is amazing for our health, it deeply nourishes the body and keeps it healthy and glowing. And there is no need to intake huge quantities of it. This vegan philosophy is like fake gold, it looks great but it is worthless. Please do not take it as an insult or an aggression, I am far from that, I am talking from my heart. Often our goodwill is not really for our own good nor is Krishna’s will. If we think about Arjuna, how sad he was about having to kill his family members, up to the point he was ready to give up his duty and follow his sentiments (aka mind). But Krishna’s will was different so the Bhagavad-gita was thus spoken. Our founder Acarya, Srila Prabhupada was well aware of what was going on with the industry of death concerning milk and being our eternal well-wisher he would have spoken in favor of a non-milk diet. But he didn’t, even when devotees found out about impure substances added to the milk they were consuming. Instead, he instructed his disciples to open large agricultural projects by which to teach the world cow protection and simple living and high thinking. ISKCON has a lot of work to do in that direction and sincere devotees who feel strongly about cows’ abuse – every devotee should – need to engage their efforts in that direction avoiding to expose themselves to dangerous and unfortunately useless diets that ban cow’s milk. Milk can never be impure, it is healthy, cures the body and there is NO substitute for milk, butter, ghee, not my words but eternal wisdom of the Vedas, the very Lord speaking. To substitute ghee in the arati lamp with other substances it is nonsense. Ghee is the purest element and nothing can replace it, Krishna will not accept it, unless it is a very special circumstance. You can not replace diamonds with glass, it is naive and offensive. Let’s not be swayed by Maya and by the mind with sentimentalism and think we know better than the previous Acaryas. We need to see through Scriptures and realize that we are not the body and the only purification that has any effect is that of the Maha Mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Material food is relative and impure, even if vegan, so we only eat what Krishna eats and believe Srimad Bhagavatam, He loves milk.
Please excuse any offense, with love
ys sanatana dasa