As Caitlin Draper-Wheeler said, all research I’ve seen has shown vegans living longer, healthier lives and having much lower rates of the major diseases (cancers, heart disease, diabetes).

I agree culture contributes greatly to our food choices. As a Jew, I’ve found ways to keep my culture and my veganism as well. For instance, challah is not usually vegan but can be made that way. I put a bloody-looking beet on my seder plate instead of a lamb shank.

When I first told my grandpa I was vegan, he responded, “But of course you’ll still eat gefilte fish.” Nope, but we were still able to dine together.

The beginning of the great book Eating Animals begins with the author talking about the love he felt through his Bubbie’s cooked chicken and wondering if it was possible to stop eating animals when eating chicken was so tied to his sense of family and identity.

It is possible. And within every culture, there are people finding ways to eat less animal products while still holding on to what’s important to them.

I understand different communities have access to different foods, so this change will look different in different places.