"Privilege is a problem when we act like we don't have it" catch those Swayze gems 👏🏽👏🏽

Being able to decide which foods you do and do not want to eat is a huge privilege. Even in the United States, there are food deserts where people can't find nutritious food in a grocery store. If you have the time, money, and energy to think about where your food comes from rather than when or where your next meal is, you have an enormous privilege. A lot of people in this world have to eat what is cheapest/available to them, vegan or not.

I think there is something to be said regarding the whole "rice and beans are cheap therefor anyone can be vegan" argument. Like recently Natalie Portman was in a (mostly great) video about veganism and she basically gives that exact argument. It kinda rubbed me the wrong way hearing a millionaire who lives in an extremely vegan-friendly city give that argument because it had a somewhat "let them eat cake" vibe to it.

My biggest problem with vegan cheeses and mock meats is the packaging: just a bunch of virgin plastic. I know Gardein is trying to make the necessary changes. I'm trying to eat more whole foods and learn how to cook because of this but I really hope these companies work to be more sustainable in their packaging, because papa ain't got time for cookin'.

or going vegan with a legume and nut allergy. that adds a wrinkle.

Meat alternatives being in the meat section is actually what got me into mock meats. I accidentally bought some vegan hot dogs, and loved them WAY more than normal hot dogs . Before I thought mock meats were weird or gross. But the way to normalize them is to include them with “normal” protein (meat for most people) Anyways, just my two cents. Thanks for the video! 😊

Also not all people live in America

vegan cheese section? How u n n a t u r a l

I live in California so there is a lot of vegan options here that I didn't even think twice about. This month I went traveling to see my grandparents. They live in Argentina and Argentina as a country has a huge cattle industry. It was hard to find alternatives to milk and other animal products because almost no one that lives there lives a vegan lifestyle because of the surplus of meat that is easier to obtain than vegan products. The products that are vegan are really expensive as well. I had to make most of the food from scratch which can take some time. Yes, vegans are privileged and I think we need to recognize it. Not everyone around the world has the same resources that most vegans have.

I feel that my opinion will be very unpopular in this comment section, but oh well.... I personally really appreciated your video and I agree with you. I am a student on a low budget, and I don't have a lot of of energy. Sometimes I barely have energy to go to school or just go through a regular day. I have two health issues: bipolar disorder and Crohn's disease. So I am saying, there is more than one way to be priviledged. It's not just always about money. With my Crohn's disease, I have dietary restrictions. A lot have to do with fiber. Nuts, beans and a lot of fruits and veggies. Plus, I have to also consider the acid levels of the food I am taking. Last summer, I went camping with my sister and she tries to be as vegan as possible. One day, I had more nuts than usual, which weren't that many. The day after, I could not stop throwing up, was exhausted and had fever. With my bipolar disorder, it affects my energy levels and my mood a lot. Sometimes it takes all my energy to just go at the grocery store at the end of the road. And there, I don't have that many vegan options. I did integrate vegan alternatives in my diet. I barely never drink any milk anymore. Always go for alternative options like soy, almond, etc. I also eat tofu, hummus, etc. I try to buy my eggs from sources that are the most animal-friendly possible. I don't remember the last time I bought steak or a chicken breast. I see people in the comments section talking about going to vegan stores that are nearly an hour away from their house. I know that the intentions are honourable, but is still means a two-hour drive. For me, that does not seem very environmental-friendly. All I am saying is that things are not always that simple and are not black and white. Just my opinion, worded in a very long paragraph haha

Yes yes yes. R/vegan is freaking awful about how patronizing and tone deaf they can be. We need to be working to make being vegan ACCESSIBLE to all income groups before we can tell normal people to go vegan.

I never eat vegan cheese, it's definitely not a requirement for vegans.

I live in Germany and was so excited when our HUGE supernarket got a SECOND BRAND OF VEGAN CHEESE...🤗

I definitely think you made the right call NOT naming the person; even if only 1% of your followers decide to respond to them, that's 10+ times the number of followers they have. Money is an important resource, but maybe even more limited is time. A 40 minute round trip to the vegan grocery store is 40 minutes someone won't have to play with their kids, or study, or work on their art, or any of a million other things that someone might prioritize over veganism. And if a person is coming home exhausted from working 2 or 3 jobs, to hungry kids, telling them "just cook a meal from scratch, it's cheap and easy" sounds really facile and, yeah, privileged.

I really admire how strong and resilient you are. Genuine but with no drama is really hard to find. In the last couple years you've drastically changed your path from fit on raw to unnatural vegan, while all this happening you've had a solid partner and had a baby, moved to Portland, also mentioned on twitter you had lost your mother recently... None of these things negatively affected the way you do your work. It is admirable Swayze, keep it up. I wish you well and I enjoy your content...

I just learned that takis are vegan and I just wanted to let everyone know because it changed my life

Where I live it takes me 20 minutes to get to any shops.

I think every vegan who has the financial ability and access to those products should challenge themselves to go without them for one month, to be better able to relate to less fortunate people. This will make us better advocates.

I've never even seen vegan cheese lmao

Thank you very much for this video. I think a lot of vegans on the internet put off the air that anyone can be vegan and you're lazy if you can't but I live in a state where people have just enough to feed their kids a plain bologna sandwich and water over the summer for lunch and dinner. Also in some parts of the state people have to drive 30 min just to get to walmart.thank you for acknowledging that being able to shop at a whole foods is a privilege.

"The store is 20 minutes away" I'D BE AT WHOLE FOODS ALL THE TIME IF IT WAS THAT CLOSE SHEESH The nearest regular grocery store is that far away from me...

That tweet made me laugh. I think I have 2 or 3 vegan cheeses in my grocery store and never felt compelled to buy one of them twice XD

I think its so odd that people in the comments continue to say “I’m vegan and I dont make much money but still find a way to do it.” As if their experience means that everyone around the world has the same opportunity, wages, housing, family members, medical needs, etc. Its also odd that people keep saying, “Being vegan is cheap...bananas, rice and beans!” As if everyone on the planet can be healthy on those foods. Not everyone can tolerate grains, legumes or certain cheap fruits.

meanwhile in Poland- tofu nad alpro milks at vegan sections.

My fav meal is quinoa, black beans, roasted chickpeas, canned tomatoes, sautéed zucchini and salsa. Cheap, easy, and filled with nutrients! I'm a cheap vegan. Looking forward to your Dollar Tree vid.

As a vegan in a midwestern city, I have only the vegan options that our Kroger grocery sells and a few natural shops around town that are very expensive. The idea of an ALL VEGAN SHOP! what a dream.

The photo of the vegan cheese section looks similar to the one at the organic store near my house. 85% of their products are vegan & this is how they organize the vegan dairy section; it's kept separate from the regular dairy products & the cheeses, mock meats, milks & yoghurts are grouped together.

I’d drive 45min one way just to get access to a vegan grocery store😕

The comments on this video are so out of touch, and swayze is totally right on this. The vast majority can not afford vegan (when considering eating out versus cooking), nor do they have realistic options available in many areas. Most people go to Walmart or Kroger to buy their groceries. Try finding that wall in those stores.

I live in the UK and I have never seen any vegan options as extensive as even the ones you have available to you!

a) your hair looks great b) im surprised you dont support your local vegan shops when they are so close, only 20 minutes away!? and 3) i love your eye shadow

Thanks for your compelling content. Have you ever heard of the Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack podcast? Not sure if it’s your style, but it is really thought provoking and helps me to get a better handle on complex issues and it seems like something you might be into.

I always get ads for non vegan food only on your videos! Ironic 😅

We went camping last weekend and grabbed some beyond meat burgers and sausages. Someone in our group had tasted them before and thought they were nice so was planning on getting them instead of regular burgers, until, they saw the price.... $5.99 for two burgers. $8.99 for four sausages. They quickly changed their mind and got the regular beef burgers. Missed opportunity.

Here in San Diego we just got an all vegan market! So the vegan market has a cheese section and it is of course all vegan. I think the photo was to just show how many options there are because the poster had so many right in front of them in that moment. I don't think he had the idea in mind that anyone would take this as how all grocery stores are but to showcase some of the options that you might be able to find out there :) Also I think this photo might spark some desire for more options in their mainstream grocery stores! I know I've put in product requests at my grocery store once I found out about other options that were being stocked at other grocery stores.

My Kroger, which is my closest store, doesn't have nearly as big of a organic/natural foods "dairy" section as shown in the video. It's about half that size. We have a WF and a Sprouts, but they're 2 towns over from me, quite a drive, and not nearly the selection as in the video. Yeah, WF is called Whole Paycheck for a reason.

We all just have to keep in mind that this is a transitioning period. Of course we all wish for a fast change and not one single animal having to suffer from right NOW on. But the realitiy is that people need time and getting used to changes. Just keep on with what we're doing, trying to be as good as possible at balancing between not coming across as militant AND also speaking up whenever possible. A tricky and demanding line to walk but we'll get there. Every new vegan paves the way to animal liberation!

I love the dollar store video idea as those videos are truly inspiring. Cheap Lazy Vegan's dollar store challeges were what made me feel that veganism is possible for someone like me who, frankly speaking, do not have access to fancy vegan products.

Yeah the tweet really is quite out of touch, especially for vegans out of the US - in poland for example, in a regular city you get alpro and maybe two more brands of vegan milk, ofc 5x more expensive than the regular milk, one or two brands of tofu and maybe sometimes like soy sausages or cold cut and that'll be it. vegan cheese is really hard to get and if so, theres a big chance its gonna be disgusting and incredibly expensive

Can you address vegan parenting again? I'm seeing a lot of people hate on KvD but not so much for the anti-vax thing but because she's "forcing veganism on her child." like I'm so dumbfounded at these comments, but maybe a video addressing that and/or how to approach people on why it's not a big deal?

Swayze, even your section looks like a dream come true to me :D Meanwhile in Germany we are lucky to even get vegan shredded cheese at the supermarket XD usually there are not more than 2 brands of cheese slices (and they are... underwhelming, as far as I am concerned). Last week, an all vegan store opened here which even has "happy cheeze" (a cashew-based camembert alternative) and a couple more cheese options in comparison to the regular supermarket.

I feel like being able to decide what you are going to eat at all (whether Omni or vegan,) means you are privileged in the world at large. But living above the poverty line in the US I have actually saved money going vegan (and I do eat a mix of whole foods & more expensive vegan mock meats/processed foods.) Though I am cooking for two people usually, & I’m not eating a high calorie diet so less calorically dense veggies are a large part of my diet. I imagine if I had a large family with growing kids (whose caloric needs can be crazy high,) it would be more expensive to buy enough food to keep everyone fed on a vegan diet without just eating a ton of rice & beans for every meal.

You somehow got on my feed a few weeks back. And holy hell. I love how refreshingly ..... human you are. I love how you are willing to admit your faults, flaws and poor choices in the past and go... oh well. And learn from them and educate others. I also love how you are very science oriented on your views and not just on the namaste bs. Thank you... for being you...

It was great to see you talk about this! Loved it.

I think the tweet was just showing off that there are actually a lot of different cheese alternative options. I don't think the point was that they're all at the same spot in every grocery store. I do not agree with it being restrictive though. It's really not that difficult to not eat meat, dairy and eggs. The hidden ingredients are difficult, the stuff you don't know right away came from an animal, but it's only difficult when you start out, after a while you know which cookies are vegan, which bread is vegan, all that so you don't even have to think about it. Availability of products is not as great as it should be, but its getting better and better. And no one really needs replacements. Whole food plant based is both cheaper AND healthier.

I saw that tweet and was so upset. In my country there’s no vegan cheese in the supermarkets AT ALL lol. I can’t believe you made a video about it ❤️

The variety of vegan options at supermarkets can be so different in different places. I live in Austria and always thought we do not have many options here but than I travelled to bulgaria and there were literally no options only like normal tofu and 2 different plant milks that were extremely expensive. So I felt quite grateful for our austrian options.

I love that one of the related recommended vids I got on my sidebar is Hall and Oates' "Out of Touch."

Disclaimer: not vegan We have to drive 25 min each way just to get to a grocery store. And I'm guessing their vegan speciality foods can be counted on one hand. Want a vegan-friendly store? Try an hour and a half.

There's a wonderful cook book called "The Uncheez Cookbook" where you can make whole food vegan "Cheezy" sauces, blocks, spreads. Not hard and satisfying. I go to it regularly.

Do I want to watch this opening ad? No. But you gotta make your dollars and I respect your time ❤️ a super interesting topic to cover though and one that I see often! Thanks for covering it from your perspective

First of all, great video! It's a point that needs to be made. Also, the hard cheeses you didn't recognize are Herbivorous Butcher. They're pricy obviously but you should give them a try if you ever get the chance! They're a Minneapolis company that specializes in like gourmet vegan cheeses and meats for like fancy cheese trays and such.

PS I"m vegan at the poverty level. I can afford to get an occasional vegan cheese or meat, and I don't use government assistance.

I am 4 and a half years vegan and I am on social security disability. I am quite well fed even when I have hardly any money for foods and I am a whole foods vegan. My non vegan partner is constantly stunned by how much of my grocery budget goes to the produce section and how much I can buy for that little money. I am also a social justice activist. Vegans who actually care are not rich idiots who live on clouds of our touchness. That excuse annoys me to no end!

I shop at a Market Basket in Claremont, NH and Keene, NH . The Vegan cheese is with the regular cheese and the Vegan cream cheese is with the regular and vegan yogurt is with reg yogurt and on and on. I love that they keep it all together.

omg i'm gonna cry at both the selection in the original tweet and at your kroger's selection

I disagree. I think it's important to let people know things have changed, veganism is so much easier than it was in the past. I remember 10 years ago there were 2 hard cheeses, one melty cheese and a cream cheese, and some of these were sometimes available at small independent health food shops, and most of them were terrible. Now, the majority of supermarkets have about 15 different cheeses, and the majority are nice, and do actually melt. People need to know about these, and support these (some people's threshold for difference in cheese taste is lower than others). If we don't promote these things and just wait for vegan products to be identical, they will stay niche and that will never happen.

I think a lot of vegans live in a bubble and think that because they were able to go vegan everybody else can do it easily. I've come across many who have a difficult time accepting that not everybody wants to pay more for inferior tasting meat substitutes. And that is when uncool vegans start with the guilt and fear tactics such as "you're complicit in animal cruelty, you monster" or "eating meat is gonna give you a heart attack while I'm gonna live to see my 200th birthday" If giving up meat means being associated with assholes like that then I'd sooner have a heart attack.

Hey, that hard packaged cheese is from a vegan cheese shop in Portland (OR) called Vtopia cheeses! I’ve tried a few flavors of their wrapped cheese (whole foods only recently stocked it, got it from natural grocers before) and they’re good, but sub par to the selection they have in the shop. That store in the picture must be in the Greater Portland area, because Vtopia only has one location, unless they ship farther.

I've been watching and a subscriber for a long time now. It was cool to see you're in or near the same city as myself. Love your channel, btw. You're awesome!

I've seen a ton of places with options like that, the whole foods/health food stores in Cleveland, the health food store near my uni, a ton of the bigger grocery stores in London and near Canterbury in the UK. I mean I think the tweet was obviously a joke, but even in my little down I have access to at least 5 different cheese brand options, and then each brand has a couple different types. Also I'm pretty sure London is one of the most vegan friendly cities in the world (or IS the most vegan friendly). Portland definitely a smaller city even just within the US.

Almost every store by me has a vegan cheese section now. I have seen many displays like that, and I'm not even in a big city. Rockford, IL. There are very few vegans here. In Chicago, this is not uncommon at all. I can't believe you don't have Chao in the grocery store in Portland, that's crazy. I see it everywhere.

We do have huge sections like the one shown in some regular grocers like Safeway here in our area of California. And I think the photo shown can make folks rethink the idea that there are few vegan choices per dairy as an example. Sometimes seeing a photo showing so many choices can make someone rethink how they shop for vegan alternatives, even is not ALL the items shown are available.

Thank you so much for this!! Your channel is so refreshing and is by far my favorite KZfaq channel 💚

Follow your heart smoked Gouda is SOOO good I can eat it by itself. And I am a very picky eater. That is the only vegan cheese that I like besides myokos. I hate diaya cheese it is disgusting 🤢.

Imma just throw this out there... you can order off the dollar menu at Taco Bell.

Poland here! You actually had a vegan ad before this vid, it was about groats-based natural, simple packaged meals. :)

This was a great video, and is something I've been pointing out for years. I've been invading the #whyimnotvegan tag on Instagram with photos of these cost disparities between vegan and non-veg options. (my current diet is probably best described as semi-veg, cos of budget: cheese is cheaper than meat, and easier to do than literally just beans and rice and pasta every meal). Mock meats are a treat for me as much as, if not moreso than regular meat.

If you aren't constantly eating mock meats and cheeses and instead your diet based off of grains and legumes, it's the meat eaters that are privileged, not you. The cheapest meats are always going to be leaps and bounds more expensive than dried or even canned grains and legumes. In other words, not only are meat eaters more privileged than sensible vegans in that they justify the exploitation of animals, and the extreme waste associated with their "raising" for their own love of flesh, but they also pay more for it! If you look at diets in the 3rd world where people are the poorest, meat is rarely a part of their diet because it's simply too expensive for regular consumption. As a result they mostly eat beans, lentils, rice, millet, etc. with the occasional animal product for B12 needs.

2:03 that’s Bitchin’ sauce! It’s Bitchin!

I spent the video trying to work out what those Blu-Rays on the shelf might be

We're in Houston, Tx- 4th largest city in the U.S. and also recently rated the 4th largest Vegan friendly city in the U.S. I think it relies heavily on location. I have 3 different grocery stores in a 2 mile radius. Really old and small because they're in an established neighborhood, but, they all minimally have a Daiya cheese section and they all charge different prices. Randall's charges- $5.29 for Daiya cheddar slices Kroger charges -$4.59 for the exact same thing and... H-E-B (THE greatest)-$3.14 for the exact same cheese. Now looking at H-E-B's price, it rivals with the regular cost of regular cheese, especially shredded cheese which is $2.99 on any given day at any store.

What city does she live in?!

I. LIVE. IN BRAZIL. i turned vegan in Brazil... i know ZERO brazilian vegans there are ZERO vegan alternatives.. sooooo it is freaking hard

loved the video as always! i would love to see a video on the carnivore diet and a vegan's take on the supposed health benefits connected to it. i recently saw a video by missfitandnerdy about the benefits of it but i'm (reasonably i think) skeptical

In addition to the Tweet preaching to the choir, I think you hit on a good point that mock alternatives that act on principle alone aren't necessarily going to to appeal to non-vegans. My dad and sister are about as omnivorous as they come and they really enjoy trying the fake meats, but they can't get with the texture of the fake cheese so much. It's strange since so much vegan dairy is delicious and fairly affordable, but the cheese really does fall short in taste and price. I hope one day we can get it right and make it as widely appealing as, say, vanilla almond milk.

Chao cheese is my favorite

In my country meat is way less expensive then most foods because of our strong agriculture, and vegan foods are not only expensive but being pushed out of the market because big farmers control the politics, it's almost impossible becoming vegan if you don't have money around here.

The hard cheese is Vtopia from Portland. They have it at Whole Foods. The “soft dip” tubs are Bitchin’ Sauce. The stuff below Miyokos is Violife slices. Food Fight in Portland has them. They’re really good.

Interesting video. For the cheese though, you should really try violife if it is available in any store near you, they melt so much better than the one you did show. My bf and I love it so much. Best one on the market imo.

Ive seen an all vegan cheese section at Wegmans

I've never seen a vegan grocery store. Most of the stuff in this video I've never heard of. It's ok though. We cope. Lol!

I live in Santa Cruz, so within a ten mile radius of my house there are two Whole Foods locations, two Trader Joe’s and two New Leafs. We have tons of local farmer’s markets full of fresh, cheap produce, and most restaurants have at least basic vegetarian/vegan options. We are most definitely spoiled for choice in my area (and no, the cheese sections still don’t look like that).

Can you make a video about why human rights issues and intersectionality are important for the animal rights movement? It has been quite a big topic for discussion recently and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

It's frustrating around here to eat vegan because of the price. ; ; I have a 150$ budget for food a month. That's it. ofc you don't need this stuff to eat vegan, but... It's difficult.

I do think it's important not to move over into being unnecessarily negative in our honesty, though. While going vegan does take a bit more work than eating whatever you want, it's always more work to put more thought into your diet (including moving to a healthy omnivorous diet). I'm a new vegan, and I am privileged to live in an area where I have access to a Whole Foods and lots of vegan options. But if all of the KZfaqrs I watched just kept telling me that it was SO hard to be a vegan and that it might impossible to find replacements for meats and cheese or that I'd have to spend every waking moment cooking, I would never have even tried. I would never have even gone looking for those other options. I've personally found going vegan to be pretty easy. A bit over two months in, and I've already found that I've mostly lost my desire to eat dairy at all, even the vegan varieties (except for the odd pizza here or there), and now that I do cook more, I'm beginning to seek out cool recipes, which I would never have done as an omni. I only got this far because long-term vegans showed that it was very possible to do.

Love this video! More vegans should be aware of the way they come across to those who don’t have the same access to vegan options... Also, this isnt really related, but I’ve been seeing a lot of vegan youtubers talking about and consuming adaptogen powders, stuff like ashwaganda root powder, and making claims about improved energy and mental clarity, among other things. If you ever get the chance, could you discuss the use of those powders in a video? I’d like to hear what you think about it!

Does anyone have suggestions for alternatives to beans and tofu for proteins? I’m allergic to all legumes and soy protein. I’ve been attempting to go vegan off and on for a while but I really struggle on diets that are low in protein.

To be fair, I went vegan when I was a student working two jobs (one unpaid as I was interning) so very busy and living on an incredibly tight budget, and still could make it work. We should stop perpetrating the stigma that vegans are wealthy, privileged people who can afford to live on expensive fad diets, and justify people because poor them they can’t afford to go vegan. Also, if your excuse for not being vegan is that you don’t feel like cooking, I honestly find it difficult to be sympathetic (and on the other hand, if you can afford to buy pre cooked food or fast food every day, you sure can afford a vegan diet, including expensive cheese). The taste experience is a whole other problem and I agree most vegan cheese sucks.

Having a soy allergy really sucks :

Did the Dollar Store video ever go up? I searched but couldn't find any from Unnatural Vegan

I haven't either seen such a big section. Both of you have bigger sections and I live in a major West Coast metropolitan area. What cities were these taken from?

Driving 20 minutes to the supermarket is too far and out of the question?!? Talk about privileged and out of touch!

I think the person's point still stands because the whole point of it was to say, "There is a lot of vegan options available," whether or not it's a crazy cool selection of vegan cheeses. The options are still there.

Could you do a video on the research about plants feeling pain and stress when eaten/plants knowing they're being eaten?

The stuff below the miyoko's is violife, the main one we have in the UK that's not a store own brand vegan cheese. Violife are also all around Europe under different names like viofast in Greece.

Gotta say, I lol'd a little at "our Whole Foods is so far away, it's like a 20 minute drive." Most grocery stores are almost that far of a drive for me. Privileged indeed ;)

We have vegan markets and it looks like that

This non-vegan love your channel! We are eating keto now to help my husbands seizure condition, but before that we were transitioning vegan. If he can get stable long term we hope to go back to that transition. Your info is a big help and inspiration to make that goal a reality sooner than later 😊

I always wanted to try those Vegan Cheese but there's no such thing in Thailand. I used to tried making some vegan cheese (actually most of vegan cheese ingredient are very cheap in Thailand). I didn't have success yet but I could guess that nothing would actually taste like actual cheese. The closest thing I used to make and was wow was the cream cheese I made first time from pinterest which I was like wow wow wow but I achieved that only the first time, don't know why lol. Also those nutritional yeast that everyone said have cheese taste, once I got some the first time. I feel like I was fooled by those vegan as it nothing near cheese. I'm not vegan and would never be one but I love reducing meat intake and you really know the way the world is. Thank you! You got me, subscribed!