The Honey Question

This is the honey question: Do vegans eat honey?

The answer is, it depends on the person - and it largely depends on their values and reasons for being vegan. People who are "proper" vegans do not eat honey, because they contend that the honey business promotes exploitation of bees. In the same vein, proper vegans do not wear silk (an insect product) or use pesticides. Other people may be vegan for animal rights related issues, but aren't concerned about insects - perhaps they use pesticides in their homes and recognize the hypocrisy of killing insects while protesting insect exploitation. Other people abstain from honey because they just don't want to eat honey, and that's fine. I personally don't think anybody should have to justify their dietary choices to anybody else.

That said, some vegans eat honey and some don't. Some vegan resources like Vegan Eating Out include food items with honey in their listings, but mark it so that those who wish to abstain are properly informed.

"Okay, but do YOU eat honey?"

Yes, I do. I'm switching to a plant based diet predominantly for health reasons, and also because I don't trust animal products made in America. (Hah! Regulating the food industry? What commie garbage!) And from a nutritional standpoint, hey, sugar is sugar.

What brings this up? A loaf of bread I made today (recipe to come.) The recipe calls for honey. For those of you who are non-honey-eaters, you can ALWAYS substitute maple syrup or agave nectar. Sugar is sugar and any of these syrups will work just fine.

Well, I'm off to eat my dinner - I'm counting down to the PCRM Vegan Kickstart, at which point I'll start posting (I hope) daily food snapshots and recipes.