Juliane Priesemeister 1/8/25 Juliane Priesemeister 1/8/25

Egg-free Living: Navigating Veganuary with Sarah

Join Sarah this Veganuary as she uncovers the hidden truths of the egg industry. Discover cruelty-free alternatives, egg-free recipes, and tips on how to make your compassionate resolution last all year long.

Meet Sarah, a passionate food enthusiast diving into Veganuary—a vibrant time filled with culinary exploration and joyous laughter. In her small kitchen, friends gather to experiment with new plant-based recipes and share stories. However, as the conversation shifts towards the food system, a question that nobody can quite crack lingers—what's wrong with eggs?

As the night winds down and Sarah bids farewell to her friends, she delves into a quest for answers. It doesn't take long for her to confront the harsh realities of the egg industry. Huddled over her tablet at the kitchen table, she sifts through gut-wrenching images—layers of hens crammed into battery cages and 'cage-free' barns, their movements restricted. These creatures are sentient, Sarah discovers, possessing intelligence akin to her cherished cat 'Sergeant Fluff.' Yet, they endure suffering on a scale most wouldn't tolerate for dogs or cats. A disturbing insight hits Sarah just when she thinks she's seen enough: for every female chick fated for a life of abuse, mutilation, and malnourishment, there's a male chick denied a chance at life.

As Sarah lies in bed, reflecting on the delightful dinner with friends and the eye-opening facts she's just absorbed, she wonders—aren't eggs from small homesteads and backyard setups harmless? Surely, those hens, living outdoors with grass under their feet, are well cared for. The next morning, fueled by curiosity, she scours Insta for pictures of idyllic hen farms nearby. Amidst the many backyard chicken enthusiasts on social media who seem to have cracked the egg dilemma, she stumbles upon a woman dedicated to rescuing chickens from dire situations.

This chicken-saving advocate, once an organic and pasture-raised egg supporter, transitioned to an egg-free lifestyle after witnessing the relentless suffering inflicted by breeding. Sarah's feed becomes a revelation—hens, much like companion animals, have been artificially selected for traits deemed 'desirable' by humans. The comparison strikes a chord as she learns that, just as bulldogs face birthing challenges due to human-driven transformations, hens are ruthlessly bred to lay over 300 eggs annually—a stark increase from their ancestors' 10-15, far beyond their natural capacity. The notion of chickens in backyards and homesteads not being exempt from suffering dawns on her.

For Sarah, abandoning eggs feels like the only ethical choice, yet she hesitates. Childhood breakfast memories, filled with the comforting aroma of scrambled eggs and entwined with the fragrance of fresh coffee, flood her thoughts. Eggs with buttered toast were more than a meal; they were a cherished ritual, a piece of personal history. Baking, a beloved tradition, with her grandmother, involved the joyous cracking of eggs. This decision proves harder than she anticipated.

Lost in her nostalgia, Sarah receives a call from her best friend, a Veganuary companion. She's over the moon about the egg-like breakfast she tried that morning. Intrigued, the friends decide to explore the supermarket for more alternatives. They discover a world of innovative products, special promotions in place for the month. Sarah is nervous at first, but then she becomes excited when she realizes it's easy to bake without eggs once she understands their importance in recipes.

Back in the office on Monday, Sarah proudly shares her newfound discoveries with colleagues during lunch. One of them remains skeptical, stating that to truly ditch eggs, she must go beyond merely spotting the word 'eggs' on the ingredient list. He shares his brother's experience, who, being allergic, learned the hard way that they hide under various names in different products. The conversation delves into the complexity of identifying egg-based ingredients, including the use of prefixes like ovo- or ova- and tricky terms like Albumin and Apovitellin that read like a secret code. Unfortunately, this is not the only demotivating experience. When Sarah discusses her dietary choices with her parents, she encounters disapproval and additional criticism.

Staying on track can surely become a struggle. The key to sustaining an egg-free and vegan life is to stay motivated and remind oneself of the initial reasons for the journey. Videos and educational content on social media channels can be useful for keeping eggs off the table and passing along knowledge to curious friends.

Ordering at eateries to make sure nutrients and proteins are in order can remain a challenge. We offer our recommendation to enroll in the Vegan Bootcamp, a comprehensive resource that dissects information into easily digestible sections and provides personalized guidance.

As Sarah's story unfolds, it’s not just about what’s on the plate—it’s about challenging norms, making compassionate choices, and creating lasting change. This journey reshapes perspectives, for the animals and for a future that values kindness over convenience. Will you join her in choosing a world where compassion leads the way?

Resources & Further Reading

Peaceful Holidays and a Compassionate 2024

Embark on a reflective journey with our Executive Director, joining us in exploring the narratives that shaped our advocacy and sparked conversations about compassion. Your brief moment of reflection holds the power to deepen understanding and inspire meaningful connections toward a more compassionate world.

In these final days of 2023, we take a pause to reflect back on 12 months of dedicated animal advocacy. While more individuals are embracing compassion in their dietary choices, the reality remains that profound and widespread suffering persists in our world. Numerous new undercover investigations have exposed the extent of cruelty that we are determined to help eradicate.

As you join us in these reflections, presented by our Executive Director, Julie, take a moment to deliberate on your own culinary choices from this impactful year.

As I sit down at my desk, reflecting on the past 12 months of speaking up for the animals, a wave of emotions overcomes me. It's been a year of truth-telling and exposing the raw realities behind the egg and dairy industries. Despite these revelations, the world around me appears wrapped up in festive celebration.

The holidays have a unique way of masking the suffering that goes into the making of our favorite dishes. We've become experts at focusing on the end product—the golden-brown turkey, the rich cheesecake, and the creamy eggnog. Yet, it's time we shift our gaze to the process—the journey these products take from farm to table. A journey fraught with pain, suffering, and a deep disregard for life.
This year, we've laid bare the harsh realities of animal agriculture, urging you to see beyond the joyful facade; urging you to pause. Take a moment to consider the weight of your choices and the impact on the lives of animals. It's not a call for guilt but a call for awareness, for a conscious decision to align actions with values.
Let's choose love over self-focused feasting. Let's extend our circle of kin in our celebrations and include those in our thoughts that are often overlooked. It's not about giving up joy; it's about finding joy in choices that spread love, not pain.
As you welcome the new year, rethink your resolutions to include not just personal aspirations but also a commitment to cultivating a less cruel plate.

Before we extend our wishes for a peaceful holiday, we like to share a glimpse of the month ahead. To conclude this year with a positive tone, we will be sharing our favorite videos and stories on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; unveiling animals, advocates, sanctuaries, and organizations who are actively weaving the fabric of a more compassionate world. Please watch out for these and follow us on your preferred social media channel if you haven’t yet.

Stay alert for upcoming announcements that will bring you a refreshed Egg Truth newsletter and a brand new one for Dairy Truth. As we align our steps on the path of our collective journey, we extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing support and care for the animals. May the new year usher in a future where every decision is rooted in compassion. Wishing you peaceful holidays and a promising start to the new year!

Juliane Priesemeister, Executive Director

Juliane worked almost a decade for an international corporation as an information designer. Generating compelling visual stories was her daily deed, but as much as she enjoyed the creative work the big corporation environment left her hungry for substance and impact.

When she started her yoga journey a few years ago the “do no harm” philosophy pushed her to align work with her personal ethics and values. Today she uses her omnibus skill set, including marketing communications, economics, and graphic design, to reveal the truth about the egg industry to consumers.