Choosing to go vegan is making the conscious decision to protect the rights of animals

Lee stands firm in the belief that choosing a vegan lifestyle is a conscientious decision aimed at safeguarding the rights of animals.

In his perspective, this choice is not about personal gain; rather, it’s a commitment to advocating for animal freedom, treating them with respect, and contributing to a more equitable world. Lee addresses criticisms of vegans being labeled as virtue signalers, asserting that such accusations may stem from insecurities about one’s own choices.

Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with him.

Lee encourages reflection on the profound impact of personal choices, aiming to inspire pride in the pursuit of a better world—for humanity, the Earth, and, above all, for the welfare of animals.

Please tell us more about yourself

“It’s okay as long as they lived long and happy lives”
But the truth is – ALL animals that end up on a plate are killed within a fraction of their natural lifespan
Lee

My name is Lee (@logicleevegan) and I live in a crowded North London flat with my wife, two cats and a Romanian rescue pup.

My passions lie in writing, DJing, exercising, and advocating for the rights of animals!

For the last two years, I’ve been volunteering with The Humane League UK as a Grassroots Organiser where I lead on public outreach events to pressure supermarkets into adopting the Better Chicken Commitment, a set of criteria which encourage better welfare standards for chickens being raised for food.

When you are eating meat, you are eating infants. I really don’t think there’s much more that needs to be said than that
Lee

We also focus on ending the use of cages for hens and to raise awareness around fish welfare standards, such as implementing legislated stunning parameters before they are slaughtered and educating the public on the sentience of fish.

Now, I know within the animal activist community there are some who believe advocating for better welfare standards undermines the overall message, because they believe we should be advocating to completely abolish the use of animals for food.

We HAVE to make personal changes to our lifestyle choices, because this is how we truly demand that change happens
Lee

While I believe this is the ultimate goal, society is so far away from achieving this that we have to consider the steps required for us to reach that, and understand that currently there are billions of animals suffering as a result of unacceptable intensive factory farming conditions, and they need our help. I believe we have to simultaneously advocate for personal reduction and commercial improvement as well as abolition, because different messages work for different people, and different activists have different approaches.

In my mind, any form of progress which brings us a step closer to ending animal abuse is progress and should be celebrated.

It all started about 6 years ago when we got our cat, Pablo, and I noticed that even though he was an animal, he had his own set of characteristics. He had a distinct personality, with different moods and preferences and expressions. I could read it all from his eyes and his body language, whereas before then I’d grouped all types of animals together, assuming they’d all act more or less the same. But I started to see the same thing in all other animals I looked at, and realised they were all unique, individual beings. Then we watched the film Okja and felt immediately inspired to go vegetarian…

There isn’t one dairy item we can’t replace with an alternative, and there’s plenty of alternatives out there for us to find one we like
Lee

After a year of transitioning out dairy, eggs and other animal products, we became fully vegan and never looked back. We are so passionate about animal rights and justice that it’s simply not an option.

We cannot control the decisions others make, but we can control the decisions we make. Changing how we eat is a decision that can be changed RIGHT NOW. Right this very moment, you can change your impact
Lee

The only time I feel challenged to find vegan food is when I’m in really remote areas of the UK, or in airports! But even over the last year or so, I’m finding more and more options available in these places.

When it comes to eating out, we live in London, so there’s such a huge range of options available to us. Some favourite restaurants deserving a shout out are Tofu Vegan in Islington, Loving Hut in Archway, The Love Shack in Bethnal Green, Vegan Planet in Camden, Farmacy in Notting Hill, and any of the five Mildreds restaurants scattered across the capital. If I’m taking a non-vegan out for food – expect to find us in one of these restaurants. They have never failed to deliver.

One of the single most important impacts we can have as individuals this side of history is to change our eating habits. We need to show selflessness, compassion and acuity in the decisions we make. We cannot continue the same way we always have. It is no longer a sustainable choice
Lee

Without a doubt it is the best decision I’ve made in my life. I feel like I’m living authentically to myself by aligning my beliefs with my actions. I have such a strong sense of justice and really struggle to comprehend situations where I think someone is being treated unfairly. I get this sick, twisted feeling in my stomach whenever I see it happening.

After watching Earthlings (a documentary made up entirely of footage exposing the industries which use animals as products), the scale of violence and abuse we inflict on animals overwhelmed me. I could not believe this is what was actually happening in the world. But worst of all, I couldn’t believe I had been tricked into being a part of it all. I was PAYING for this to happen.

And no matter what anybody says, there is no justification for us to imprison, exploit, abuse and murder animals for our own benefit. None! I have had the conversation millions of times, and nobody has ever given me a good enough reason to justify what I saw in that film and what I’ve subsequently learned about these industries.

The world NEEDS to change, and we are the ones who have the power to change it through the actions we take as consumers. I don’t see being vegan as a choice – I see it as a responsibility.

To someone who’s just beginning to go meatless, what is your advice?

Just try it! It’s important to get rid of any preconceived judgements you have about what it might taste like, because we have come such a loooong way in developing plant based foods and recipes that, in the majority of cases, I guarantee you won’t even notice the difference. Going vegan allowed me to develop finer cooking skills and to expand my understanding of flavours, and I’m easily eating far more interesting, varied and delicious meals now than I ever was as a meat eater.

Admittedly, my wife is a much better chef than I am, and so I post photos of the food we make on Instagram each week to inspire others to explore what plant based options are out there. You can see them all on my Instagram page at @logicleevegan, and I’ve also posted some photos of a few favourite dishes we’ve made below.

Tacos
Tofu Salad Protein Bowl
Pad Thai
Pasta in Garlic and Tomato Sauce
Chickpea Salad
Avocado and Tomato on Toast
Ramen

What are common misunderstandings regarding vegans or vegetarians?

Man, there’s so many. The classic is that we don’t get enough protein, which is crazy because protein is found in plenty of foods other than meat, so it’s perfectly viable to get your intake. I also hate it when anything that happens to you as a vegan is because you’re vegan. So if you feel tired, it’s because you’re vegan. If you’re skinny, it’s because you’re vegan. If you get sick, it’s because you’re vegan.

Yet I’ve seen PLENTY of meat eaters who are tired, skinny and sick – but it has nothing to do with their diet apparently! Drives me crazy when people misappropriate the impact of veganism on a body. And for the record, in my experience, I’m less lethargic, I’ve gained more muscle, and I’m sick way less often and for shorter periods of time since being vegan. Just saying…

The Earth is in a state of climate emergency, with extreme weather being recorded regularly across the globe, and as citizens of this planet, we owe one another the responsibility to protect ourselves and future generations
Lee

I think there’s two vital steps if you’re serious about cutting out meat. Firstly, remember why you made this choice. Whether it’s for the animals, for the environment, or for your health – you made that decision for a reason, so keep that reason at the forefront of your mind.

And secondly, don’t give up! I know a few people who tried to go vegan, then maybe slipped up or encountered some difficulties in the first few days or weeks, and reverted back to animal products. But just because something is initially difficult, doesn’t mean you stop doing it! You persevere in finding solutions, and you overcome the challenge.

Remember – there is a whole range of options out there, so you can tailor your flavour to suit you. Just because you don’t like the taste of one vegan cheese doesn’t mean that ALL vegan cheese sucks. Everybody’s journey is unique and there’s no one way to transition into veganism. It takes time to figure out how it’s going to work for you, so make sure you use that time to work it out, and always remember why you’re doing it.

Being vegan is easy, but only if you have the willpower and the mindset to achieve what it is you’ve set yourself to achieve.

I actually removed myself from all social media platforms about 8 years ago because, let’s be honest, it can be quite a toxic place to be and I couldn’t see the benefit in spending my time on them. But after attending Vegan Camp Out last year and becoming inspired to up my activism after watching speeches from Joey Carbstrong and Tash Peterson, it felt necessary for me to return back to the socials so I can more effectively spread the message of veganism and use the platforms to reach a wider audience.

I’ve only been back online for a few months and could do with some more followers! So, if you’ve made it this far, please follow me on Instagram or TikTok at @logicleevegan where I aim to educate, encourage, and inspire others to think about the importance of ending animal abuse by choosing a vegan lifestyle.

My proudest accomplishment is supporting my 71 year old grandma transition into veganism. She was always interested in why I’d made that decision, and after many conversations about what happens to animals in the food industry and why veganism is so important, she decided to give it a go.

We talk regularly about her progress and research recipes together (particularly finding vegan alternatives for classic British recipes to feed my fussier grandad!) and I’m so impressed with her sticking with it. The thing is, if it wasn’t for her instilling the crucial values of fairness, compassion, and selflessness in me when I was younger, then there’s a good chance I may have never found my way to veganism.

So, in many ways, we owe it to each other that we were able to make those lifestyle changes. And it just goes to show that as long as you have an open mind and an open heart, anybody can make that change, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

Make your mind up bruv!
Lee

Veganism really is the future. We simply cannot continue to live in a world which consumes animals the way we do. No matter what you’re being told in opposition to veganism, every animal that arrives on your plate experienced trauma and suffering before they were killed, and that is unacceptable by almost everybody’s moral standards.

When you add to that the environmental impact of intensive factory farming and the risks we create with zoonotic diseases being transmitted from animals to humans raising the potential of future pandemics, a plant based future is the most sustainable, ethical, and logical way to go.

2024 is the year to get on board people!