Some of us might avoid eating out like the plague, but with food being such an important part of our culture, many of us may still want or need to visit a restaurant from time to time.

Maybe we’re with friends who really want to go to a certain place and they can’t be talked out of it, or perhaps we’re travelling and don’t have easy access to a kitchen or our favorite local vegan restaurant. Whatever the reason may be, a passionately debated question faced by many of us who care about animals is: If we buy vegan food from a restaurant that also sells animal products, does it harm animals or can it help them? Perhaps a more direct question might be: Can convenient vegan food save animals?

One opinion you might hear is:

“We must completely boycott businesses who profit from exploiting animals. I choose to only support vegan restaurants.”

Another might be:

“Supporting vegan options at restaurants which sell animal products is no different than shopping at a grocery store. More people would be willing to be vegan if the lifestyle was a little easier to accommodate. Not many non-vegans will go to a vegan restaurant, but almost all of them will go to big restaurant chains. Once chains start selling enticing vegan options, it changes the culture, which will help more animals in the long run.”

What are your thoughts? Do you think that convenient vegan food can save animals? We want to hear from you!

Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter, or email your comments to nadia@idausa.org.