Conversation Topics / Veganism and Vegetarianism
Veganism and Vegetarianism Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Veganism and Vegetarianism to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 10 Aug 2026
Part 1
Food Choices and Everyday Eating
Focus: sharing food experiences, describing meals, comparing diets, explaining preferences, planning choices, and solving everyday problems
In one minute, think of two plant-based foods, two ways to prepare food, two places where people buy or eat meals, and one difficulty someone might have when changing their diet.
EXPERIENCE
What vegetarian or vegan meals have you eaten, and what did you think of them?
DESCRIBE
Describe a meal from your country that is naturally vegetarian or could easily be made vegetarian.
PREFERENCE
Which plant-based foods do you enjoy most, and which ones would you find difficult to eat regularly?
COMPARE
Compare preparing a meal with meat to preparing a vegetarian meal. What changes in the ingredients, planning, or cooking?
EXPLAIN
Why might someone choose to become vegetarian or vegan even if their family and friends eat meat?
PLAN
Imagine you are cooking dinner for a vegetarian guest. What would you prepare, and how would you make sure the meal feels complete?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A vegetarian is invited to a restaurant with very few suitable choices. How could they handle the situation politely?
CULTURE
How easy or difficult would it be to follow a vegetarian diet in your country, and what makes it that way?
BALANCE
How can families handle meals when some people eat meat and others prefer vegetarian or vegan food?
ADVISE
What practical advice would you give someone who wants to try eating less meat without completely changing their diet at once?
Part 2
Values, Society, and Food Culture
Focus: analyzing motivations, discussing ethics and environment, comparing cultural attitudes, evaluating choices, and handling disagreements
Think of one food used in a plant-based meal, one verb connected to choosing or preparing food, and one reason a person might change what they eat.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
ANALYZE
Why can decisions about food become connected to a person's identity or values?
COMPARE
How is choosing vegetarian food for personal preference different from choosing it for ethical or environmental reasons?
CULTURE
How important is meat in the food culture of your country, and how are people who avoid it generally viewed?
DISCUSS
How can restaurants make menus more inclusive for people with different dietary choices without making the menu too complicated?
EVALUATE
Should schools and workplaces regularly offer vegetarian or vegan meals? Explain what a fair approach would look like.
BALANCE
How can people discuss ethical concerns about food without making others feel judged for what they eat?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
Two partners have very different opinions about eating meat and are planning meals together. How could they find a workable compromise?
INFLUENCE
How do social media, celebrities, documentaries, and food trends influence people's decisions about vegetarianism or veganism?
PREDICT
How might people's eating habits change if plant-based alternatives become cheaper, tastier, and easier to find?
REFLECT
How much responsibility do individuals have to think about the wider effects of the food they choose to eat?