I have been vegan for an entire year! I am proud of myself so I thought I would do a little impromptu Q&A on being vegan with the questions I get asked all the time!
Why did you decide to go vegan?
I had been thinking about veganism for a while before I decided to take the plunge. To be honest, I had never really been a big meat or dairy eater to begin with. The only meat I really consumed was chicken and even then it was on a very rare occasion and I have never liked fish or beef. I also have a slight intolerance to dairy anyway so I have always tended to avoid it. It just made sense for me to try being vegan since on most days, I was probably already accidentally eating vegan.
The other reasons that prompted me to become vegan were the health benefits: your internal body benefits so much from a vegan diet and so does your skin, the environmental benefits: you are not consuming any animal products or contributing to any of the processes involved in the preparation of the animal products that are incredibly damaging to the environment and lastly I just don't believe we should be taking what is not ours to take or hurting animals for our own unnecessary pleasure. Cows milk is for calves, chicken's eggs are created to become chicks and animals are born to live, not to die for us to have five minutes of pleasure.
Were your friends and family supportive of your decision to become vegan?
My friends have always been very supportive. They don't necessarily share my beliefs but they support my decision and are always conscious and considerate when we go out to eat. My family, on the other hand, do not understand veganism in the slightest. They think it's pointless and do not share or attempt understand any of my beliefs. They are all hoping I will just "grow out of it". Unfortunately for them, I am 22 years of age and I am most definitely not going to grow out of veganism. My mum is getting better and is at least attempting to check whether foods are vegan before she buys them so that's an improvement!
What's the hardest thing about being vegan?
I have definitely got to say that eating out it probably the hardest thing about being vegan. There are vegan options in 90% of places nowadays but there doesn't tend to be much variety unless you are going to an actual vegan restaurant. Most places will have a vegan curry on the menu and fast food places have a vegetarian burger that is vegan as long as you as for the mayonnaise to be removed! I don't actually think it is that hard to eat out as a vegan, it is more frustrating because of the lack of options available but it is definitely possible! As for cooking and eating in general, a lot of foods and snacks are accidentally vegan and there are thousands of recipes out there for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks so you will never be stuck for an idea!
Do you miss any foods you can no longer eat, like cheese or chocolate?
There are a lot of vegan alternatives to most foods. I am actually allergic to chocolate and I was never a big cheese lover beforehand but there are some really good smoked and cream cheeses that are vegan and perfect to have with crackers and there are is a good selection of dairy free chocolates and dark chocolate out there! Every day there are more and more vegan options popping up so there is never anything that I could eat before that I miss now. There is a lot of accidentally vegan food out there, a lot of it being junk food. You are probably eating a lot more vegan foods than you realise!
Is it expensive to be vegan?
If you shop at a health food store or buy fresh and organic everything then yes, it can be expensive but if you are fine with dry herbs and spices and willing to go to more than one supermarket then it can be quite cheap!
Some tips and tricks are frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are cheaper than fresh, rice and pasta are a necessity, branded products don't always mean they are better, plan ahead as much as you can and always look out for deals! I recently came across a deal on vegan sausages and I definitely stocked up!
Are you lacking in any essential vitamins?
Nope! All my vitamin, iron and calcium levels are absolutely normal and I don't actually take any supplements for deficiencies. Fingers crossed it stays that way!
Do you think you will always be vegan?
Yes! I love being vegan and I really wouldn't have it any other way! I just wish there wasn't a stereotype attached to being vegan. I definitely do not plan on changing my vegan lifestyle anytime soon.
I hope this cleared up any misconceptions surrounding veganism! I will be posting vegan recipes on my blog every now and then so keep an eye out for them if you are interested!
Merry Blogmas!
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