I’ve been vegan for five years so far and have no plans to change that anytime soon. In the last few years, I’ve experimented with many weird recipes, eaten so many black bean burgers and made many, many mistakes. I have vegan friends and non-vegan friends. I’ve learned lots about the ethics of animal agriculture and the sustainability of a plant-based diet. But, I’ve also learned there’s really no such thing as the perfect vegan a.k.a being one hundred percent cruelty-free in your consumption. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try and reduce harm wherever I can. In short, being vegan has been a huge part of my life these last five years. Here are five things I’ve learned (and am continuing to learn).
1. Everyone will have something to say
When I first went vegan five years ago, I can’t even remember how many vegan jokes I heard. My family supports me now, but I distinctly remember hearing them groan about the fact that I’m trying out another weird recipe that uses flax seeds instead of eggs. And honestly, that’s fine. Everyone’s allowed to have their opinions on vegans the same way I’m allowed to disagree with them. Over time, you learn that there are very few people whose opinions matter. No matter why you choose a vegan lifestyle, there will always be someone who supports it and someone who’s against it.
2. Go at your own pace
I went vegan slowly over the summer months. I was raised pescatarian by my parents: no meat other than seafood, but still eating dairy and eggs. At the beginning, it was completely a dietary thing that I felt veganism was too extreme and not something I felt that I could ever relate with. And then, I met a few vegan friends and realized my ethics were actually pretty similar. After watching Cowspiracy on Netflix, I realized that my love for wildlife extended more than just not eating them: I didn’t want to wear leather, eat eggs, or use anything tested on animals. So slowly, I stopped. Cutting out milk products was easiest, though I loved cheese. Considering I’m lactose intolerant, it was probably for the best. I challenged myself to learn a few new recipes every week.
3. It’s okay to make mistakes
Just last week, a shawarma place accidentally swapped my order with my boyfriend’s: I took a mouthful of his beef shawarma while he bit into my falafel. Of course, we immediately realized the mistake and switched the two, but these things happen. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it will probably happen again. There was also another time when I misread the ingredients on a pastry because I just assumed the gluten-free and dairy-free labels made it vegan. Spoiler: there were eggs. And there was also that time I thought lactose-free cheese and dairy-free cheese were the same things—they’re not. These mistakes happen less often now that I have a better idea of what I’m doing and what to look for, but, I would be lying if I said I was a ‘perfect vegan’ who never slipped up. When it does happen, I don’t make a big deal about it. In some cases, I can give the non-vegan food to my omnivore boyfriend, who gladly takes most foods. But, I’m also not about to start shaming myself over something so small: they’re called accidents for a reason.
4. Your ethics are not someone else’s
Some people avoid eating meat because they are ethically against factory farming. Some people don’t eat meat but they’ll still use leather, silk and wool. Some people love meat-based dishes because it helps connect them back to their culture. Some people consider themselves vegan in diet only, feeling healthiest when keeping veggie-focused foods on their plate. Other people feel like being a vegan is like being an animal activist. Whatever your reasoning is for calling yourself vegan or plant-based, it’s important to remember that no two people’s ethics will match, and that’s okay. Your sense of justice and morality is based on a variety of things: your upbringing, your surroundings, your family, your religion––even the legal system where you live can help shape your view. Surrounding myself in vegan circles over the last five years, I’ve noticed there are so many reasons why we live the way we do. Some vegans may be more concerned about cosmetic testing on animals while others may only be concerned about eating at-risk animals, like certain types of fish.
5. It’s okay to change your mind
Okay, so maybe you’ve been trying this meat-free thing for a while. Maybe you’ve done a 30-day vegan challenge and you’ve seen everything David Attenborough puts out on Netflix. But maybe you’re just not feeling it. Maybe you’ve read this post and said “five years vegan? Couldn’t be me!” And that’s totally fine. It’s actually okay to change your mind. Miley Cyrus was vegan for about seven years before she started eating fish again. Waka Flocka Flame quit being vegan after he began to feel too much pressure from the online community. Zooey Deschanel struggled as a vegan due to extensive food allergies. And as far as I’m concerned, all of these are fine. There are so many people who stress out because they may not fit into the vegan or vegetarian label one hundred percent of the time. But here’s the thing: we have enough cops in real life, we don’t need to be policing people’s dietary preferences, too. I love being vegan, but it’s a huge privilege that not everyone has. I’m lucky to be able to have access to lots of fresh fruits and veggies all year-round. I live close to several major grocery stores, and many vegan staples, like whole grains, beans, legumes and soy, are all foods my body can digest. Lots of people don’t have these opportunities. So, if you change your mind about being vegan for whatever reason (and any reason is absolutely your business), it’s fine by me.