"Vegan Food" vs. "Food that happens to be Vegan"

Vegan has a really bad reputation for no reason.  People hear it and go running in the other direction terrified that they will be getting preached about how animals suffer and force to eat tofu, beans and rice.  I have had many encounters where as soon as I say I am vegan people give me weird looks say things like "OOOOHHH NOOOO" and for no reason at all start immediately telling me how they could never give up meat because it tastes too good.

What I want to inform all these haters is that when it comes to vegans, we do not only eat food that is vegan but also foods that happen to be vegan!!  I would consider "vegan food" are foods that meat eaters and most people do not eat such as tofu, seitan, tofurkey, soy cheese, tempeh, almond/soy milk etc....

However, many vegans do not make foods like these their main food item at every meal.  Vegans incorporate a lot of other foods into their diet that happen to be vegan (the obvious being fruits and vegetables) but snack foods such as chips, nuts, granola bars, most cereals, OREO COOKIES, many dinner side dishes before loaded with cheese or dressing are vegan to begin with, salsa, guacamole, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, hummus...the list goes on and on.

My goal in life is NOT to convert the world to veganism (although that would be nice and would save a lot of animals, the environment, and health problems) but my goal is to change the way people view veganism and inform people about why I chose to be vegan.  I don't care if you do not like animals, but as long as you know that factory farming is a cruel practice that is the top cause of global warming and pollution - I don't care how you eat. Hopefully, knowing the health and environmental reasons for going vegan, once in a while when out to dinner or at home, instead of ordering that burger or making that steak, you will order the veggie burger and reach for the salad!

Being a vegan in a non-vegan world

One of the most important things I had to do when I became vegetarian was telling my friends and family that I was vegetarian.  I did this not because it was anyones business but my own but because when I go out to eat with friends, or people invite me over to their house for a meal they need to know my new diet changes.

However, as many people find when they go vegan, they face a lot of backlash.  Many people don't understand and probably don't like that you have the self control to make the change.  I noticed that the people that were "against" me going vegan or those that make fun of me the most for eating weird foods and not believing I am getting the right nutrients are the people that have poor diets with very little variety.  Those that supported me the most were friends and family that were making their own changes in their diet to loose weight or get healthier.

But even if you cannot find anyone to support you whether it is family, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend there are still so many sites online and chatrooms and facebook groups available for support.

The important thing to understand is to stay strong about your beliefs and hold your head high.  I have been put on the spot many times to explain the dairy and egg industries and the health benefits of being vegan.  It is difficult to answer these questions without making it sound like what everyone else is doing is wrong.  It is therefore important to emphasize that you do not judge anyone else for their eating diets, veganism is something you do for yourself and if they have any questions they should ask.

Vegan

Health. Environment. Animals.

Many people have their own opinion on why one should go vegan.  Many (like me) do it for health reasons, they want to feel great and look great!  Others do it for the environment and the pollution and destruction that goes on due to meat-based diet.  And some will do it for the animals and how killing animals for food is unethical and cruel.

I went vegan because I wanted to feel better.  I never had terrible illness's and was never in and out of hospitals nor on and off medication.  I was a perfectly healthy 19 year old - but I wanted to feel even better!  Going vegan helped me do that.  It also showed me environmental effects of a meat-based diet and how much animals suffer in farm factories.

For all the reasons in the world that there are to go vegan I did it for me, myself, and I.  However as selfish as my decision is to go vegan I know that I am also helping animals and the environment which keep me motivated to continue on my vegan adventure