Vegan for a Month

By Ve

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Veganism refers to a lifestyle where one does not eat animals or animal products. One may follow this for a variety of reasons such as morals, environmental concerns, health concerns, culture or even just personal preference. My reasoning? My mother is overly competitive and wanted to compete with her sister whose family can stay vegan the longest. If everyone made it through a month, it would be a tie. 

Despite being vegetarian, I actually found it quite difficult to maintain a vegan diet. The first few days weren’t too bad, however by the 2nd week, my inner rat was craving cheese really badly. No, I didn’t have access to vegan cheese. No, the rat did not win as I powered through the rest of the month, fuelled only by soy milk and pure spite. 

While I ended up feeling much lighter and refreshed by the end of the month, sadly I don’t see myself continuing this diet in the near future. For starters, once I start university in a few months, there’s practically no way I can be vegan there. The dorms have a catering service; thankfully there are vegetarian options but no vegan, so unless I go off-campus, there’s practically no way to avoid dairy. Moreover, even if I do have the opportunity to cook my own meals, I simply can’t. I’m a kitchen hazard and although this will come back to bite me in the future, it’s a problem for future Ve. Also, I’m really lazy to make a 45-minute walk to the nearest supermarket with vegan stuff, so solid argument in my opinion. 

This actually leads to these next few points I’d like to share. A few tips I would give to new vegans:

• Where I live, vegan alternatives are not produced much, hence they tend to be rather expensive. Thankfully my family can afford the extra in our budget, but seeing the price of plant milk being 3x the cost of regular milk made me sweat. 
• Plan according to your budget (and your location!)
  That’s not the only problem I faced. A ton of vegan substitutes aren’t readily available in my local supermarkets. Instead, we had to buy them online or from a private seller which again, is pretty expensive. Budget wisely if you’re in this for the long run. 
• Get familiar with vegan substitutes 
  • Dairy: This is pretty straightforward but standard dairy products such as milk and cheese have plant-based options. These are usually made from nuts or soy so make sure you’re not allergic to any of the ingredients! Another great alternative to cheese is nutritional yeast. You miss out on texture but win in the taste department since it’s got this nutty, umami flavor; it’s basically cheese pro version. 
  • Meat: I’ve been vegetarian since I was 10 years old so honestly, I don’t quite remember the actual taste of meat. If you want to replicate the texture, however, tofu and tempeh seem pretty decent- just coat that with your favorite seasoning. I’d also recommend lentil or chickpea patties as they seem to imitate minced meat well. 
  • Egg (scrambled in particular): tofu or chickpea flour scramble
  • Honey: I’ve noticed that people debate whether honey is vegan or not. I’m not going to go into details however so just to be safe, some substitutes include maple syrup or agave. 
• Make sure you’re getting enough protein
  ​ I wasn’t too concerned about my protein intake when I started since I just had to cut out on dairy and eggs. If you’re switching from a meat diet, however, it’s easy to end up with a protein deficit so try to add at least 2-3 of the following to your meals. A scoop of protein powder in a smoothie wouldn’t hurt as well.  
  • Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas
  • Soy: tofu, tempeh
  • Grains: quinoa, rice, oats, millet
  • Nuts and Seeds: chia, flaxseed, hemp, sunflower,  almonds, walnuts, etc.
  • Fruits and Veggies: hopefully these are already part of your daily meals!
• ​Don’t be guilt-tripped
  You might encounter some toxic vegans- especially on social media platforms- who are dedicated to shaming non vegans. They're pretty intent on portraying people as animal abusers and it was just an unpleasant conversation overall. That being said, don’t generalize and assume that every vegan is toxic. Just keep in mind that nobody is aware of your personal experiences so don’t let them dictate your lifestyle choices! 

In summary, don’t be guilt tripped (nor do the guilt tripping!), eat a balanced meal with emphasis on protein, familiarize yourself with vegan alternatives, and lastly, prioritize your budget and needs rather than restricting yourself. These are the basics to being vegan in my opinion. It’s a rare instance where I’d say it’s better to learn it from the book rather than learn by experience.
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Just a disclaimer- by no means am I a professional; this article is only meant to be a guide and I would highly suggest further research before going through a significant change!

Vegan Recipes, Supplies, Further Information, and Charities: https://www.vegansociety.com/ 
International Mental Health Helplines: https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support