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The decision to go vegan

For a while now I have been having trouble justifying being vegetarian and not going one stage further and becoming vegan. I have decided to give it a try in the new year!

I am giving myself a few weeks to plan menus, buy in ingredients and check what is already in my cupboards, and use up what I already have as I would hate to waste food.
I have been impressed by the passion of Lush and The Body Shop when I have been to blogger events in recent months. However, my main inspiration has been Facebook. Watching videos about the cruelty in the dairy and farming industries had been heartbreaking (and yes, I do know that many animals are kept in humane conditions but having babies taken away is torture no matter what species).
When I was at uni and went vegetarian (almost 20 years ago!), a fellow student told me I was being unethical as I wasn’t supporting my fellow humans who rely on farming for their livelihood and I do agree with this to some extent. But it is impossible that everyone would choose to become vegetarian or vegan at once so the culture could change gradually and techniques could adapt to keep the economy afloat.

Einstein famously said “Nothing will benefit health or increase chances of survival on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”. 25,000 people die each day from hunger. Every single day. They could be fed with the food that is used for animal feed and the space for growing that food could be converted to human crops as the number of animals bred for slaughter and slavery reduces.
Chris will be joining me on this vegan journey. He is intolerant to dairy but finds it difficult to avoid as the only one in the house and is easily tempted! I will offer the children vegan food but won’t insist they have it and won’t object to continue cooking them meat. They have the right to make their own choices.

I admit to being concerned about how I will cope and I’ll admit that I’m not sure if I will continue it long term. I currently drink about a pint of milk a day and my daily coffee sachets and pods will have to be replaced. I have cheese on practically everything.
I dread the extra time that it will take to check ingredients as I already spend ages shopping to get products that are wheat free due to my allergy. But I am hoping for a health benefit too: when I was diagnosed with my wheat allergy in 2001, I was told that dairy would probably be the next allergy that I get (I grow into them šŸ™ ) so I hope that cutting it out will have a positive effect on my urticaria and eczema which have never improved despite daily antihistamines for the last 17 years!
If you have any tips, recipes or favourite vegan products then please let me know in the comments!


25 comments

  1. I have to confess I used to be vegetarian but got tired of my lack of choices after I moved to Japan many years ago. I did try going vegan a while ago but struggled as Iā€™m allergic to soy.

    Anyway, enough about me. Well done for having the courage of your convictions and going all the way to a vegan diet!

  2. I’m not Vegan or vegetarian but I have heard that the transition shouldnt be ‘cold-turkey’ but should be a chain of changes over a little time. Also, If yu are looking for cruelty free, vegan prosucts I recommend Forever Aloe – I’m not a salesperson but the products are fantastic. Good luck with your journey. #globalblogging

  3. I’ve started experimenting with miso and love it for its ‘meaty’ taste (umami). You can use it on just about anything: grilled vegetables, mushrooms, etc. It’s also fantastic tossed with pasta and fresh herbs.

    #globalblogging

  4. Sophie

    Good for you!
    As far as the framing argument goes -you could feel that you have to support the local pub but we all know that alcohol is not good for us! There will always be an argument for or against; you just have to do what feels right for you. I tend to eat a vegetarian diet but with fish. Iā€™m very aware of poor farming practises or the cruelty to animals and would love to become fully vegan but I donā€™t think Iā€™ve got the organisation. I would add that my friends daughter is a vegan but has been told by her doctor that she must eat animal protein once a month as she became very, very poorly so careful with your iron levels. Good luck and do let us know any great recipes! I love the Deliciously Ella recipes. #globalblogging

  5. A lot of my friends have gone vegan over the last few years and they’re actually doing great. There are many vegan food stores now and options in supermarkets. Restaurants have also upped their game in this department. Well done on this courageous move. Good luck x

  6. Wishing you all the best – lots of people are doing this it seems. Not sure it would be for me but that may change as I research and learn more. Also don’t stress to much – like any decision if it does not work for you, you can change your mind. #GlobalBlogging

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  9. Wow, good luck. I have been a vegetarian for a million years, but not vegan. Lots of days I am vegan, but I like ice cream too much! Good for you for setting goals and putting yourself out there. xoxo #globalblogging xoxo

  10. Good luck with your goal, its a brave step but for all the right reasons. Planning and researching are definitely keys to success. I would really like to include more vegetarian meals in our family’s diet as I think we eat too much meat. It needs a lot more planning and organising on my part though. Mexico is still not the easiest place to be vegan or vegetarian. #globalblogging

  11. I am neither vegetarian or vegan but I do understand your reasons for going that route. I also hope this journey does give you better health benefits. Given your sensitivities, it sounds like this might be a good move for you. #GlobalBlogging

  12. Good luck, I hope you reap a huge amount of health benefits – it sounds like it will be very worthwhile for you! And I love that you acknowledge your children choosing a different path is ok, it’s such a wonderful way to encourage open-mindedness for other people’s viewpoints. #GlobalBlogging

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