MY VEGAN OPINION
Anyone who's knows me personally, especially from my younger life (shoutout to Noel & Ollin!) knows that I was vegan for many many years, starting back at the end of my time in primary school and my start into secondary school I decided I wanted to be a vegan. Seen as that is a hundred years ago now I can't remember my exact thinking at that time. For all those years up until when I ended my veganism one year ago I had to deal with people's bullshit opinions on my diet and 'what do I eat for dinner' - even up until last year people still didn't get it, it was weird, not respected and judged. It's only since I've gone back to being a vegetarian that this vegan lifestyle has seem to blow up online and find its way into people's lives. Which is unfortunate to say the least.
What I learned from being vegan for all those years was willpower, really. Being a kid watching everyone eat their dairy milk Easter eggs and your sat there with either your 100% cocoa dark chocolate egg or some 'dairy free' vegan friendly substitution which you keep telling yourself 'tastes just as good' I feel like an old lady now, thinking 'wow what a time to be alive' seeing all these new vegan options open up and seeing people everywhere choosing to better themselves and the planet.
Veganism isn't easy, for a lot of people we find joy in eating the foods we love and we socialise with food, it's in every aspect of our lives. I decided to stop my veganism and go back to being a veggie because on my upcoming paris trip I really wanted a croissant after almost 10 years being vegan. It turned out to be a much bigger deal for everyone around me as I had to explain why I was eating an ice cream. But now after I had my splurge in all things dairy I still keep my vegan tendencies. After all those years of drinking coconut milk & having vegan substitutions for things like yogurt etc I still find myself grabbing those over dairy products in the shopping aisles.
As the whole vegan agenda grows and grows I can easily see myself going back to my old ways. I truly think it makes a difference to your health and overall wellbeing, there's so many more options out there now, some getting much cheaper that I think I will start slowing changing my diet again. I don't want to put a label on what I eat, we shouldn't have to. If I want to eat 'vegan' but I really want to have one of my grandads fresh eggs from his chickens in the garden, then that's cool. I always saw people trying to 'catch me out' going as far as to grab the packaging to something I'm eating for lunch to recite the ingredients to me, trying to find a flaw.
There seems to be a negative cloud surrounding vegans and veganism. Most of the time they are portrayed in a bad light and I truly think that's because when someone asks you why you asked for your pizza to be without cheese and you reply that you're vegan you're making a statement that says 'I'm a better person then you' that's my 100% honest opinion. Because if you really think about it, this vegan person actually cares about other living things (don't tell me that vegans shouldn't eat plants then because their living ;) ) and puts them above how 'delicious cheese/meat or whatever is, they choose to go without, showing better willpower and just an overall more awareness to the planet. This goes for vegetarians too. Some people will never understand this, my fiancé included. But one can ask for is respect and understanding. With me and my fiancé he would never force me to eat meat and he doesn't question my dietary preferences, just like I wouldn't ask him to become vegan because he simply doesn't want to.
For all you people who are on there way to becoming vegan, I would really recommend it. It is entirely possible and I promise you will notice a difference in your body. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to accomplish it immediately, it's a gradual process. The next day you're doing your food shop, pick up coconut milk instead of regular and swap your normal yogurt for soya. Step by step you'll get there. If people still have the same opinion as they did when I was vegan, the question you will here about a million times is 'what do you even eat' so get used to reciting off a long list of everything you can eat or come up with a sassy reply.
As the picture says above the only difference between your cute little dog and the little piggie on the farm is your attitude. They are both alive & breathing. The difference is that some cultures will eat one and not the other!
This is a controversial post but anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about animals, being brought up a 'vegetarian'. I'd be interested to hear you guys' opinions, and if you agree that we shouldn't have to attach labels to what we chose to put in our body!
Thanks for reading. Let me know your take on it and give me your opinions in the comments below.
GG xx
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