Welcome to part 3 of my series on veganism. In part one, I addressed what my food attitudes were like before veganism. And part two talked about the initial change of finding out about veganism and my decision to devote myself to it. Now we begin the third installment of my vegan series. I’m going to tell you the things that I feel all new vegans particularly should know. Well, at the very least, the things that I feel like I should have been told when I first went vegan. I’m also going to wrap up my “beginning of veganism” story.
Now, in part two I talked about how I didn’t just go vegan. I had been influenced by a very prominent internet vegan group at the time, which was the high carb, low fat, raw vegan crowd. I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus, but that really didn’t work out for me the way that I had hoped. Their claims at the time were simply inaccurate and for me, did not result in good health. For this reason, I do not suggest that people try this diet, and I don’t think that this should be the representation for veganism as a whole. It is a specific subgroup, and one that is very different from the other forms of veganism.
But like, actually, what should I eat?
I’m going to promote a different start to veganism than I had. (Big shocker there, right?) I would suggest that you get really interested in new foods. Learn about the different kinds of vegan meat replacements (it’s really exciting to find ones you like), as well as new fruits and vegetables and grains that you’ve never tried before.
The best way to not feel deprived in this new way of eating is to add new things and focus on that. Don’t just eat plain French fries or white rice on its own because that’s all that you know to be vegan. (Like I did.) If you are reading this, that means you have the internet so you have access to a wealth of delicious vegan recipes 24/7. But you do have to do the work to figure out what you like.
I like to explore cultural cuisines. They’re tasty and an exciting way to add new flavor without missing a thing. Trying new things can help you break out of your old habits with excitement and vigor. Indian cuisine is one of my favorites because it’s very easy to make vegan. Often most of it is already vegetarian anyway. Regardless, you can find meals from all over the world to try new flavors, expand your culinary perspective, and learn new cooking skills!
Broad strokes, what to eat
Another thing I would really like to emphasize is please do not be afraid of a balanced diet. Yes, it is easy to get a lot of carbs being vegan with all of the rice, potatoes, pasta, quinoa, fruit, etc. But it is also important to have fats and proteins coming in too. These are important for your body’s natural repair, brain health, and hormone. They are also very useful in terms of satiation and if I’m being honest, breaking up the “carbs, carbs, carbs” monotony.
Good sources of fats on the vegan diet come from nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, any sort of oils, and even tofu and some meat replacements. And to get protein, prioritize legumes, again nuts and seeds, meat replacements, tofu, tempeh and seitan. Without these kinds of foods, your vegan diet will not be as optimal as you were hoping, and you won’t feel very good in the long term.
A good, everyday approach is the plate method. Half your plate is filled with vegetables, a quarter filled with a starch of some sort, and then the remaining quarter having your fat and protein combination. Personally, I find that a little more fat and protein keep my blood sugar more steady, so I like to have more like a third of my plate used for that. For women, fat content is more important to regulate their hormones, but men need fat too. Fats are important for brain health and function, and everyone has a brain.
General good advice
I’m not a dietitian or health professional of any kind. It’s important, if you have concerns, to seek out professional counsel that you can trust. Everybody has different needs due to age, gender, and lifestyle factors. So please, go to your doctor. Visit a dietitian. Do not avoid medical advice.
Also, even if you’re not going to go to a doctor or get tested for deficiencies (which seriously, you really should stay up to date with those things), try to track what you’re eating, in general. Take a look at where you’re getting your nutrients from, and if you’re getting enough, even if you’re just using a free online source like Cronometer. It’s good to try to keep track of if and where you’re getting specific nutrients, as well as get an idea of nutrients you may struggle to get in your specific diet.
And this isn’t the last time I’m going to mention this, but consider supplementing. I think it’s important for anyone to take a look at their diet and try to make it as nutritionally complete as they can. And if they can’t manage to get any certain nutrient in on a consistent basis, particularly a necessary one, then a supplement is a good option to fill in the possible holes in their diet. Now, the reason I bring this up in conjunction with veganism is that in general, we are taught what a balanced diet looks like without restrictions. (Not that the education is without flaws and blind spots, but there still has been some.)
Things to look out for
Most of us haven’t been taught about what a balanced plant-based diet looks like, or how to get certain nutrients from plants. For this reason, I would definitely recommend supplementation for key nutrients, and maybe a general multivitamin, just to cover your bases while you learn more about a plant-based diet and where to get different nutrients. You may find that you want to supplement in the long term too. Some people don’t want to bother eating healthy, and if this is you, take your multivitamin at least.
Some things are harder to get as a vegan. However, depending on how you eat, it may be different for you than it is for me. That being said, here are some general things to look out for when eating a vegan diet.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is not found naturally occurring in vegan food. It is actually from a bacteria, and since the bacteria in animal’s guts create it, you can find it naturally occurring in animal products. For this reason it is important to be mindful that you’re getting your intake somehow. You can either take a supplement (there are pills, shots, sprays, and there are a lot of budget friendly options so there’s no need to break the bank on this) or consume it in fortified foods. Some cereals, plant based milks and even those naked juices have B12 in them. This vitamin is very important for brain and nervous system function, so do not skip out! (To learn more general information about B12, go to this website NIH B12 Information)
Vitamin D
Another specific vitamin to watch out for is vitamin D. It’s actually something our bodies do make, when exposed to sunlight, but a lot of us don’t get enough sun these days. A lot of nonvegans get their vitamin D from milk. Cow’s milk is often fortified with vitamin D because in our modern day lifestyles, we really need more. You can supplement for vitamin D as a vegan. Or you could find a plant based milk that is fortified with it, like nonvegans do. If you are getting a lot of sun you may not need to supplement right now, but keep tabs on your levels throughout the year. You want to be sure that you consistently get enough.
Omega 3’s
Some people worry about getting omega 3 fatty acids on the vegan diet, as they are another thing that is not naturally occurring. If you are concerned, there are also supplements out there. However, all is not lost if you don’t want another supplement in your day. To get omega 3’s as a vegan you need ALA fatty acids which are converted by the body into your omegas. These foods include chia, hemp and flax seeds, as well as walnuts, edamame, and kidney beans.
Calcium
Although you can get all your calcium needs on a vegan diet, I find it helpful to bring up. The reason for is most nonvegans, when they think of calcium, they think of one thing: dairy. And if you are taking dairy out of your diet, it’s easy to wonder what is left. Vegans can get their calcium from dark leafy greens, broccoli, and fortified dairy replacements. This is the easiest way to get your RDA. If you find that you’re still struggling to get enough, you can easily find a supplement for calcium as well.
Having the tough conversations
So about two weeks after going vegan, I knew I couldn’t keep hiding it anymore. So of course, I had to tell my mom. And well, eventually, anyone I wanted to try to share a meal with. But my mom was first.
It went about as well as I thought it would. She told me that she thought I was being too sensitive and getting wrapped up in propaganda. I told her that it wasn’t propaganda. I had done my research into animal suffering, the environmental impact and the feasibility of being vegan and that this was what I was going to do. She knew about the effect of meat on the environment very well, and wasn’t going to try to tell me that it doesn’t exist.
Then she tried to pull out the same thing she did when I wanted to go vegetarian as a child. She said it would be hard to feed me. And that she didn’t know what I would eat. I told her that I didn’t care if it was hard because it was important to me. She said she may never cook me anything again. And while that hurt, I told her that regardless, this was still worth it to me, even if I never ate her food again. I was willing to give that up in order to live according to my morals.
And my mom wasn’t happy. Not for a long time. She felt that I was making a mistake, devoting myself to this lifestyle, but since she knew she couldn’t argue with the ideas that spurred the decision, she mostly just kept her opinions to herself. She didn’t cook for me anymore. Not for a long time. She does make things for me now. Whenever I come to her house, she makes sure that I have something to eat.
People will respond (short term and long)
It took a while for her to come around. She had to process what was happening, and accept that perhaps she had lost a piece of her daughter that she once connected with. She needed to understand that new ways of connecting were needed. Also, it was necessary for her to learn how veganism works, which is no small feat for anyone who is working from the ground up. If she wanted to be able to give me any food she would need to learn how to cook differently, and read ingredient lists. There is a learning curve to this for anybody.
Eventually, my mom and I were able to come to our own understanding of how our relationship would go now that I became vegan, but it wasn’t just her that needed to be informed and worked with. The rest of my immediate and extended family had their own ways of processing and dealing with this change in me.
My grandfather, for example, liked to poke fun at me for becoming vegan. And sometimes, his jokes were not respectful. To me or my new outgrowth of my moral framework. Dealing with him meant constantly asking the question, “should I ignore him so I don’t encourage him? Or should I stand up for myself and what I believe is right?” Finding the balance was difficult and I don’t think I always navigated it perfectly.
Vegan isn’t just a diet
Another thing to consider when beginning veganism is that, definitionally, veganism is not limited to what you put in your mouth. According to the Vegan Society, “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” (You can check out their website here.)
So when we say that we are “going vegan”, this is done with a sort of perceptual shift of our world and our own lifestyle. A lot of people miss the memo when it comes to the other branches of veganism.
Now, I’m not saying that if you can’t be perfect all the time that you shouldn’t try at all. Or that having a vegan diet won’t do any good if you aren’t also buying only vegan products. However, I am saying that veganism on the whole is much larger of a change than that. It is a decision to do your best not to contribute to animal suffering with your actions or money.
Taking this into account, a vegan will buy products that have not been tested on animals, and lip balms without beeswax, for example. If it comes from an animal, needed to use or cause harm to an animal to be put out on the market, a vegan does not wish to buy that thing. It’s about the ethical standpoint overall.
My advice to new vegans
Now, when you’re going vegan, it can be a bit overwhelming for a lot of reasons. So I have some suggestions for newbies. Things that I wish I would have learned earlier to make things easier on me.
Firstly, understand that it’s going to take some getting used to. You’ll need to learn new things, and you’re going to make mistakes. You’re not perfect, but there is no shame in simply doing the best you can. Embrace your journey, and genuinely put forth your best effort. When you do this, there’s no need to beat yourself up for falling short, because you know you did your best.
Second, don’t be afraid to try new things! For everything that you take out of your diet or lifestyle, there should be something new you add. Not necessarily a one-for-one swap. But if you used to hunt and now you’re vegan, try nature walks. Or if you’re missing your old favorite foods, try some new ones, or a “veganized” version. You want to feel like you’re living differently, not ceasing to live.
Now there’s something that nobody, particularly no new vegan wants to hear, and that is to tread lightly. I know that when you first learn about the lies we are told and the extent of animal suffering, it’s horrific. And I don’t think you should try to be quiet about it either. If people genuinely ask you questions, it’s important to tell them the truth about the current injustice in our systems.
Self care as a fresh vegan
But what I do want to tell you is that right now, you may be very emotionally wounded. Especially if you have witnessed graphic footage or violence, it can be traumatic. Particularly in the beginning, if you wear your heart on your sleeve two downsides can happen.
Firstly, you may not express yourself the best you could under less emotional duress. This may lead to you saying things that you’ll regret to people you care about. You also may end up making bad arguments that color people’s perceptions of veganism. This can ultimately turn people away from this important cause, which is obviously not what you’re trying to do. (Not to say it’s fair, but it’s human nature. Regardless of how animals are being treated, no one wants to be yelled at.)
The other thing that may happen is that you can emotionally burn yourself out, and it can happen very quickly. Fighting injustice every day, focusing on it, crying over it, can string you out very easily. Try to focus on the positive parts about veganism too. Things like sharing new foods with friends and trying out new activities and products in place of old ones. Do this in order to take care of yourself, and to be a better advocate for your ideas.
Honest assessment
So starting a vegan lifestyle can definitely have a few bumps in the road, there’s no doubt about it. But it can be done, and done with grace. And you can be healthy on a vegan diet if you learn more about it.
Going vegan has transformed me in many ways. And although I decided on it long ago at a young age, it’s been one of the best decisions I ever made. It is important to live a life that aligns with your values, as closely as you can. And if for you, that means veganism, I highly encourage you to try it. The silence of the cognitive dissonance is worth it alone.
Learn more about veganism
The fact is, there are lots of things that I wish I could have gone into more detail in this series about veganism. I could have made dozens of posts about tips and advice about social nuances and food. But this website isn’t about veganism. Since writing these posts, I have made a website all about veganism and ethical living called Eight Years In.
In Eight Years In, I talk a lot about what to look out for in veganism, how to do it, how to navigate tricky social situations and I even review some vegan products that I find myself enjoying. And if you’re vegan yourself or interested in trying it, I really would recommend checking it out. It’s becoming a good resource of archived things I wish I would’ve known in the beginning mixed with things I’ve learned the hard way over the years.
I also find it to be a celebration of life and life lived intentionally. If this website is about amending your mindset, that one is about amending your actions to make your impact in the world. So please, if this series interested you at all, go follow this link, and consider subscribing to the site.
