This is really excellent Jess—thanks for writing it up! I think I have been thinking about things in a very similar way, and strongly identify with pretty much everything you say!
I started trying out a transition to being (mostly) vegan in September last year, as I thought a move to being 100% vegan straight away would be very difficult (I think most of the costs are ‘transition’ costs and decrease as you form new habits and learn more about stuff to buy). I have been surprised at how painless it has been, but have not yet tried being 100% vegan.
At the moment, I think about 85% of my meals are vegan (and the rest vegetarian) - I try to count the non-vegan ones each week. I think you need a clear rule to do this, and I have been using something very similar to what you suggest. I no longer buy animal products at the supermarket, so everything I eat or prepare at home is vegan. But if I am out, or at a seminar/event where there is free food provided and there is no vegan option, I eat vegetarian. I also allow vegetarian eating when I am travelling, or at other people’s houses. Most weeks this leads to roughly 3⁄21 non-vegan meals, but obviously this is a lot higher if I am travelling.
The way I see this is getting from 85% to 100% is probably the most costly part for me (most inconvenience, most social cost) and I am getting the vast majority of the benefit with very little of the cost. I do feel uncomfortable with that 15% though. I think I will continue until September, and then reasses after a year, maybe getting closer to 100% with new rules.
I like the idea of counting non-vegan meals, that sounds great. Maybe I’ll beemind it… then I’d have an incentive to keep it low, but I don’t have to be absolute about it. Diana told me that whenever she eats something non-vegan she makes a donation to an animal welfare charity—I like that idea too.
The way I see this is getting from 85% to 100% is probably the most costly part for me (most inconvenience, most social cost) and I am getting the vast majority of the benefit with very little of the cost. I do feel uncomfortable with that 15% though. I think I will continue until September, and then reasses after a year, maybe getting closer to 100% with new rules.
Yeah, I think that’s right. It’s quite possible that the main downside of not going 100% vegan is just the discomfort that you end up feeling about it! (And that in particular this is larger than any actual consequences, especially if you’re mostly eating dairy.)
This is really excellent Jess—thanks for writing it up! I think I have been thinking about things in a very similar way, and strongly identify with pretty much everything you say!
I started trying out a transition to being (mostly) vegan in September last year, as I thought a move to being 100% vegan straight away would be very difficult (I think most of the costs are ‘transition’ costs and decrease as you form new habits and learn more about stuff to buy). I have been surprised at how painless it has been, but have not yet tried being 100% vegan.
At the moment, I think about 85% of my meals are vegan (and the rest vegetarian) - I try to count the non-vegan ones each week. I think you need a clear rule to do this, and I have been using something very similar to what you suggest. I no longer buy animal products at the supermarket, so everything I eat or prepare at home is vegan. But if I am out, or at a seminar/event where there is free food provided and there is no vegan option, I eat vegetarian. I also allow vegetarian eating when I am travelling, or at other people’s houses. Most weeks this leads to roughly 3⁄21 non-vegan meals, but obviously this is a lot higher if I am travelling.
The way I see this is getting from 85% to 100% is probably the most costly part for me (most inconvenience, most social cost) and I am getting the vast majority of the benefit with very little of the cost. I do feel uncomfortable with that 15% though. I think I will continue until September, and then reasses after a year, maybe getting closer to 100% with new rules.
I like the idea of counting non-vegan meals, that sounds great. Maybe I’ll beemind it… then I’d have an incentive to keep it low, but I don’t have to be absolute about it. Diana told me that whenever she eats something non-vegan she makes a donation to an animal welfare charity—I like that idea too.
Yeah, I think that’s right. It’s quite possible that the main downside of not going 100% vegan is just the discomfort that you end up feeling about it! (And that in particular this is larger than any actual consequences, especially if you’re mostly eating dairy.)