Thanks for posting this Topher. When I was vegan, my diet was very similar to the one you described, and all in all I didn’t find it that difficult. You’ll notice the “was” in that sentence though—the thing that got me was eating out or eating socially with friends—I found it very difficult to maintain a vegan diet then, and so I found myself slipping. I’d be interested in how you deal with this—do you stick to a vegan diet even when eating out or going to friends houses, and if so, how difficult do you find it?
My solution for a while was to have a strict rule that I am entirely vegan in what I cook and by for myself, and vegetarian in other situations—like eating out—where being vegan is very difficult or inconvenient. This worked pretty well for a while. It’s harder now because I’m living in a house with people who frequently cook together—which has a lot of benefits of saved time, money, and being more enjoyable and sociable—but aren’t vegan. So I’ve slipped back to just being vegetarian across the board, but I feel somewhat uncomfortable about it.
Currently, I beemind (using a Do Less goal) “non-vegan meals per week”. This has provided the mild positive pressure for me to choose to be vegan for most of my meals but allow myself to eat a few meals a week with friends without paying a social penalty.
For eating out, it’s nearly always possible to get a vegan version of a non-vegan dish, even when there isn’t anything vegan listed on the menu (e.g. pizza without cheese). However, it does perhaps take a bit of effort/practice to get over the “I’m being difficult” feeling—keep in mind that veganism is a positive thing, not something to feel guilty about. Failing that, chips and salad is a fallback option :-) As for eating at friends houses, I guess it’s similar: you have to feel comfortable with requesting vegan food (or otherwise limiting your options). I’ve never been that into food, so these things don’t bother me that much.
Thanks for posting this Topher. When I was vegan, my diet was very similar to the one you described, and all in all I didn’t find it that difficult. You’ll notice the “was” in that sentence though—the thing that got me was eating out or eating socially with friends—I found it very difficult to maintain a vegan diet then, and so I found myself slipping. I’d be interested in how you deal with this—do you stick to a vegan diet even when eating out or going to friends houses, and if so, how difficult do you find it?
My solution for a while was to have a strict rule that I am entirely vegan in what I cook and by for myself, and vegetarian in other situations—like eating out—where being vegan is very difficult or inconvenient. This worked pretty well for a while. It’s harder now because I’m living in a house with people who frequently cook together—which has a lot of benefits of saved time, money, and being more enjoyable and sociable—but aren’t vegan. So I’ve slipped back to just being vegetarian across the board, but I feel somewhat uncomfortable about it.
Currently, I beemind (using a Do Less goal) “non-vegan meals per week”. This has provided the mild positive pressure for me to choose to be vegan for most of my meals but allow myself to eat a few meals a week with friends without paying a social penalty.
For eating out, it’s nearly always possible to get a vegan version of a non-vegan dish, even when there isn’t anything vegan listed on the menu (e.g. pizza without cheese). However, it does perhaps take a bit of effort/practice to get over the “I’m being difficult” feeling—keep in mind that veganism is a positive thing, not something to feel guilty about. Failing that, chips and salad is a fallback option :-) As for eating at friends houses, I guess it’s similar: you have to feel comfortable with requesting vegan food (or otherwise limiting your options). I’ve never been that into food, so these things don’t bother me that much.