Stay vegetarian or go Vegan?

I have been vegetarian since I was 15 and now hearing about what goes on in the dairy industry has made me question myself and think about being vegan. What are the health benefits of being vegan and is it hard to eat out at restaurants and parties?

Reply 1

mrsspencerreid

It is very hard to eat out at restaurants and party’s being vegan and you must check all labels to see if it contains things that you can’t have. A lot of things contain animal products so you would have to make most of your own meals from scratch. Even things that you don’t expect to have dairy in do e.g. pesto sauce. But if it is something that you really want to do then you should, you could always try it out for a month and see if it works for you

I am also vegetarian

Original post by EastLondonGirl

Vegan is a pretty big commitment and can be hard to manage because it restricts your options a lot for getting all the necessary food types.
Some people are fine with it though and it does have some moral benefits if that's something that matters to you.
If it's something you're considering, why not give it a try and see how you find it? Even going part vegan (like using mostly vegan products at home, but letting yourself eat veggie food if you're going out or something) would be a pretty big thing in terms of your own contribution. :smile:

Reply 4

brionyw:)

I’m vegan and have been since I was 15 (I’m 16 now) and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Personally, I don’t find it hard at all, as far as I’m aware all restaurants have at least some vegan options, places like Pizza Hut, pizza express, zizzis etc. have vegan cheese pizzas and more and more restaurants are bringing out vegan menus. At party’s I find it quite easy because obviously there’s crisps, fries, fruit and a lot of accidentally vegan food. If you search ‘accidentally vegan uk’ on YouTube you’ll get an idea of some of the types of food which just happen to be vegan. Supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s have a lot of vegan cheese and ice cream etc. I’m not a nutritionist or anything so I don’t know a lot about the health benefits but I had a blood test the other day and everything came back perfect and I don’t take any vitamins or anything. And also because there’s less cholesterol and saturated fat in vegan food that is good for you and I’ve found my skin to be really clear and stuff. But the health benefits are much more than that. So yeah, other people’s experience might be different but I have found it really easy and have really enjoyed being vegan. It’s obviously your choice but I honestly think there are almost no negatives to it. Good luck !! :smile:

Reply 5

Fenneko

I've been a vegetarian basically my whole life. I tend to call myself a 'behavioural vegan' these days. I don't eat eggs, don't consume milk directly, but still eat pizzas and garlic bread due to convenience. I'm pretty much as close to the borderline as you can get and I don't feel particularly bad, knowing that I'm not contributing to the dairy industry as much as other people; albeit, still contributing...

Let's put it this way, if vegan foods were made more readily available in restaurants and supermarkets, which they're not here, then I would gladly choose a vegan pizza over a non-vegan one. It's just a case of waiting for other people to transition and get as close to the borderline as they can. The dairy industry cannot survive if it can't sell milk in their containers in supermarkets. It's a large portion of their profits, and without it they'd struggle tremendously, so I don't consider myself at fault for the continuation of the dairy industry, though I'm still a contributor.

Reply 6

SHUGURU

Official Rep

Original post by EastLondonGirl

Hey!

For me, it hasn't been difficult to be vegan once I got going. To start with yes, you will want to be checking labels on everything just in case, and for your own knowledge so that you know what you can or can't have. But you'd be surprised how much you can have - as the person above said, look at 'accidentally vegan' pages - personally, I really like the accidentallyveganuk instagram account.

It's not true that you have to make everything from scratch (although you just might want to!). There are lots of vegan alternatives and more and more are coming out all the time. I can get vegan ready meals at Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury's if I want to, or I'll have pasta with my own bolognese, jacket potatoes with beans or homemade chilli. Stir fry is easy and you can buy frozen/pre prepared veg and sauce if you want to. There are loads of YouTube channels or recipe sites that can 'veganise' any meal. Research is really helpful.

Overall, I would suggest doing it. I know it can seem daunting, so I usually suggest to people to focus on each decision as they come, whether this is in a supermarket (thinking 'actually I don't wanna buy this cheese' or 'I'll try soy milk this time'), in a restaurant (there are loads of vegan options now, including Nando's, Zizzi, Ask Italian, Pizza Express, Wetherspoons, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Handmade Burger Co., etc, just do prior research if you know you wanna go somewhere), or at each meal time when you choose to make it vegan. At parties you could always take your own snacks (Linda McCartney is great). Despite what a lot of vegans might say, don't beat yourself up for having something that isn't vegan. Just keep your values in mind when you make your decisions.

It sounds like you've watched some good stuff already, but I would suggest watching What the Health and Forks Over Knives to find out about the health aspects of plant based diets; Cowspiracy to find out about the environmental benefits of going vegan; and Earthlings (if you're brave enough) to find out about the damage done to animals in the animal agriculture industries.

Hope this reply was helpful. I've been vegan for a couple of years and veggie for almost 10 so I'm here for you if you have any questions or want some advice!

Ellie

Reply 7

rickyrossman

Why so insecure? Do what you wanna do. Do what you think is right. Not what other people think

Reply 8

choleCcarknif3r

Original post by EastLondonGirl

It's a bit more difficult to get started but a big part of it is the community around it. Search facebook for vegan groups specific to your area. They have the lowdown on everything you need to know, and if you have any questions about particular products or want recommendations on great places to check out they'll have your back. I find mine to be really supportive and helpful. It depends on where you live as to what options you'll have eating out, but chains do tend to have vegan options. Even Pizza Hut are doing vegan cheese now in a bunch of places.

As for transitioning into vegan, don't do it straight away. As suggested above, just do it a bit at a time. Replace animal milk, for example, and then later on try different vegan cheeses and meat substitutes.

As for health benefits, I find that going vegan has lead me to learn a lot more about nutrition and how to get it. I also find I have so much more energy and I don't eat as much crap as I used to. I've more recently rediscovered my love for cooking, so I always try new recipes and ingredients. Mentally, it's definitely improved my health. I would say it has physically too

Reply 9

Kathy89

I've been mostly vegan for 5 years or even 6.... I don't really count anymore.
I see a lot of health benefits. I can't point what was the vegan part and what was the rest of working on good habits but overall I feel much better.

1. Easier periods.
2. I managed to gain weigh
3. Improved eyesight
4. Easier allergies
5. Much less migraines.
6. Easier recovery from injuries or sickness.

At first it is hard to look for vegan things around.... I think I was blessed beginning my vegan journey at Tel Aviv (the most vegan friendly place on earth).

Reply 10

EastLondonGirl

Thank you all for your replies and I've decided I will start off trying vegan for a month to see how I like it and see what happens 😁

Reply 11

EastLondonGirl

Original post by Anonymous

Eat meat like normal people!

It's so funny how you are anonymous and commenting like this!
If a normal person with a heart heard or saw what was happening to those poor innocent animals just so you could eat one meal and then get hungry again they would at least think about not eating meat.

Reply 12

Jack22031994

Volunteer Team

Go for it if you want but remember it will mean much more than food. Some clothes and items like that also contain animal products for example.

Food you will be fine as there are plenty of meat substitutes like Quorn etc. Just make sure you get enough protein and B12 though, which vegans CAN (before anyone bites my head off) be deficient in

Just everything else we use that contain animals products might be hard, but can be done I guess

Reply 13

Anonymous #2

Ive been vegan for a few months now and I have found it very easy since I wasn't much of a meat eater beforehand anyway. I am almost entirely vegan, all my toiletries, makeup, food, etc (only thing I have thats not vegan is my birth control pills) however I had a cheese pizza from my favourite pizza place a week ago. And I've honestly been feeling really guilty since then mainly because I want it again so badly. None of the grocery stores near me have a mozzarella style vegan cheese so I dont make my own pizzas nor do I just melt that on top of restaurant bought pizzas, otherwise I wouldn't have this problem. If Im like 99% vegan is it so bad if I have a cheese pizza every now and then? I feel like I cant call myself vegan anymore because of that and that Id still be contributing to the problem just for the sake of taste. I keep wanting to justify it by not being accessible to vegan cheese or that its only cheese pizza so there isnt meat. But this is like a moral dillemma for me - and this may seem dramatic but you have no idea how much I LOVE this cheese pizza from that certain restaurant.

Reply 14

SHUGURU

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Don't beat yourself up, you're doing much more than a lot of people!

I knew a vegan who would start arguments with anyone who'd claim to be 99% vegan, saying "you either are or you aren't!", and obviously you aren't being vegan while you eat a cheese pizza, but there's absolutely no help in telling people they cannot be vegan or try to eat as vegan as possible, when that actually makes a lot of difference! Have you thought about ordering some cheese online? There's likely to be places that can deliver it for you! If not, maybe try making a cheese sauce from scratch with what you do have, or look up cheesy vegan recipes and see if you can calm your craving. For me if I have non-vegan cravings I watch one of the documentaries that made me go vegan or watch YouTube videos by vegans to keep me inspired and motivated to stay vegan.

You're doing great though, keep going! :smile:

Reply 15

ebjxx

I personally don’t think it’s hard. Every restaurant nowadays has a few vegan options as it is so popular at the minute. It is a LOT more maintenance than being veggie though, and you’d be surprised at the things that you can’t eat. Personally I’ve recently went veggie, I don’t fancy being vegan, but I do make sure I know exactly where any eggs, milk etc that I buy are coming from. The dairy industry that vegans refer to is usually the huge companies producing massive massive amounts. Look into it before you make any big decisions! :smile:

you could even just cut down on dairy. I’ve did that big time & don’t really eat egg anymore or have much dairy either, but I’m not cutting it out altogether. Just a personal opinion :smile:

Reply 16

Guns_and_Ships

Do whatever you can :smile:

Choose the option which results in the least suffering whenever you can (take into account your own suffering too with things like medicine). If eating a cheese sandwich once a month is what it takes to live as vegan as you can the rest of the month then do that! It shouldn't be about mindless principle but about limiting our individual negative impact on the environment and quality of life of living (sentient) beings.

Health wise, you can be just as healthy vegan as long as you know where to get your nutrients from (the vegan society is very helpful) and you might need a B12 supplement, but most meat-eaters are B12 deficient to a degree so that's just a general advantage! Protein is the least of your worries and right now is probably the best time to make the change as there are so many new products coming out (Ben and Jerries Vegan Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream is genuinely incredible!). One benefit I would say is you never need to worry about cholesterol (only occurs in animal products), my skin tends to be pretty good (very rarely get spots) and you are always very regular in the bathroom from all the fibre! HahaXD

With restaurants, I'd recommend getting the HappyCow app/using the website as it will tell you all your nearby restaurants but lots of big chains now do vegan options like Enzos, Pizza Hut, Cafe Nero, Costa, all the main supermarkets etc and lots of small independent pubs do too. Also, if you know where you're going out it's worth sending them an email a few days before and most are very happy to make something special - just make sure you leave a nice review or note to say thank you! I've done that with our local pubs and they've always been more than happy and now they recognise me and know what I'll have XD

I would say it's a change definitely worth making. There are a few difficult aspects but they get easier every day as more people decide to change to veganism. Whatever you decide, you are making a big difference just by thinking about it all and trying to do something about it!