Pros and Cons of Being Vegan

Being Vegan is not always about the food

I'm going to be brutally honest, being vegan is not a big piece of choccy cake all the time. There are times that are difficult when starting out sure, but even after being vegan for several years, I can see how I've disassociated myself from the majority and hindered on the fringe of the minority. 

This is by no means putting down being vegan, I embrace it wholeheartedly, and I've accepted that sometimes I'm not accepted as much as I want to be. 

Is that mild discrimination, for not being understood when it comes to choosing a healthier lifestyle? I think no matter how much we try to say everyone is becoming aware, they're not! There is still a certain stigma about it 

For example, I will not criticize others for the choices they make even when I recognize how their contribution is minimal in helping themselves or the planet. I can not judge them for their own journey. Instead as a compassionate vegan, I can only educate. 

Uprooting in a pandemic

Upon leaving my vegan-friendly environment and home in India, and coming to Mexico, I was suddenly mixing with people who have very little knowledge about veganism. I'm not talking about the locals, I'm talking about the many American and Canadian ex-pats who live here. 

Of course, they know what being vegan is, "Those protein deficient people who only eat salads." You get it, their education is limited for whatever reason. 

I can not count the amount of times a conversation about food has ended with someone turning to me and saying, "Oh but you don't/cacan't  eat that right?" I sigh, I take a deep yogic breath, and my thoughts sometimes escape into this reply:

"It's not that we can't eat them, it's cause we choose not to because being vegan is a silent animal protest...."  To be honest I usually don't get that far before the conversation has turned. 

In defense of all those people I've met in Mexico though, they are considerate of choosing restaurant options, they just aren't willing to get into understanding veganism, and again, hey, that's fine, it's their road to take.

The deal-breaker for me though is that I believe I don't get as many social invites because I'm vegan. It's new for me, it really is!

My cooking was and always will be, a way of getting into people's hearts. Thankfully that part of being vegan is fun and interesting because of how much I love experimenting in my kitchen. It was difficult, I'm not going to lie when it came to re-educating myself about food, but I became a recipe creator because of it, so sincerely thankful for that! 

The vegan dating game

Hang on to your hat, I have some big news for you, dating a fellow vegan is like winning the cute teddy bear prize in one of those arcade machines with the claw.  The pickings are slim!

The closest I've come was with my ex who didn't care as long as I made him food! He ate his other choices away from me which I totally respected, but finding such a rare horse has not been trumped since. 

Now back to the dating game. I figure living in Mexico online dating most likely won't have a lot of choices and honestly, I've just gotten used to it maybe never finding a fellow vegan to shackle down with.

And, let's not forget that not all vegans are alike...I'm not going to get into that argument but let's just say it reduces the gene pool considerably.  There are many vegans with stronger opinions than me,  and viewpoints towards people who aren't vegan that I think are harsher than they need to be. We can also break other vegans into categories like #veganfoodie, #veganjunkie (junk food), and #plantbased vegans, all of which can segregate our peaceful, animal-loving community. Though I think we should not go there! 

No more alcohol

Finally, I'd like to mention another thing that happened to me since becoming vegan. I suddenly woke up to my own body, an awareness I'd never really had before, and I discovered that my instinct was correct in determining what was good for my body. After sorting through lots of things that definitely were not serving me, alcohol topped the list, but it ended up being the last thing I sacrificed to be healthier. I gave it up anyway when the time felt right and not much thought went into it.  I felt and saw amazing results in my health, sadly it too made me a social pariah though. 

Friends who I partied every weekend with became disinterested in my company when the weekend rolled up. They were all big drinkers and didn't like that I wasn't anymore. Believe me, in the past I was no Saint when it came to party supplements, but it seems drinking was what held those friendships together. 

Helping mother Gaia

I'll admit I astonished myself when turning vegan when it came to food. It was so different from my previous jump to vegetarianism, which at the time I did find hard at first. 

Health issues made me turn to vegetarian, and the excess weight Id gained led me to 12WBT weightless program. This program was a game-changer for me.  I was well on my way to understanding not only how to rethink fitness, I finally was recognizing the psychology behind weight gain. It was the beginning of my spiritual and physical journey. 

A few years later I went vegan for the animals. Once Vegan, I became so much more conscious of the environment.

If you haven't watched these films already, I highly recommend watching some documentaries on the subject. They will include some graphic details, but their primary focus is on what is happening to our environment, why that is, and what we can do to better it. 

I was already vegan when I watched Cowspiracy on Netflix, but it gave me more insight and courage to keep moving forward. I also recommend watching Seaspiracy on Netflix.

I couldn't find the first film I ever watched but it's called Forks Over Knives, and while it says it's available on Amazon Prime Free, in my country it is not, so I found this link you can use. 

If for some reason you can't play it, there's a more recent film that also covers health issues called What the Health, where it examines the link between diet and disease.

You are never alone

Whatever your reasons for reading this, there is obviously going to be one! Ultimately, YOU will make your own decisions about being vegan. Yes! There is a social stigma regarding veganism, but don't let it turn you off standing up for the animals, remember the difference between plant-based and vegan? Neither is right or wrong, both benefit the animals in the long term.  

Being Vegan has definitely changed my life and made me a much more compassionate person but at the harsh reality of some loss amongst my friends and family who just don't accept it.  I'm so much more aware now, and there is absolutely no turning back. If I have to stay in the vegan created world that I live in, alone, so be it, because really I never feel that. I've made so many vegan friends over social media, that it secures the fact that we are an uprising, and no longer such a minority. I interact with so many vegans on a daily basis through my Instagram account, that I definitely never feel like I'm alone. 

If I leave you with anything, surround yourself with people who get you, immerse yourself in your tribe, and always, yes always, do every step of the way for the animals! 

"We often tend to criticize others when the real problem lies within ourselves. External anger is a result of unresolved issues. Sadly, vegans seem to remain among the most hated groups in all of modern society. We can change that by being compassionate and aware, eventually turning this discrimination and prejudice into something that is understood, accepted, and eventually embraced."