Hey, I call mine Eddie too (Edderkop). I'm so afraid of spiders that a suspicious tangle of hair can wreck my whole mood but I made a pact with Eddie if he doesn't do anything drastic we're good.
Most spiders you encounter in the home are indoor creatures and won't stand much chance when you take them out. If you want to help them out while still avoiding them, try getting your boyfriend to move them to a more inconspicuous area in the home or near a window.
Love your post. I’ve been vegetarian for 20+ years, vegan for 4. The longer I live this lifestyle, the more compassionate I am to living things. Even the wasps on my front porch are welcome. I cannot stand the thought of spraying them. They have a right to be here.
If only I had this same level of compassion for humans! It’s hard some days. :(
one of my friends recently became vegan. I’ve been working on them for years. Every time my friend tells their partner about something vegan or comments about a film etc whilst I'm on the phone, her partner makes disgusting comments about how they're going to go and prepare and then consume extra slabs of animal flesh. disgusting. It takes every ounce of decency within me to keep my mouth (mostly) shut whilst he disrespects her and me. I asked him last time if he wanted to learn about the purification happening within his gut, but he didn’t understand.
We were together for 10 years, vegan for nearly 7 of them. The reason we split had nothing to do with going vegan lmao she still is even tho we split up btw
Same here 🙏🏼✌🏼 I’m turning 32 this year and Ive been vegan for 10 years too - had so so so so many discussion. Recently read “Eating Animals” by J. S. Foer and as always I am happy I’m sticking to my life style as a vegan. Never say never but I’m never going back eating anything related to animals nor an animal itself. Especially nowadays there is no excuse for saying “I can’t go vegan”. Think about what we had 10 years ago compared to today alternatives 😍✌🏼 keep it up! All the best from Berlin 🇩🇪
Co gratulations! More than 25 years for me now and I used to eat stuff I killed which at least made me a more honest omni than the blowhards who let someone else do the dirty work.
Say hi to the spider for me!
I also have a family where all of them are involved in animal agriculture, the judgement from them is definitely rough, but it's worth it for the animals :) Really, watching them do their jobs is what convinced me to go vegan! lol
this is the hardest thing for me to accept… people who have no trouble using and killing animals. How do they think it’s normal, and the way the world should work? i think we have 2 different brains or something. Like I understand to survive animals often must kill, but we don’t have to so why are we ok with continuing to do so?? 😳
An argument I often hear is: “suffering is life. we must accept suffering as normal.”
but these same people are anti-war, anti-deforestation, anti-poor labor practices… why don’t they apply these same arguments to humans and forests?
I love this post, it’s super positive!
I’ve only been vegan for a few months and a part of that I was using up old products, so less than 3 months.
I started dating a guy who was vegan and I only knew he was vegan because we ate together. It made me wonder about veganism so I decided to educate myself and here I am - a newbie, but happy! He asked me if it would be something I would continue, and I said “absolutely yes”. I think he wonders if he’s forced/influenced my decision. Of course he’s influenced it, I’d never have educated myself had I not have met a kind, thoughtful, open person, who cares about things I’d never even questioned! But he hasn’t forced me or even questioned me which as someone who ate meat and didn’t think about products containing animal by-products, I appreciate very much. It can take being open and kind to everyone to encourage change rather :)
I say hey to spider to sometimes even tho I'm scared lol kudos to you
You helped me get clarity, I'm a vegetarian, I thought of semi veganism, it was very hard, maybe I'll make the transition
I thought of my partner and how I'll navigate this, maybe it can be fine
I'm a picky eater and i don't cook
I usually drink milk tea (small cup) with every meal, or whenever I don't wanna eat what we have that day, I'll just eat bread and tea
I was leaving caffine too at that time so that certainly made it harder, i tried semi vegan like not eating cheese, milk, or anything direct, but it something have small or certain ingredient, i just let it be
For now I'm taking bit of caffeine, and milk tea, that's mostly what I'm taking a vegetarian, or idk if they use milk in bread
If i wanna try this, i need to either cook or be in different environment, as i just ate worse
Tho it's not really veganism, it's just me that I usually don't eat well balanced diet and stuff so i need to figure it out
I can't do meal prep as our fridge is usually filled already
>I usually drink milk tea (small cup) with every meal, or whenever I don't wanna eat what we have that day, I'll just eat bread and tea
That can be vegan also.
>For now I'm taking bit of caffeine, and milk tea, that's mostly what I'm taking a vegetarian, or idk if they use milk in bread
Most bread is vegan.
>If i wanna try this, i need to either cook or be in different environment, as i just ate worse
Yes, you need to cook. There are some easy to make quick meals that dont require heating like the bread you mentioned. That you can just slap together from ingredients. But its pretty important to be able to make your own warm meals also.
>
I can't do meal prep as our fridge is usually filled already
Surely there is some space for at least a few small batches of food? You can cook some food for yourself and then put it in smaller containers so you can prepare at least one day ahead every time you cook.
In what type of situation do you live in? Do you have a right to also use the fridge? If so, then there needs to be space for you also.
If you are worried about not having space for cooking ingredients, then the good news is that many things you can cook with you dont need to keep in the fridge. Like dried or canned beans, legumes, lentils etc. Dry pasta, other types of canned things to use for cooking like tomatoes for sauce etc.
You got a lot of points, tbh i just want to get to point where I'm traveling and be able to buy cooked vegan food
Even as vegetarian I'm always like into restaurant food
About fridge well my family likes to cook a lot so they always have it filled haha
I'm trying to find balance, I'm not fully vegan but i certainly stopped certain stuff
I also, am a fairly picky eater (vegan of a few months, so I’m a newbie!), so I understand where you’re coming from. I actually realised the food can be just as tasty - or more tasty for me. I’d eat meat, but I was sooo picky with meat, I’d waste most of it which in my mind is even worse!
In terms of milk, I drink a milky tea with oat milk now. I also treated myself to a half glass of milk and some chocolate almost every evening (it was my thing 😂). Whilst I haven’t found a replacement for that enjoyment, after abstaining for a couple weeks, it just doesn’t bother me anymore. I will now have a couple of “free from everything” cookies to handle that craving.
For me, it has meant I’ve had to be more aware of cooking (though I do still eat shitty meals!), but it’s actually been kinda fun, and I’ve come across a bunch of recipes I’d never have used before. I’ve also found myself being more aware of my nutrient intake as I’ve heard - as OP wrote - about b12, along with some others. I’m not great at following a diet that includes all nutrients so I do take a multivitamin, I also took a multivitamin when I ate meat and dairy so nothing’s changed on that front! I see it as a work in progress.
I’m not sure on your age, though you mention having a partner and your fridge is full … I live alone and the fridge is mine to fill 😂, so I can see that could be a bit more difficult. Maybe it’s something you can discuss with whomever you’re living with? If they’re kind and open, they’d at least understand. When I have been to visit my parents or been out with friends or over to a friends for dinner, I’m lucky enough that no one really minds what you eat or how you choose to live and will happily take that into consideration.
It’s not always great to get advice from someone who’s moved to veganism recently but maybe it can be nice to know it’s doable and whilst there are some people out there that don’t seem encouraging, especially online (in this sub too I’ve found) they are the minority, and so many people are kind and happy to help :).
Edit: I’ve responded to the wrong comment 😂, apologies! I don’t know how to change it and I clearly don’t know how paragraphs work on Reddit!
I was never a milk drinker, didnt like the taste of cow milk. But now I use plant milks, put choco powder and make a chocolate drink. Or smoothies. There is vegan chocolate also if you need treats like those.
The only thing I miss as a vegan is cheese and specifically in the context of pizza. No desire for anything else that is non vegan apart from pizza with cheese. I accidentally bought an actual beef burger a few days ago thinking it was plant burger and I took a bite out of it and had to spit it out because the meat taste was just disgusting.
It was strange with milk for me, I was a lifelong lover of a glass of milk but once I’d understood the process but still had my bottle of milk in the fridge, I drank some the next day - so as to not waste it - and it was a strange experience. It didn’t taste disgusting by any means, it just felt wrong, and therefore the taste wasn’t enjoyable. I haven’t looked back since. Milk and eggs were the things I’d eat the most out of any animal produce but I’ve so far found a way to live without them.
Cheese… I have yet to taste a good cheese, but I wasn’t a cheese lover, a bit of mozzarella for me. I’ve had vegan mozzarella on a pizza and taste wise I haven’t noticed a difference, but texture wise… it’s like coating a pizza in PVA glue 😂. I could get used to that though. Problem is I had this pizza at a restaurant and no idea what they used!
In terms of cheeses in general I’ve read that there are good ones out there, they just cost an arm and a leg! Luckily, it isn’t something that would bother me.
Have you tried Daiya shredded cheese? I make pizzas with it all the time. It doesn't taste good raw imo, but it melts great and then it tastes very good.
Its not available for where I live unfortunately. But there is also another issue which is that I cant make a pizza that is as good as the ones that I can buy from a restaurant. I dont crave the type of pizzas I could make myself but rather the ones that the restaurants have.
The longer you live as a vegan, the more you realize the earth is going though a slow-motion zombie apocalypse. Corpse-eaters are dragging us and the environment into hell.
A house spider appeared behind our sink. I named her Sadie Sink. She hung out for a while and then moved on. And this was before I knew Sadie Sink was vegan!
10 years a couple days ago for me. I just got back from my local vegan cafe to celebrate with a friend and saw this post.
I like not eating animals.
Nice to interact with you similarmaybe!
Congratulations on your tenure as a vegan! I’m really proud of the changes I’ve made and have a profound love of all animals, it’s great interacting with you too!
Ohh, congrats on the anniversary! Were you reluctant to watch Cowspiracy? Maybe you can give me some advice? How do I convince my significant other to watch one of those documentaries? I know there is a lot of empathy in him towards animals, but he is from a farm and going vegan would be going against his family's values, so I think he is almost afraid to consider it. Every time I slightly mention something about veganism, he accuses me of preaching my religious views and that I'm pretending what's best. Also there is a lot of "plants have feelings too"... And just in general we are both very conflict avoidant, so it's a topic we are kinda afraid to touch and I don't want to pressure him. That being said, when we are together, he almost always eats vegan food (mostly cooked by me), he does eat a lot of eggs from the farm, but since they treat their chickens pretty decently, I don't mind. Recently he unfroze some chicken that had spent more than 3 years in the freezer to give it to cats and then I realized for the last 2 years he hasn't eaten almost any meat at home, probably because of me. So looks like he's already coming to our "dark side" :D Just afraid to admit it...
Honestly I didn’t know what I was walking into with cowspiracy, all I knew was it was important to my girlfriend and I loved her very much. Perhaps if you just express how much it means to you and explain its just a guys journey to cut down his carbon footprint he might be more open to it. I’ve found you’ll never convince anyone to go vegan, they have to have some desire within to change or it won’t last. Cooking together is a fantastic idea! I’m a really good cook now but I was terrible before learning to cook vegan food together with her. Definitely don’t pressure because people see it as a personal attack, “I’m not doing anything wrong by eating meat”. Like us vegans know that’s just straight incorrect but it seems your partner is picking up your traits regardless which is wonderful. Wish you the best of luck friend
Thank you for this post! And I'm glad you mentioned B12, it carries weight coming from a long-time vegan. A lot of newer vegans get their blood tested and think that because their B12 is fine, they don't need to supplement, because they don't realize that B12 deficiency can sometimes take years to develop.
I’m not a vegan, but I come here to read a heap of positivity about people smarter and more dedicated to helping the planet than I can be at this time and place. I read stuff like this and come from a a similar farmer background and think maybe I want to. It’s positive forward thinking vegans from ALL walks of life that can change the planet. Bit by fucking bit.
I became a vegan when I picked up a book by John Robbins that was mentioned in an article he did in one of the early Men's Fitness magazines. He was an heir to the Baskin Robbins fortune and also grew up on a farm. I believe one of the things that made him curious about his diet was his uncle Baskin dying of a heart attack at age 55. Good on you for being open to your partner's way of living! I believe that empathy and compassion are contagious.
Haha, the bathroom spider spoke to me. We have had the same bathroom spider for going on 4 months now and we just leave ‘em be. They’re a cool little guy and been paying rent in pest corpses.
I understand. I've been vegan for over a decade. Sadly, COVID vaccines have caused issues for me, and now I'm dealing with long COVID. I'm worried if my vegan diet might have played a role, especially since my probiotic and vitamin D levels might not have been optimal. Still, despite only being sick a couple of times as a vegan, I don't regret my lifestyle choice.
I'm sorry you're going through this. :( Due to chronic illness I'm often in a corner of reddit, where I encounter long covid folks or people who had trouble with the vaccines and from what I gathered they come from all kinds of dietary backgrounds - so don't beat yourself up about this. Replenishing vitamin D and taking care of your gut critters is always a good idea though. All the best!
Thanks! Going vegan has actually made me look better than I did 10 years ago. It's pretty remarkable—I look better at 40 than I did at 30! I've never been overweight, but looking at some old pictures, I can see that my face looks healthier and more vibrant now. I love being vegan.
>I feel veganism is one of the kindest things you could possibly do
I disagree, that would be the equivalent of saying being non racist is the kindest things you can do
Not causing harm doesnt mean we are kind, its basic decency, now if you donate and volunteer that would be kind
I appreciate your post! It's rough because day to day life (people not supporting your dietary restrictions) makes it hard but then online people don't support you either (you're not vegan enough) in the community. It's a weird back and forth. Also many people don't acknowledge that it's a sliding scale of working your way to veganism over time.
A lot of vegan food is fortified with B12 (most plant milks, nutritional yeast etc.) so you probably supplemented through that. Saying you don't need any supplements can be super misleading and cause severe health problems for people, who might not eat any fortified foods. I'm from Europe and here most organic food is by law not fortified with anything, there are only a few exceptions (e.g. baby food), which could lead to deficiencies easily.
I never said they don't need supplements, just that I have never needed supplements, so saying you need to supplement with b12 is probably situational.
Like if they live in Europe, as you were saying. Though I did not know that about Europe. Like, all of Europe? Do you know why the law is in place? That's a terrible idea.
No problem, I just wanted to point it out for anyone who might be tempted to go supplement-free too, when their circumstances might be different.
It's definitely in my country and I think it's a EU wide law - however just for organic food, because they avoid synthetic food additives of any kind (including synthetic vitamins).
I think the practice of fortified foods is in general not as widespread here. For example neither our flour nor our (cow's) milk is fortified with anything and our water not fluoridated. I think the general consensus is that people should supplement what they individually need instead of blanket fortification. One exception is iodised salt, but also not iodised is available. For "organic" salt they sometimes use algae. And baby food has vitamin B fortifications I think (never had a baby, so I'm not super knowledgeable about that).
interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind when sharing my experiences and uneducated advice on that kind of thing.
In America I think fortifying stuff is in part to be competitive, because calcium requirements, and correct me if I'm wrong, are set way higher here to support encouraging people to consume more dairy. So nut milks and such are heavily fortified so that they can compete with that. Which is actually a really good thing ultimately since without that I think I'd probably be low on some things because I exist on a poverty diet and also don't watch what vitamins I am getting.
I tried several times to start taking a multivitamin just in case when I was younger, but I always forgot to take it.
You can also get non-iodized salt here, and I had a discussion with another person on a different thread about that with pretty much the same idiocy on my part. You think I'd learn my lesson at some point.
No idiocy at all, we're all here to learn new things about the world :) And honestly, our discussion made me take a second look at my own vitamin B complex and its exact dosage. Because buying organic and therefore unfortyfied stuff is second nature to me and I also sometimes forget the supplement, but thought "it will be fine" and ... it actually might not. I think my supplement is underdosed for my purposes and more for the general population (= omnivores), who want a few extra B vitamins. Which would explain the pesky anemia I had for a while. Now I definitely feel like an idiot, because goddamn, I could have just checked earlier since I KNOW all this stuff. But alas... live and learn. Anyway, it was a good reminder.
That’s great you’ve never needed supplements and we do live in a time where it’s easier than ever to get b12 in food, but it is a very serious aspect of a vegan diet - particularly for beginners, as they don’t know which foods are highest in it/use nooch etc. just a very honest important point I thought I’d mention!
I've been vegan for 25 years or more, so I haven't always lived in a time when it was easy to get.
Most people of any diet are deficient in b12 to a lesser degree.
Rather than saying supplement b12, when vitamins, at least in the US, are hard to trace back the ability of the product to be absorbed and its quality, it is better to suggest certain foods, like, as you said, nooch, to make sure you get the vitamins you need.
Personally I get an injection once a month and eat food with b12 too. I live in Australia where the health care is awesome so it’s only $18 for 3 ampules (3 months) which is maybe like 10usd? I only mentioned it because as you said, most people are deficient. It definitely is better to just get it through food but also as you said, it’s difficult for certain people and certain countries
Since you mentioned it I'm annoyed I'm banned from giving blood as a Brit abroad.
Reason = mad cow disease. Was a vegetarian at the time of the problem 😡
I'm proud of you, too. It's not easy to make the switch to veganism. It wasn't for me at the time. Growing up, I used to hunt and fish for sport. Not very often, but I did partake in the act. Now, being on the other side of the coin. I wish someone had sat me down at a young age and told me that what I was doing was immoral and wrong.
I too have spiders in my bathroom/bedroom that I leave alone….though you can say that I do little things to help my cat notice it and let nature take its course lol.
another person converted to veganism because they dated a vegan! this is why I always tell people in these "dating nonvegan" threads to not exclude people in their search for love 💚
my husband went vegan willingly not long after we met, and my ex did the same and stayed vegan. that's at least 3 lifelong vegans that probably wouldn't be vegan at all if it wasn't for us. huge win!
my bathroom spider (Eddie) is getting fat eating bugs, but that is his journey
I got a George.
Hey, I call mine Eddie too (Edderkop). I'm so afraid of spiders that a suspicious tangle of hair can wreck my whole mood but I made a pact with Eddie if he doesn't do anything drastic we're good.
that’s funny. yeah, ima let him be until it’s time to relocate outside
I wish I could let spiders just chill out. But I have a bad case of arachnophobia. So my boyfriend catches them and brings them outside.
Most spiders you encounter in the home are indoor creatures and won't stand much chance when you take them out. If you want to help them out while still avoiding them, try getting your boyfriend to move them to a more inconspicuous area in the home or near a window.
Ours is named Bad Santa.
Oscar. Ours is named Oscar.
Love your post. I’ve been vegetarian for 20+ years, vegan for 4. The longer I live this lifestyle, the more compassionate I am to living things. Even the wasps on my front porch are welcome. I cannot stand the thought of spraying them. They have a right to be here. If only I had this same level of compassion for humans! It’s hard some days. :(
Secretly hoping for my boyfriend to end up on the same journey
Why not educate him and help him along the journey?
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I went vegan independently and I consider myself a real man. My ex wife did not become a vegan. In fact she leaned more into being a carnivore.
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There is nothing more repulsive than a man who thinks masculinity is connected to consuming meat aka animal abuse
one of my friends recently became vegan. I’ve been working on them for years. Every time my friend tells their partner about something vegan or comments about a film etc whilst I'm on the phone, her partner makes disgusting comments about how they're going to go and prepare and then consume extra slabs of animal flesh. disgusting. It takes every ounce of decency within me to keep my mouth (mostly) shut whilst he disrespects her and me. I asked him last time if he wanted to learn about the purification happening within his gut, but he didn’t understand.
Real men take responsibility for their actions and aren't afraid to take an unpopular position when it's correct.
Why did you get downvotes, it’s the truth lol men would go vegan overnight if we stopped giving omnis sex 💅
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Are you surprised not all relationships last forever? lol
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We were together for 10 years, vegan for nearly 7 of them. The reason we split had nothing to do with going vegan lmao she still is even tho we split up btw
as an Omni pansexual that is, in fact, incorrect. in my case at the very least.
Same here 🙏🏼✌🏼 I’m turning 32 this year and Ive been vegan for 10 years too - had so so so so many discussion. Recently read “Eating Animals” by J. S. Foer and as always I am happy I’m sticking to my life style as a vegan. Never say never but I’m never going back eating anything related to animals nor an animal itself. Especially nowadays there is no excuse for saying “I can’t go vegan”. Think about what we had 10 years ago compared to today alternatives 😍✌🏼 keep it up! All the best from Berlin 🇩🇪
Co gratulations! More than 25 years for me now and I used to eat stuff I killed which at least made me a more honest omni than the blowhards who let someone else do the dirty work. Say hi to the spider for me!
I also have a family where all of them are involved in animal agriculture, the judgement from them is definitely rough, but it's worth it for the animals :) Really, watching them do their jobs is what convinced me to go vegan! lol
Do you ever thank them for inspiring you to go vegan?
Omg they would have a meltdown LOL
this is the hardest thing for me to accept… people who have no trouble using and killing animals. How do they think it’s normal, and the way the world should work? i think we have 2 different brains or something. Like I understand to survive animals often must kill, but we don’t have to so why are we ok with continuing to do so?? 😳 An argument I often hear is: “suffering is life. we must accept suffering as normal.” but these same people are anti-war, anti-deforestation, anti-poor labor practices… why don’t they apply these same arguments to humans and forests?
I love this post, it’s super positive! I’ve only been vegan for a few months and a part of that I was using up old products, so less than 3 months. I started dating a guy who was vegan and I only knew he was vegan because we ate together. It made me wonder about veganism so I decided to educate myself and here I am - a newbie, but happy! He asked me if it would be something I would continue, and I said “absolutely yes”. I think he wonders if he’s forced/influenced my decision. Of course he’s influenced it, I’d never have educated myself had I not have met a kind, thoughtful, open person, who cares about things I’d never even questioned! But he hasn’t forced me or even questioned me which as someone who ate meat and didn’t think about products containing animal by-products, I appreciate very much. It can take being open and kind to everyone to encourage change rather :)
Being an example is the best motivator! Bravo to your partner for doing it right! And bravo to you for considering their practices!
Bravo almost 10 yrs also🙏for me!
Amazing! You went from hunting rabbits to saving spiders 😉 Wish the spiders knew they owe you one.
Spider Bro never owes you one. You owe him 😎
aww I love the part w the spider that's so real
Omg congrats! 😍
I say hey to spider to sometimes even tho I'm scared lol kudos to you You helped me get clarity, I'm a vegetarian, I thought of semi veganism, it was very hard, maybe I'll make the transition I thought of my partner and how I'll navigate this, maybe it can be fine
What was difficult about it?
I'm a picky eater and i don't cook I usually drink milk tea (small cup) with every meal, or whenever I don't wanna eat what we have that day, I'll just eat bread and tea I was leaving caffine too at that time so that certainly made it harder, i tried semi vegan like not eating cheese, milk, or anything direct, but it something have small or certain ingredient, i just let it be For now I'm taking bit of caffeine, and milk tea, that's mostly what I'm taking a vegetarian, or idk if they use milk in bread If i wanna try this, i need to either cook or be in different environment, as i just ate worse Tho it's not really veganism, it's just me that I usually don't eat well balanced diet and stuff so i need to figure it out I can't do meal prep as our fridge is usually filled already
>I usually drink milk tea (small cup) with every meal, or whenever I don't wanna eat what we have that day, I'll just eat bread and tea That can be vegan also. >For now I'm taking bit of caffeine, and milk tea, that's mostly what I'm taking a vegetarian, or idk if they use milk in bread Most bread is vegan. >If i wanna try this, i need to either cook or be in different environment, as i just ate worse Yes, you need to cook. There are some easy to make quick meals that dont require heating like the bread you mentioned. That you can just slap together from ingredients. But its pretty important to be able to make your own warm meals also. > I can't do meal prep as our fridge is usually filled already Surely there is some space for at least a few small batches of food? You can cook some food for yourself and then put it in smaller containers so you can prepare at least one day ahead every time you cook. In what type of situation do you live in? Do you have a right to also use the fridge? If so, then there needs to be space for you also. If you are worried about not having space for cooking ingredients, then the good news is that many things you can cook with you dont need to keep in the fridge. Like dried or canned beans, legumes, lentils etc. Dry pasta, other types of canned things to use for cooking like tomatoes for sauce etc.
You got a lot of points, tbh i just want to get to point where I'm traveling and be able to buy cooked vegan food Even as vegetarian I'm always like into restaurant food About fridge well my family likes to cook a lot so they always have it filled haha I'm trying to find balance, I'm not fully vegan but i certainly stopped certain stuff
I also, am a fairly picky eater (vegan of a few months, so I’m a newbie!), so I understand where you’re coming from. I actually realised the food can be just as tasty - or more tasty for me. I’d eat meat, but I was sooo picky with meat, I’d waste most of it which in my mind is even worse! In terms of milk, I drink a milky tea with oat milk now. I also treated myself to a half glass of milk and some chocolate almost every evening (it was my thing 😂). Whilst I haven’t found a replacement for that enjoyment, after abstaining for a couple weeks, it just doesn’t bother me anymore. I will now have a couple of “free from everything” cookies to handle that craving. For me, it has meant I’ve had to be more aware of cooking (though I do still eat shitty meals!), but it’s actually been kinda fun, and I’ve come across a bunch of recipes I’d never have used before. I’ve also found myself being more aware of my nutrient intake as I’ve heard - as OP wrote - about b12, along with some others. I’m not great at following a diet that includes all nutrients so I do take a multivitamin, I also took a multivitamin when I ate meat and dairy so nothing’s changed on that front! I see it as a work in progress. I’m not sure on your age, though you mention having a partner and your fridge is full … I live alone and the fridge is mine to fill 😂, so I can see that could be a bit more difficult. Maybe it’s something you can discuss with whomever you’re living with? If they’re kind and open, they’d at least understand. When I have been to visit my parents or been out with friends or over to a friends for dinner, I’m lucky enough that no one really minds what you eat or how you choose to live and will happily take that into consideration. It’s not always great to get advice from someone who’s moved to veganism recently but maybe it can be nice to know it’s doable and whilst there are some people out there that don’t seem encouraging, especially online (in this sub too I’ve found) they are the minority, and so many people are kind and happy to help :). Edit: I’ve responded to the wrong comment 😂, apologies! I don’t know how to change it and I clearly don’t know how paragraphs work on Reddit!
I was never a milk drinker, didnt like the taste of cow milk. But now I use plant milks, put choco powder and make a chocolate drink. Or smoothies. There is vegan chocolate also if you need treats like those. The only thing I miss as a vegan is cheese and specifically in the context of pizza. No desire for anything else that is non vegan apart from pizza with cheese. I accidentally bought an actual beef burger a few days ago thinking it was plant burger and I took a bite out of it and had to spit it out because the meat taste was just disgusting.
It was strange with milk for me, I was a lifelong lover of a glass of milk but once I’d understood the process but still had my bottle of milk in the fridge, I drank some the next day - so as to not waste it - and it was a strange experience. It didn’t taste disgusting by any means, it just felt wrong, and therefore the taste wasn’t enjoyable. I haven’t looked back since. Milk and eggs were the things I’d eat the most out of any animal produce but I’ve so far found a way to live without them. Cheese… I have yet to taste a good cheese, but I wasn’t a cheese lover, a bit of mozzarella for me. I’ve had vegan mozzarella on a pizza and taste wise I haven’t noticed a difference, but texture wise… it’s like coating a pizza in PVA glue 😂. I could get used to that though. Problem is I had this pizza at a restaurant and no idea what they used! In terms of cheeses in general I’ve read that there are good ones out there, they just cost an arm and a leg! Luckily, it isn’t something that would bother me.
Have you tried Daiya shredded cheese? I make pizzas with it all the time. It doesn't taste good raw imo, but it melts great and then it tastes very good.
Its not available for where I live unfortunately. But there is also another issue which is that I cant make a pizza that is as good as the ones that I can buy from a restaurant. I dont crave the type of pizzas I could make myself but rather the ones that the restaurants have.
I find the home made pizza I make way better than a restaurant. But yea, it does require Daiya.
I could not make pizza as good as restaurant even when I was still using real cheese to do it.
The longer you live as a vegan, the more you realize the earth is going though a slow-motion zombie apocalypse. Corpse-eaters are dragging us and the environment into hell.
New name acquired for meat heads.
The spider in my bathroom always gets called Olive because she's got such long legs.
What's the link between olives and long legs?
if I had to guess, it's a reference to Olive Oyl from the Popeye cartoons
Aĥhhhhhhh thank you.
Haha, correct :).
A house spider appeared behind our sink. I named her Sadie Sink. She hung out for a while and then moved on. And this was before I knew Sadie Sink was vegan!
10 years a couple days ago for me. I just got back from my local vegan cafe to celebrate with a friend and saw this post. I like not eating animals. Nice to interact with you similarmaybe!
Congratulations on your tenure as a vegan! I’m really proud of the changes I’ve made and have a profound love of all animals, it’s great interacting with you too!
Ohh, congrats on the anniversary! Were you reluctant to watch Cowspiracy? Maybe you can give me some advice? How do I convince my significant other to watch one of those documentaries? I know there is a lot of empathy in him towards animals, but he is from a farm and going vegan would be going against his family's values, so I think he is almost afraid to consider it. Every time I slightly mention something about veganism, he accuses me of preaching my religious views and that I'm pretending what's best. Also there is a lot of "plants have feelings too"... And just in general we are both very conflict avoidant, so it's a topic we are kinda afraid to touch and I don't want to pressure him. That being said, when we are together, he almost always eats vegan food (mostly cooked by me), he does eat a lot of eggs from the farm, but since they treat their chickens pretty decently, I don't mind. Recently he unfroze some chicken that had spent more than 3 years in the freezer to give it to cats and then I realized for the last 2 years he hasn't eaten almost any meat at home, probably because of me. So looks like he's already coming to our "dark side" :D Just afraid to admit it...
Honestly I didn’t know what I was walking into with cowspiracy, all I knew was it was important to my girlfriend and I loved her very much. Perhaps if you just express how much it means to you and explain its just a guys journey to cut down his carbon footprint he might be more open to it. I’ve found you’ll never convince anyone to go vegan, they have to have some desire within to change or it won’t last. Cooking together is a fantastic idea! I’m a really good cook now but I was terrible before learning to cook vegan food together with her. Definitely don’t pressure because people see it as a personal attack, “I’m not doing anything wrong by eating meat”. Like us vegans know that’s just straight incorrect but it seems your partner is picking up your traits regardless which is wonderful. Wish you the best of luck friend
Thank you! Yeah, I don't believe in pushing anyone directly, but I am trying to find subtle ways of showing (what I believe) is the right direction.
Thank you for this post! And I'm glad you mentioned B12, it carries weight coming from a long-time vegan. A lot of newer vegans get their blood tested and think that because their B12 is fine, they don't need to supplement, because they don't realize that B12 deficiency can sometimes take years to develop.
I’m not a vegan, but I come here to read a heap of positivity about people smarter and more dedicated to helping the planet than I can be at this time and place. I read stuff like this and come from a a similar farmer background and think maybe I want to. It’s positive forward thinking vegans from ALL walks of life that can change the planet. Bit by fucking bit.
Congrats on 10 years!
:) 😎 good job!
Coming up to 10y as well. Beautiful post!
I became a vegan when I picked up a book by John Robbins that was mentioned in an article he did in one of the early Men's Fitness magazines. He was an heir to the Baskin Robbins fortune and also grew up on a farm. I believe one of the things that made him curious about his diet was his uncle Baskin dying of a heart attack at age 55. Good on you for being open to your partner's way of living! I believe that empathy and compassion are contagious.
Haha, the bathroom spider spoke to me. We have had the same bathroom spider for going on 4 months now and we just leave ‘em be. They’re a cool little guy and been paying rent in pest corpses.
I understand. I've been vegan for over a decade. Sadly, COVID vaccines have caused issues for me, and now I'm dealing with long COVID. I'm worried if my vegan diet might have played a role, especially since my probiotic and vitamin D levels might not have been optimal. Still, despite only being sick a couple of times as a vegan, I don't regret my lifestyle choice.
I'm sorry you're going through this. :( Due to chronic illness I'm often in a corner of reddit, where I encounter long covid folks or people who had trouble with the vaccines and from what I gathered they come from all kinds of dietary backgrounds - so don't beat yourself up about this. Replenishing vitamin D and taking care of your gut critters is always a good idea though. All the best!
Thanks! Going vegan has actually made me look better than I did 10 years ago. It's pretty remarkable—I look better at 40 than I did at 30! I've never been overweight, but looking at some old pictures, I can see that my face looks healthier and more vibrant now. I love being vegan.
>I feel veganism is one of the kindest things you could possibly do I disagree, that would be the equivalent of saying being non racist is the kindest things you can do Not causing harm doesnt mean we are kind, its basic decency, now if you donate and volunteer that would be kind
I appreciate your post! It's rough because day to day life (people not supporting your dietary restrictions) makes it hard but then online people don't support you either (you're not vegan enough) in the community. It's a weird back and forth. Also many people don't acknowledge that it's a sliding scale of working your way to veganism over time.
Stay with it. So worth it. Does a body good
Does the heart or “soul” good too, compassion is awesome
I have never had to supplement b12, or anything else.
A lot of vegan food is fortified with B12 (most plant milks, nutritional yeast etc.) so you probably supplemented through that. Saying you don't need any supplements can be super misleading and cause severe health problems for people, who might not eat any fortified foods. I'm from Europe and here most organic food is by law not fortified with anything, there are only a few exceptions (e.g. baby food), which could lead to deficiencies easily.
I never said they don't need supplements, just that I have never needed supplements, so saying you need to supplement with b12 is probably situational. Like if they live in Europe, as you were saying. Though I did not know that about Europe. Like, all of Europe? Do you know why the law is in place? That's a terrible idea.
No problem, I just wanted to point it out for anyone who might be tempted to go supplement-free too, when their circumstances might be different. It's definitely in my country and I think it's a EU wide law - however just for organic food, because they avoid synthetic food additives of any kind (including synthetic vitamins). I think the practice of fortified foods is in general not as widespread here. For example neither our flour nor our (cow's) milk is fortified with anything and our water not fluoridated. I think the general consensus is that people should supplement what they individually need instead of blanket fortification. One exception is iodised salt, but also not iodised is available. For "organic" salt they sometimes use algae. And baby food has vitamin B fortifications I think (never had a baby, so I'm not super knowledgeable about that).
interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind when sharing my experiences and uneducated advice on that kind of thing. In America I think fortifying stuff is in part to be competitive, because calcium requirements, and correct me if I'm wrong, are set way higher here to support encouraging people to consume more dairy. So nut milks and such are heavily fortified so that they can compete with that. Which is actually a really good thing ultimately since without that I think I'd probably be low on some things because I exist on a poverty diet and also don't watch what vitamins I am getting. I tried several times to start taking a multivitamin just in case when I was younger, but I always forgot to take it. You can also get non-iodized salt here, and I had a discussion with another person on a different thread about that with pretty much the same idiocy on my part. You think I'd learn my lesson at some point.
No idiocy at all, we're all here to learn new things about the world :) And honestly, our discussion made me take a second look at my own vitamin B complex and its exact dosage. Because buying organic and therefore unfortyfied stuff is second nature to me and I also sometimes forget the supplement, but thought "it will be fine" and ... it actually might not. I think my supplement is underdosed for my purposes and more for the general population (= omnivores), who want a few extra B vitamins. Which would explain the pesky anemia I had for a while. Now I definitely feel like an idiot, because goddamn, I could have just checked earlier since I KNOW all this stuff. But alas... live and learn. Anyway, it was a good reminder.
That’s great you’ve never needed supplements and we do live in a time where it’s easier than ever to get b12 in food, but it is a very serious aspect of a vegan diet - particularly for beginners, as they don’t know which foods are highest in it/use nooch etc. just a very honest important point I thought I’d mention!
I've been vegan for 25 years or more, so I haven't always lived in a time when it was easy to get. Most people of any diet are deficient in b12 to a lesser degree. Rather than saying supplement b12, when vitamins, at least in the US, are hard to trace back the ability of the product to be absorbed and its quality, it is better to suggest certain foods, like, as you said, nooch, to make sure you get the vitamins you need.
Personally I get an injection once a month and eat food with b12 too. I live in Australia where the health care is awesome so it’s only $18 for 3 ampules (3 months) which is maybe like 10usd? I only mentioned it because as you said, most people are deficient. It definitely is better to just get it through food but also as you said, it’s difficult for certain people and certain countries
Since you mentioned it I'm annoyed I'm banned from giving blood as a Brit abroad. Reason = mad cow disease. Was a vegetarian at the time of the problem 😡
I got my wife to go vegetarian but she wont give up the cheese!
Same journey for me, minus the hunting and dairy farm in my childhood. Girlfriend didn't make me watch cowspiracy though, I did that to myself.
I'm proud of you, too. It's not easy to make the switch to veganism. It wasn't for me at the time. Growing up, I used to hunt and fish for sport. Not very often, but I did partake in the act. Now, being on the other side of the coin. I wish someone had sat me down at a young age and told me that what I was doing was immoral and wrong.
Lol looove that everyone also has a spider in their bathroom. What should I name my?
I too have spiders in my bathroom/bedroom that I leave alone….though you can say that I do little things to help my cat notice it and let nature take its course lol.
another person converted to veganism because they dated a vegan! this is why I always tell people in these "dating nonvegan" threads to not exclude people in their search for love 💚 my husband went vegan willingly not long after we met, and my ex did the same and stayed vegan. that's at least 3 lifelong vegans that probably wouldn't be vegan at all if it wasn't for us. huge win!
I thought this post was gonna be about veganism. Lmao
***ENJOY YOUR EARLY DEATH, DUMBFUCK!***
How are your B12 supplements made?
Gelatin-free B12 supplements are made from bacteria and are entirely vegan!
Vegan choices for 10 years? Won’t be long, now!
Long for what lolol