venturing into veganism

at first, the vegan diet to me was just that – a diet; a way of eating. but as i became immersed in the lifestyle, it slowly permeated every aspect of my life. everything from cooking dinner to meeting people suddenly became entirely new experiences. and as i look back on the evolution of my life as a vegan, i’m shocked and pleasantly surprised at how much has changed.

putting a label on it…

the first habit i adopted as a new vegan was label reading, which turned out to be a lot more difficult – and educational – than i expected. i assumed it would be easy to figure out what was vegan by looking out for cheese and meat ingredients. little did i know, animal products in some form are in almost everything, and they’re masked by scientific-sounding terms like “l-cysteine” and “casein.” i found a list of ingredient sources and gradually learned which items i could buy and which to stay away from. by going through this process, i came to realize just how much our culture depends on animal products and how they can be avoided if manufacturers actually try to find alternatives. sadly, i’ve found that most of them don’t

cruelty-free cooking…

my troubles and frustrations with label reading brought me to my next obstacle – cooking. before i became vegan, my cooking skills were sorely lacking. i could boil water for pasta and make a mediocre grilled cheese, but that was about it. because it’s not as easy as it should be to find vegan food in grocery stores or at restaurants, i started to learn how to cook my own food. and now i can make a mean stuffed eggplant like nobody’s business.

buying into the belief…

while i struggled with food labels, i quickly discovered how to shop for vegan clothing and which materials to avoid. i’m allergic to wool, so that one was easy enough. and i’m pretty cheap, so most of my shoes were fake leather anyway. i had a few sweaters containing silk that i gave to my little sister. other than that, my wardrobe didn’t change too drastically. i did, however, come to realize just how many stores put unnecessary leather tags and buckles on their clothes. it seemed like every time i’d finally found a great replacement winter coat (i got rid of my pea coat), it would have a leather tag. after a while, i gave up on the idea of a pea coat and got a columbia ski jacket instead. not as fashionable in my opinion, but hey, we all suffer for our ideals, right?

surviving in society…

while the vegan lifestyle obviously affected the way i did things, i didn’t realize how greatly it would impact my interaction with others. the minute i decided to give veganism a try, i was barraged with questions from friends, family and co-workers. most of them didn’t understand why i wanted to adopt such a drastic diet. when i explained my position on animal rights, some of them were impressed and supportive (mostly co-workers) while some were disapproving and dismayed (mostly friends and family). as i became accustomed to spilling my guts about my idealistic opinions on world issues, i found that i had become more open with my feelings in general. as awkward as it was to explain (and sometimes defend) my beliefs, i got used to it. and now it’s much easier for me to discuss pretty much anything with complete strangers – something i cherish as a valuable skill.

overall, i think becoming vegan has taught me to be more careful with life and i’m grateful to have found something that puts my mind at peace.