Hello, and welcome back to Eight Years In. And if you’re new here, welcome in! Today I wanted to talk about something that more vegans should think about, and that’s the different reasons why people don’t go vegan. 

   Now obviously, this being a vegan blog, I am vegan. So you may wonder what sort of authority I have to even be talking about this. And that’s fair. So what I wanted to do was explore why I didn’t go vegan. Or well, why I didn’t go vegan sooner. So that’s the lens we’re going to look at it through. Why didn’t I go vegan sooner? 

   And I’m going to base this both on my memories of my past perspectives and conversations I’ve had with people who are also not vegan and people who knew me before I made the switch. (Although all of those in the latter category also fall into the former category as well, in this case.) 

Apathy

   People will tell vegans that they just care a lot (or way too much, in some cases), and that they could never go vegan, because they just don’t care enough. I find that to be untrue. In fact, these people (nonvegans) care an awful lot, just about different things. If they really didn’t care, it would be easy for them to go vegan, because the switch wouldn’t be that big of a deal. 

   So it’s important for us (as vegans) to not get caught with our blinders on. Even though we live in a world of meat eaters, it can still be quite easy to forget the sorts of things that we cared about before we went vegan. And that’s what I want to get at with this post. But I’m not going to cover everything. So let us know with a comment: what’s something that you cared about that kept you from going vegan initially?

Tradition

   People have been eating meat (and other animal products) for ages. (Although there have been people who’ve eaten plant based for ages as well, not all of us are familiar with these cultures.) When your parents, grandparents, great grandparents (and so on) have done these things their whole lives, there is a real trepidation that comes with changing things up. The holiday celebrations need to shift, that thing you did once a year as a kid might not be on the table for you anymore. 

   We’re creatures of habit, and when it comes to feeling stable and secure, we need to be able to fall back on old comforts in some form. I needed to realize that I could still have some of my old traditions. Most of them, in fact. I just needed to do the necessary alterations, and then bam, they’re vegan. 

Other people’s opinions

   Not only are people creatures of habit, but we’re also social animals. And for most of us, animal products are all around us in our social circles. (And if they’re not, you’re likely already vegan.) So there’s a lot of fear there. We worry we’ll lose our friends and support systems if we turn down nonvegan rituals and accoutrements. We fear hypothetical ridicule for our choice to not consume animals and their byproducts anymore. And there are two sides of this coin.

   To be honest, a lot of people don’t care as much as we think they will. Especially people who care about us. They only want to make sure that we’re safe and happy, and if we can assure them that we can be this way while also being vegan, they’re okay with the change. In some cases, they’re even willing to help accommodate our new needs and specifications. So many of our worries are unsubstantiated.

   But there are also people who aren’t going to agree with us. Some may even decide to mock or criticize you for your choice to go vegan. I can’t pretend this doesn’t happen, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t like to talk about being vegan very much in my daily life. One thing I can say to this is the simple encouragement that it is getting better. Back when I first went vegan, most people around me didn’t even know what it was until I explained it to them, and the resistance was very present. But these days, a lot of people are more aware and respectful of veganism as a lifestyle, and that’s great. I imagine that will continue to be the trend, going forward.

Lack of exposure

   Another thing that kept me from going vegan sooner was, as I was just alluding to, was simply lack of information. I had never heard of veganism, as a term. I didn’t know that it was something a person could conceivably do, or any of the reasons why someone might choose it. This was due to a combination of the times, the area I lived in, and also just being a young person in general. My parents largely decided what influences I had access to, and none of them were vegan or vegan-friendly. 

   I don’t know if I would have gone vegan earlier, had I known what it was. I like to think I would have, but as a young person who wanted to follow my parents rules, I can’t make that claim. But I can say that you are really unlikely to go vegan if you’ve ever heard of it before. And even less likely if you’re convinced it would be impossible to survive this way.

What will I eat?

   Speaking of survival, another thing that kept me from going vegan (and keeps many people from it) is not knowing what they would even eat. Would they be able to survive and thrive if they got rid of the animal products? And yes, they would! The official position of the ADA (American Dietetic Association) states, “Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle,” and they’ve included vegan diets or “total vegetarian diets” as they’ve called them in their position as well. To read more from them, click here.

   But we’re not told what we could eat as vegans. We’re taught how to eat a balanced nonvegan diet, if we’re lucky. And that doesn’t do us much good when it comes to trying to go vegan. If you don’t know what vegans eat, check out my post about it here. But I’m not a dietician or a health professional of any sort, so I’d reccomend that you check out some sources with more substantiated information than I’ve got. You can find the NHS guide to the vegan diet here. Or check out Lettuce Veg Out, A blog run by Nicole Stevens, a vegan registered dietician. (https://lettucevegout.com/about/vegan-dietitian/) 

   The point is, it may take some learning, but you can survive and thrive on a vegan diet, and still eat delicious food. 

Lack of autonomy

   Now this one’s an interesting one because it takes some different forms in different individuals, and sometimes, multiple forms in the same individual. But essentially, a very real barrier to going vegan is not having a say over your own choices. 

   For young people, their parents may have such a stronghold on their decisions that they’re actually not allowed to go vegan, even if they want to. (Which is the reason I don’t know if I would have been able to go vegan any earlier than I did.) This extends to people who have legal guardians for reasons of disability and/or mental illness. Or people with lack of food security. Some of these people may not be able to go vegan. If they did, they may starve or suffer nutritional deficiencies, due to lack of food or lack of certain kinds of food being available to them.

   However, this is an interesting one because in these applications, it may be a real reason in some cases. And then there are people who only perceive a lack of autonomy, and use that as what some frustrated vegans might perceive as an excuse. We have to remember that people use all sorts of things to justify why they can’t go vegan, and the reasons they give are their reality. It’s not useful to argue against them–especially this one.

   If someone perceives a lack of autonomy, they’re not going to be receptive to you just saying “Well I know you think that you can’t, but you actually can.” Who listens to such things in the first place? If this is someone you are close to and care about, you might want to instead try to work with them to increase their sense of personal autonomy. This would have definite benefits for them, outside of being able to consider veganism. Imagine how much they might be able to accomplish if they felt more control over their life and their choices! Do what you can to support them in their independence in all aspects of their life, and if you have that sort of relationship with them, be an encouraging force in their life toward their own independence and personal autonomy. Veganism may come later.

It’s hard

   Now this one is simple. I figured going vegan would be hard, and so I didn’t do it earlier. This was in part because of what nonvegan people told me. My mother (specifically) said it would be hard. She didn’t know what she could cook for me. Random people told me I would give it up soon, because I’d miss meat. 

   But before I even talked to anyone about it, I was worried it would be difficult too. I came to veganism in my own way. I decided that even if it was hard, it would be worth it to clear my conscience about the animal cruelty I was necessitating due to my choices. But if you’ve been vegan for a long time, you’ll know that it’s usually not that difficult. And I wish I had known that in advance, because I may have made the switch earlier. 

   I admit, there is a bit of a learning curve to going vegan. You have to learn how a vegan diet looks and you need to learn how to read labels. But once you’ve done that, it’s pretty easy and become second nature relatively quickly. Sure, there are days when things are a little wonky or you make a mistake, but in general, once you’ve learned the basics, being vegan isn’t that difficult as long as you have the ability to choose your own consumer products.

I can’t be perfect (so why try)

   Speaking of mistakes, I think it’s important to point out that there is not such thing as a perfect vegan. You are going to make mistakes as a vegan. I know I have. (In fact, that’s one of the reason I wanted to make this website. All these years later, I’m still learning, and that’s okay. In fact, that’s something to be happy about.) But to some people, this simple fact is enough to scare them away from veganism entirely. That’s unnecessary, and a real shame.

   Part of the definition of veganism that sticks with me is the line “as far as is possible and practiceable”. (Find the definition of veganism according to the vegan society here.) Human error is real, and expecting that you are above it is just…well, not possible. That’s not to say that you should turn a blind eye to your mistakes. (Instead you should try to remember and learn from them.) But that also doesn’t mean you should shy away from veganism altogether, just because you’re bound to make some mistakes. 

   If you truly understand the positive effects of veganism on the animals and the environment (and possibly your health, if that is compelling for you), then you’ll understand that you are still making a difference, even in your striving imperfection. After all, 2 imperfect vegans make more of a difference than 1 perfect one, if there were such a thing. You don’t want to just call it quits (or not try) because you know you’re going to mess up.

   And furthermore, I would mention the same to people who never intend on going vegan. Just because you aren’t vegan, doesn’t mean you can’t try to reduce the animal products and increase the compassion of your choices. Do your best. Even if you won’t be a perfect vegan. Even if you won’t be vegan at all. Make changes to start aligning your choices with your values. 

Vegans are weird

   Now this one isn’t something that bothered me or kept me from veganism. Because frankly, I don’t have a very big issue with someone or something being weird. But I wanted to include it as a cheeky little bonus, because it’s a real barrier I know that people have, and wanted to address it.

   In some ways, there’s not much we can do about this perception for now. Vegans are weird because veganism is not the norm in society. And this part, we can only press on and keep existing. The trend is upward, so likely the longer you stay vegan, the less people will think it’s weird. (That has certainly been my experience, both in my social circles but also just with people who find out that I don’t know very well.) 

   But there is another side of this that I think we can help affect, at least a little. We can be whole people and stop making veganism our entire identity. (That may come off funny from someone who literally has a whole website dedicated to veganism but in my daily life I don’t like to talk about it that much. Especially with people who I don’t know well.) Have other interests and hobbies. Talk about other things, too. It’s not that people can’t know that you’re vegan. But don’t have that be the only thing anyone knows about you. It boils you down to one idea, and makes you seem less human and more just…vegan. That adds a level of weirdness. Not to mention unapproachability. Remember, you’re human first. Vegan second. That’s okay to acknowledge. 

   Anyway, these are some reasons why I didn’t go vegan sooner, and why people don’t go vegan. Let us know in the comments, what kept (or is keeping) you from going vegan?