One Year as a Vegan – What Have I Learned?

January First marked my official one year anniversary as a vegan. My veganiversary, if you will.

In the year that seems to be taking veganism to the mainstream, I want to share what I’ve learned on my journey.

After dabbling in veganism for a long time, I took part in Veganuary 2018 to see if I could commit fully to the diet and lifestyle change for a month. Turns out I could.

I then decided to see how long I could stick with it after January and now, 14 months down the line, here I am. Still vegan. Still loving it.

Here’s what I’ve learned since making the switch:

1. i DEFINITELY made the right choice

Veganism aligns much closer with my beliefs and morals than vegetarianism. I always had a nagging guilt about vegetarianism not being enough and I think veganism is where I was always headed. It just took me a little while to get here.

Everyone is different and I don’t think being vegan makes me a “better” person. It just feels right. For me.

Maybe things will change. But right now, I can’t imagine going back.

2. I don’t miss cheese

Trust me, I am more surprised than you are about this fact.

I was always one of those “but cheese…” vegetarians and honestly wasn’t sure that I could give it up for good; cheese on crackers was my go-to snack, I loved a bit of brie as a treat, and cheese and Vegemite on toast was my hangover cure.

Cutting it out was probably my biggest hurdle but it definitely helps that the vegan cheese market has exploded. There is so much more available than there was even a year or two ago and the products are getting better and better.

However, not all vegan cheese is created equal. I’ve completed the arduous task of eating as much vegan cheese as possible so I can point you in the right direction… You’re welcome.

These are some of my favourites:

Block: Koko Dairy-Free Cheddar
Shredded: Violife Mozzarella Flavour Grated and Bute Island Foods Grated Mozzarella Style
Slices: Follow Your Heart Pepper Jack and Violife Original Flavour Slices
Hard: Violife Prosociano Wedge
Spreadable: Sainsbury’s Garlic & Herb
Specialty: I AM NUT OKAY MinerThreat and New Roots Free-The-Cow Soft Camembert

One year on, I’ve remained 100% cheese-free. Even on hangover days.

3. It’s getting easier

2018 was a pretty good year for the growth of veganism. However, 2019 may just be the year it goes mainstream in the UK. In the first couple of months alone, there has been a tonne of vegan launches from big names. To name but a few:

Gregg’s launched their now infamous vegan sausage roll, which sold hundreds of thousands in the first week alone. It got national media coverage after professional knobhead writer/TV presenter Piers Morgan publicly slayed the roll on twitter then pretended to throw up on live TV after eating one. All class. For the record, the sausage rolls are pretty decent.

M&S released Plant Kitchen, their 100% vegan range of more than 50 ready meals, frozen foods and food-to-go. I am a massive fan of this range and definitely spend too much money on vegan potato salad, “not-chicken” nuggets and cashew mac ‘n’ cheese.

Sainsbury’s launched 25 new vegan products for the start of Veganuary including vegan shrimp, seitan “bacon”, vegan croissants, and BBQ Jackfruit & Mushroom Pizza.

Magnum released two vegan options – Classic and Almond. They are pricey at around £4 for three ice creams but they are a delicious treat.

Pizza Hut introduced a full vegan menu including BBQ jackfruit pizza, vegan cheese-filled rolls, and cinnamon bites.

Frankie & Benny’s added a whole bunch of vegan options to their menu including Mac No Cheese, a vegan burger, and vegan hot dogs.

Even former vegan-disser Gordon Ramsay released a vegan menu in his London restaurants!

4. Plant milk is taking over

Long before going vegan, I switched to dairy-free milk. At the time, soy milk was generally available in chains (at a charge) but was hit or miss in smaller, independent coffee shops.

Over the past few years, more shops have started offering almond or oat milk in addition to soy. Now, most chains offer at least two dairy-free options with many adding coconut, rice and/or other nut milks to their menu.

There has been a massive change in stores too. Walking through Sainsbury’s the other day, I noticed that plant-based milk took up a whole end cap in the fridge section and almost half an aisle in the long-life section.

The options were endless: organic, unsweetened, barista-style, brown rice, hazelnut cacao, vanilla soy, coconut-almond, “growing up drink” for toddlers…

Now if only coffee shops would stop charging extra for dairy-free.

5. Sometimes Being Vegan is actually easier than being vegetarian

Yes, really.

Veganism is generally less open to interpretation by others. Although I still get asked a lot of annoying questions, I don’t tend to get asked if I eat fish or wear leather. I don’t have to explain to the waiter that Parmesan isn’t vegetarian or that no, fish sauce is not okay.

Of course, it’s still tricky to find options at some restaurants but if something on the menu is marked as “vegan”, I don’t feel like I have to ask a million questions just to make sure…

6. Not everyone loses weight on a vegan diet

Dammit.

Even when I first made the switch, I didn’t lose any weight. Perhaps switching to a whole foods, plant-based diet would help but really, there’s just too much delicious vegan junk food calling to me… and heading straight to my thighs.

As most vegans will tell you, veganism is a lifestyle more than a diet. Don’t expect it to be some sort of miracle weight-loss solution.

7. Beeswax is in EVERYTHING

Okay, not everything. But man, beeswax (aka cera alba) sneaks into a shed-load of different products.

Candles are the obvious one but what else? Beeswax is often found in lip balms, moisturisers, hand creams, salves, hair treatments, pomades, sunscreens, and make-up. It’s used in shoe and furniture polish. It can be the glaze on sweets, the “chewy” part of chewing gum, or the coating on waxed fruits like lemons.

There are alternatives like soy wax but unfortunately, they’re not widely used.

8. With popularity comes criticism

Veganism has been gaining serious momentum over the past couple of years and this rise in popularity has led to a massive rise in criticism. Although people have always made fun of vegans, this is next level. People have been vicious.

Social media is awash with omnivores, vegetarians and vegans swinging insults at one another. A NatWest customer was told by an employee that “all vegans should be punched in the face” when applying for a loan. The web is overflowing with opinion pieces asking, “Do People Hate Vegans?“, “Why Do Vegans Attract Such Hatred?” and “Why Do People Mock Vegans?“. And some idiot staged a “protest” at an LA vegan market by eating a raw, bloody chicken carcass in the middle of it (no link because it’s vile).

Why all this hatred? Yes, Piers Morgan probably fuelled a lot of the drama here in the UK. But I think the general increase in the visibility of veganism is what offends hard-core carnivores the most. Apparently a simple display of vegan options in Sainsbury’s or a Veganuary ad on the side of a bus is “shoving it down their throats”. And Gregg’s releasing a vegan sausage roll (which has not replaced the traditional sausage roll and that no one is being forced to eat) is somehow a personal insult.

Live and let live, people.

9. The vegan community is (MOSTLY) super-supportive

Facebook and Twitter are a great platforms to discuss anything and everything related to veganism. Since going vegan, I’ve joined several vegan groups on Facebook and followed loads more like-minded people on Twitter.

99% of the vegans on these platforms are friendly, helpful, compassionate and supportive people. I’ve learned a lot through their posts, discovered amazing new products, signed petitions for causes I’m passionate about, and been part of (or quietly stalked) super-interesting discussions.

But then there’s the 1%. Often known as “militant vegans”, they are the ones calling out anyone and everyone who isn’t “perfect” in their eyes: vegetarians (“WORSE THAN MEAT-EATERS”), people who take medication that may contain animal-derived ingredients (“BETTER THAT YOU DIE!”), people with non-vegan pets (“HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF A VEGAN WHEN YOUR CAT EATS FISH?”), people with any pets (“PETS ARE SLAVES”)… You get the idea.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. But it’s the aggressive, hateful and offensive way this minority chooses to get their point across that I dislike. And definitely contributes to the aforementioned criticism.

Most vegans are awesome. Don’t let the 1% tar all of us with their brush.

10. Nobody is perfect

Okay, I didn’t exactly learn this but it was instilled time and time again. I did my absolute best to be 100% vegan but on occasion, I was caught out. The militant vegans would hate me.

I had to take a course of antibiotics and although I always request tablets instead of capsules (to avoid gelatine), I discovered the tablets still contained lactose. Did I take them? Of course. I will ill and there was no alternative.

I take several medications daily for different issues. Some contain lactose. At present, there is no alternative to these and my health has to come first. If a pharmaceutical company launches these medications without any animal-derived ingredients tomorrow, I will be first in line. But for now, I’m not going to beat myself up. I will continue to live by The Vegan Society’s definition of veganism, which is:

A way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

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What questions do you have about veganism? Let me know in the comments!