10 Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Veganism

May 2020 marks my tenth vegan anniversary (and 13 years meat-free)! This is something that I am incredibly excited about and leading up to May, I intend to make a few posts about the vegan lifestyle. Seeing that it’s been more than a decade of being meat-free, I wanted to reflect on the things that I’ve learned since going vegan, as a lot has changed over the past decade not only societally, but personally as well. So to mark a decade, I made a list of 10 things that I have learned since being vegan, so let’s get into it.

People Change

When I went vegetarian at the age of 15, I was devastated to learn about all the atrocities and cruelty inflicted on other living beings within the farming, fur, cosmetics - you name it - industry. I was still in high school at this time and used class presentations as a form of animal activism to display the horrors to those that I could and also had some wonderful Peta pamphlets that I would also hand out. At this time, I believed that the more we shed light on these industries, the more that people would change their purchasing decisions and behaviours and adopt incorporate more cruelty-free products into their lifestyle.

Since then, I learned that it is best to catch flies with honey and to lead by example and very rarely now, do I ever talk about animal welfare with others, unless it comes up naturally in conversation. I’ve learned that people are far more open to your ideologies if you’re not forcing them on them, and in doing so, creates an opportunity to have an open discussion and to answer any questions that the person(s) may have. You're able to create stronger bonds with other people and become a resource that they are willing to go to should they have any questions or concerns about veganism.

I’ve also seen the ways that people have changed in my personal life, especially family. It can be hard making major dietary changes when you’re a teenager living at home, as family won’t always be supportive. I lucked out in the sense that my mom was incredibly supportive and it actually strengthened our relationship as we spent more time together, but my brothers and extended family were incredibly hard to deal with at that time. In fact, it has only been the past few years that both of my brothers have become significantly better towards my being vegan. Today I am happy to report, that aside from the occasional light joke, they are happy to accommodate during family gatherings and we enjoy each other's company far more than we ever have before.

There’s no such thing as the perfect vegan

And it’s the truth. In reality, there are always going to be grey areas in life and the same holds true when it comes to veganism. To us (Sharayah and I), it’s become about creating the least amount of harm as possible, and therefore, some may not consider us vegan in the purchases we do make from time to time.

Reducing our waste and minimizing our environmental impact is incredibly important to us, and as such, we have taken to buying plastic free-alternatives and products that can be recycled or ideally, composted. Therefore, we evaluate the consequences of purchasing environmentally friendly products that contain honey, as compared to the vegan alternatives in plastic packaging. As a result, there are products that we have purchased in the past that contain honey if it is better for the environment overall. As such, some may refer to us as consequentialists before being vegan, to which I cannot fully disagree with. However, in my mind, veganism is about doing the least amount of harm to other living beings, which includes the impact that we have on the environment, as it benefits everyone at the end of the day.

It’s more than just animals

This point may not come as much of a surprise after briefly talking about consequentialism, but initially, my decision to go vegetarian and vegan was for compassionate and ethical reasons for other living species. However, I’ve learned that compassion needs to extend to our fellow human beings and the environment as well. Perhaps this comes with age, progressing through my career, or being exposed to various people from different walks of life, but there are countless people within our community and throughout the world who do need our compassion, patience, support, and at the bare minimum, respect, and common courtesy.

Many people within our own community are struggling with their current circumstances: struggling to make ends meet, are homeless, are in unhealthy relationships, are severely ill, and are combating some form of prejudice. However, despite whether you are aware of someone's situation or not, I think that at the very least, it is important to treat others with common courtesy and respect and to help even in the smallest of ways. It’s about causing the least amount of harm to all living beings.

I’ve learned to appreciate food and eat a larger variety of foods

Surprise, surprise, but it’s true! This remains to be one of the things that still excites me to this very day. Transitioning to a vegan diet will challenge you to get into the kitchen and experiment with new ingredients and to make new feasts that you’ve never had before. Granted, not everything is going to be a slam dunk, but it’s a great way to expose yourself to different types of cuisine and to get out of your comfort zone.

As a result, I'm always excited to make meat-free alternatives (seitan, I’m talking about you), and have found a love for tofu (seriously, my tofu game is strong). Moreover, vegan baking - need I say more!? I find making tasty treats is an awesome way to share some vegan love with others and to expose them to veganism. It’s like spreading the vegan message like a ninja, you never saw it coming.

Cooking is fun!

This goes hand-in-hand with the last point, but I just need to talk about it some more apparently. Since going vegan, I’ve learned that cooking is such a fun creative outlet and one that I truly enjoy. I’ve never really considered myself as a creative person, but since being in the kitchen more, I’ve realized that’s not the case! Moreover, it’s ignited a whole new appreciation of enjoying the company of others and entertaining guests through the power of food and is just a great excuse to get together.

The sky really is the limit whenever you’re in the kitchen. I am always looking for new recipes to try and will get creative and make something with no direction (which I would never have done in the past). At the end of the day, there is always some sort of variation to make a dish a little bit different than the next.

You do get enough protein from eating plants!

I won’t get too involved in this one, but it’s true! You’re not going to keel over and die of a protein deficiency, so don’t worry about it. If you want more info, check out my post on protein here.

There is a shit ton of misinformation about nutrition

It’s true. Whether you're listening to the radio, following articles in magazines or even listening to health gurus online - it’s a sea of shitty and misleading information. Can we just stop for a minute and realize that maybe we should be listening to and reading peer-reviewed articles for information regarding health and nutrition? Can we stop following health gurus online who do not have any relevant education on the ‘facts’ that they are preaching? Can we start referring to what Canada’s food guide recommends? I promise you, it is not as complicated as the media is trying to make it out to be. Stop listening to people who are promising you significant short-term results with no follow-up plan once you finish their four-week diet and who do not have any formal education in nutrition.

I learned to love exercise

This may come as a surprise to you - but I love to exercise! When I was first transitioning to vegetarianism and then veganism, I noticed a surge of energy build as I continued to clean up my diet. This made me realize that physically, I did not feel good in my body at all, so I made the commitment to start moving more.

It’s been 5+ years, and my love for exercise is just as strong, if not stronger! While the majority of the time I don’t always have the motivation to workout, I do have to say I never regret a workout. At the end of the day, I just feel far better (stronger, energetic, vibrant, accomplished, etc.), which has held me accountable to working out all these years.

Exercising has helped me to develop and strengthen my confidence and has shown me that I can overcome barriers and to set, reach, and create new and challenging goals. It’s given me the mindset to welcome challenges as opportunities and to keep pushing even when things get tough.

I developed a stronger sense of character

I made this change while I was a teenager, which can be tough when you want to fit in with your peers. Moreover, at this time veganism, let alone vegetarianism, wasn’t very common in my community, which really left you feeling like a black sheep during most group gatherings. As such, you face a lot of uncomfortable encounters amongst your peers and elders, over a topic that can be quite sensitive and cultural: food. These encounters have helped me develop a stronger sense of self in terms of affirming what is important to me ethically, but to also further develop my confidence in speaking about the things that matter to me most.

Moreover, if you are a people pleaser like me and do not like to say 'no' very often, being vegan will automatically throw you out of your comfort zone. Trust, it's not always easy to turn someone down as they offer you tasty homemade treats that contain animal products; but you quickly learn that saying no, even to a genuinely thoughtful offer, is OKAY! In life, you cannot be a yes man (well you can be, but may sacrifice your own happiness in the process) and you cannot accept everything that comes your way. It’s best to know yourself, what is important to you, and whether or not you are willing to compromise on those things.

You catch more flies with honey - leading by example

I’m sure you know where I am going with this, but one thing that I’ve learned is that people come to develop a stronger sense of respect and understanding for another person when they lead by example and walk the talk. It allows them to see firsthand if what you say and what you do are actually true and if it is attainable and sustainable long-term. It allows them to see what veganism looks like, creating a greater sense of awareness and willingness to be more open-minded to trying plant-based alternatives and purchasing more cruelty-free products.

Whereas, if you simply try to tell people what to do or force the horrors of the animal industries on them, you can be sure that they are going to be hesitant to even want to be around you. Leading by example has a far greater reach, and as such, I have seen many people incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet, become more open-minded to meat-free alternatives, and have gone vegan altogether. Leading by example is a fun way to show how amazing the food is, that it is a lifestyle of abundance and that today especially, it’s pretty damn easy.