What I Struggled with When I Became Vegan

This image is sourced from Wix

Going vegan is not always that easy. It's not that simple to switch off all your cravings. When transitioning to vegan, you will experience your own struggles while getting use to the diet and lifestyle. For some people, they can switch instantly but for others it’s a gradual process that takes weeks and sometimes even months.

Let me just say, going vegan is already a big step. You should be proud of yourself for sticking with it. Every vegan has their own struggles. Today, I’ll be sharing five struggles of mine when I became vegan.

Almost everything contains animal products

When you become vegan, you soon realise that most of the food products you normally eat all contain some kind of animal source. It was quite shocking and annoying at the same time. During the first week, I learned that even though it’s says vegan-friendly it doesn’t always mean it’s vegan and safe to eat. I always made sure I read the labels first to check if it was vegan. Half the time, I had no clue what I was reading but thank goodness for the internet!

Eating out

Eating out was probably my number one struggle. There were times when I had to say no to going out because the restaurants my friends were going to didn’t offer great vegan options. if I was going out I would make sure I ate beforehand and even bring some snacks with me in case I got hungry. This is a great way to save money and not go hungry when you’re out with friends. If you are going out to a restaurant, you can always look at their online menu to make sure they have vegan options for you.

This image is sourced from Wix

Preparing all your meals

Eating plant-based is not hard but it does take some effort and requires you to plan your meals in advance. I really struggled with planning my meals in advance, especially when you feel like your drowning in school work. The last thing you want to do is plan and prepare your meals for the week. Educating myself more deeply throughout the challenge motivated me to make the right choices, to set meal plans and have fun while doing it. It’s still a struggle but at least I’m making better food choices.

Taking supplements

Before going vegan, I never took any supplement for my health. Through research and talking to people, I learned how important it is to take supplements to give your body what it needs. I personally never liked taking supplements but this time I had to make sure I was taking it every day. There were days I forgot to take my vitamin B12 and iron supplements but I made up for it by eating my greens. I’m still not sure how I feel about taking all these supplements every day but I know my body needs it.

This image is sourced from Wix

Cravings

The only craving I had during the challenge was cow milk. I know it sounds strange but I love the taste and love having it with my tea. I’ve been drinking my tea with cow milk since I can remember. So, having to cut that out of my diet was so difficult for me. The alternative dairy-free substitutes are not that bad but I don’t like the taste of it with tea. This craving did not go away and that’s okay. There will be some food products you just can’t live without or you enjoy better than others and I don’t feel bad about admitting that.

Would love to hear your struggles around veganism and how you overcame them. Let me know in the comments below. X