I’m never going to go fully vegan. You might think this is weird considering I study environmental science, love animals and have an environmental blog. But let me explain why and what my thoughts on veganism are.
Health reasons
I can’t go fully vegan because of my eating disorder. Although I consider myself recovered and I don’t go to the ED clinic anymore, it just wouldn’t work. I’ve been vegetarian for a year which has been amazing and I’ve loved experimental cooking but nearly all of my meals include feta, halloumi, cheddar or eggs. I just can’t mentally afford to not eat them.
I’ve always said that if I ever go vegan, it’s a sign that my eating disorder has trapped me again. And to be honest I still stand by that. Anorexia Nervosa is a very restrictive disorder and if I don’t write down what I’m having for breakfast, lunch and dinner then I won’t eat it. It happened a few weeks ago – I didn’t write down anything for dinner (thought I could be spontaneous) so I skipped it. I hate how slippery the slope is.
Another eating disorder related tendency is constantly scanning food packages. I can’t keep scanning food to check if it has milk etc. It’s would be way too hard to avoid looking at the calories. I went food shopping today for vegan snacks and couldn’t stop scanning. It isn’t healthy for me, I was finding myself becoming too obsessive.
I am also allergic to nuts which really doesn’t help because a lot of vegan foods have nuts in – specifically almonds! I’m allergic to almonds, cashews, pistachio and brazil nuts.
What I’m doing instead
So by now, you’re probably wondering why I’m even writing this post. I recently watched Cowspiracy and it made me want to implement more vegan food into what I eat. I can’t fully immerse into the veganism lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t make any changes. I was buying semi-skinned milk because it’s only 500ml and I don’t drink that much milk but since watching the documentary, I really want to switch to plant-based milk. So, which one to choose? I love oat milk, especially in hot chocolate or mochas, but I’ve heard it isn’t so good in tea which I drink the most. I have decided to go with soya milk and see how that goes – do you drink sweetened or unsweetened? Let me know!
Apart from milk, I’m trying to eat more vegan food in general. I’m not going to endlessly scan but I’ve bought some vegan snacks to try out and a review will be coming in a couple of weeks so look out for that! I’m trying them out because if it’s nicer than non-vegan foods, I’ll eat them instead. I have tried out Nomo which was delicious, but other than that I’m a bit of a newbie. I’m loving discovering accidental vegan foods – Oreos and Bourbons are my two absolute favourite biscuits and they are vegan! I’ll definitely be doing more posts surrounding veganism in the future – some reviews, my recommendations etc.
Is it really worth it?
So I’m going to drink plant-based milk but I’m not going to stop eating dairy. It might sound pointless. But scientists are constantly saying that not everyone has to go vegan, we just have to eat less meat and dairy. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I don’t eat meat or fish, I don’t buy animal products like leather and I’m going to go through all of my skin products this summer to make sure they are cruelty-free. (Obviously, I’ll use them up first & then not rebuy). The more I think about drinking cows milk, the more disturbed I get. Cows milk is meant for calves! Dairy is the biggest contributor to climate change so I’m going to do the best I can.
What are your thoughts on veganism?
Best wishes, Cx
I am glad I stopped by and read this, I appreciate your condition and completely understand where you are coming from with your choice. I am not vegan nor vegetarian, and if I one day attempt to either, it has to come from within rather than because everyone else does.
I love Oatly barista in tea, worth a shot if you enjoy oat milk! Otherwise, soya is usually my go-to as well, I can’t deal too much with nut milks! x
Thank you, totally agree! I’ll try it out 🙂 x
I appreciate you sharing your views about this and being completely honest! I really value those who are vegans and respect their choice. I prefer to eat veggie and I dabble into vegan food when I can but I think it’s important for me to have a balance of everything xx
Me too xx
I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years and have been making an effort to eat more vegan meals over the last few. Like you, I don’t think I will ever be able to go completely vegan though. Personally, I think that if we all make an effort to eat more sustainably, whether we go completely vegan or not, it will have a huge impact. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I agree! xx
I love how you talked so openly about not being completely vegan and I’m glad you are putting your health first in terms of that x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you xx
I think it’s really important that you mentioned how Veganism isn’t for everyone due to allergies or eating disorders and it’s great that you know that going fully Vegan wouldn’t be appropriate for you. But yes, small changes can definitely be made! I’m not Vegan but I would like to go more plant based more often. I use soy milk mostly in my tea and much prefer it!
Thank you đź’–
I’m vegetarian but try to include vegan food into my diet where possible. Trouble is, it’s rare that I find any alternatives that I like! Like you said, oat milk in tea doesn’t taste great etc. But as long as we all try to be a little more sustainable, then it will still really help the planet x
I agree xx
Its great that you feel so open to talking about your ED. It raises awareness of just how quickly someone can slip back. I’m looking for plant based milk that I can use in my tea too but am yet to find one that I like.
Thank you x
Wow, I love this post, Caroline! Thank you for being so open about your ED. I’m not vegetarian but I’m with you on eating less meat and dairy. I think that’s what’s wrong with society is that humans overconsume because they can. Everything in moderation is my motto. I eat a mix of meat, vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan etc dishes. xx
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Thank you xx
Massive respect to you, Caroline, for understanding and respecting your personal boundaries. Veganism is awesome, but if it’s going to be harmful to you at all then it’s not for you. The changes you’re making are more than enough. RE tea: I love soy milk for the taste and it’s great for foaming and putting in coffee, but when poured it tends to curdle, so (and i hate saying this LOL) try pouring the milk in before hot water and you shouldn’t taste the difference! xx
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Thank you so much, I really appreciate this comment xx
thank you for opening up so much about your eating disorder! Spreading awareness like this is so important. Great post!x
Thank you x
I have so many thoughts on this. I had a similar journey. I went vegetarian in the midst of an ED and then went vegan. My philosophy has always been to find a way to cause less harm to animals in the most practical and sustainable way. For me that meant doing what you’re doing–making choices that fit into my life that help me remain physically and mentally healthy, while also making changes.
For non dairy milk, I like soy the best. But I most often have unsweetened almond milk because it’s most abundant at stores. Soy milk curdles, but all you have to do is stir while pouring the soy milk into your hot beverage. Seriously. It works 99% of the time. 🙂
I agree with you, I tried out soya milk but I’ve now switched to oat milk and love it! xx
I am so glad you wrote this article. I have been vegetarian for years but like you I suffer from anorexia and it will raise it’s ugly head if I don’t keep a close eye on it. Great article, thank you.
Thank you! Totally relate x