The Veganism Struggle

Welcome to the age of veganism, the latest in healthy living that cuts off all meat and any products that come from animals. Goodbye dairy. Goodbye eggs. Goodbye flesh cut from a living being. To be clear, this is no intent to bash anyone and their choices.
This plant and soy based diet leaves you feeling amazing. Your body adjusts quickly to it and you begin to feel a bit more energized. Your skin clears up and glows, you start to lose weight, and you feel a change inside of you. Not to mention the weight you feel lifted from you after you watch Cowspiracy and other “glass door” documentaries exposing the truth inside of slaughterhouses and how animals are treated just because they are raised for human consumption.
My on-and-off journey with this was an eye-opener. Surprisingly, cutting off all animal products was not quite the shock to my system that I thought it would be. Grocery shopping was a longer process due to more label reading, but once I had it down, I was happy. Here’s what nobody who has ventured on this journey will tell you…you will break the bank paying for this!
Organic, plant-based foods are expensive!!! My personal monthly grocery bill went from $200 to over $400. Since this vegan trend has taken off with many more options in the “faux-meat” department, the corporate conglomerates have taken complete advantage of it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing basic economics or companies trying to turn a profit, but I do advise that you do your research before throwing out all of the food in your house (something you will likely do if you choose to make this journey). I ended up throwing out more than half of my pantry and refrigerator, and a little surprised that Doritos contained milk! The good news, however, Oreos are vegan.
There are ways to go vegan on a budget, albeit, heed advice from people who have been doing this for a while. Please also indulge in what I call the “gluttony” of vegan prepared foods in all of their expensive, but delicious, glory. The faux meatballs are not black bean based like many things are, so there’s not that veggie burger taste to it. In fact, I have served this without anyone knowing the difference!
I indulged in this adventure for more than six months myself. Though I did this very successfully, I found myself loading up on carbs and gaining weight faster than I’d like to. This was not due to the dietary change, but being a single mom, pasta was my go-to because it was quick and easy when you’re trying to help a child with homework, showers, and the pursuit of going to and staying in bed.
With this, I was in search of alternatives. This is how I learned about the other trends such as being pescatarian and vegetarian (though the latter is not new and has been around and active for a while). Needing more protein and not stocking up on the soy and plant-based kinds as much due to a financial strain, I am trying the pescatarian way. This was not a change that was easy as my body immediately rejected any meat I tried to consume. But taking it one day at a time, in small amounts, I have been able to do this successfully.
As I journey through the varied diets and lifestyle changes, I thank going on-and-off veganism, for opening my eyes to what happens behind closed doors. I still struggle with emotional guilt when eating even a little bit of meat, but I have found others who share in this journey with me and understand without judgment.
So cheers to you, and the lifestyle choices you make, whatever they may be.
