I used to be a true meat eater. As a child I moved countries a lot. We also lived in Texas. I remember we ate a lot of meat regularly. In a restaurant, the many BBQs that were going on, etc. Only at home did we eat a “regular” amount of meat.
Start of my journey to sustainability
Five years ago I began my journey to sustainability. This consisted of looking more closely at my own life and consumption habits. I have never been a trendy girl. I always found shopping a huge hassle. Only when I discovered the one too many hole in my clothing I would start looking for an alternative piece of clothing. I often went to the thrift store. Adjusting my clothing consumption was therefore not very difficult.
I hardly ever bought new stuff. MarktPlaats (a Dutch second hand website) was often my go-to place for searching. So I actually was already doing very well in terms of sustainability.
Eating habits
After six months into my process, I started looking at my eating habits. I decided to become a vegetarian. I switched ‘cold turkey’. No more eating meat. I did this for at least a year. During that year I started to eat more vegan without noticing. Finally, almost 4 years ago, I decided to completely stop eating animal products. For three years I was very strict. Because many restaurants did not offer vegan food, we almost never went out to eat. If we were with friends or family, sometimes I didn’t eat with them if the food wasn’t vegan. If we had an outing I had my backpack full of snacks and food so I always had something with me to eat.
For some people, this works. For me, it didn’t. After three years I noticed that I wasn’t looking forward to outings, visits or dinner dates. I was stressed if I hadn’t been able to prepare my own food. I also felt bad if someone had made an attempt to make a vegan dish especially for me, but had made a mistake on an ingredient. To turn down a piece of cake that still has a lot of effort and love in it? I find that difficult.
A kind of Self Care
For the past six months I have been a little less strict with myself. At home I still eat completely plant based. Outside the house it can happen that I eat a piece of cheesecake on a birthday. Or the tapas of a Spanish restaurant. Or taste a piece of homemade cheese from the neighbor in France.
Now that I allow myself this, I notice that I enjoy small things more. I’m not stressing all the time about whether there are vegan options for me. This gives me so much peace of mind. I know my friends and family put effort into cooking dishes especially for me. But it’s my choice to eat vegan, not their duty to make vegan food for me, so I can’t expect it either.
Last words
A vegan diet can be pretty intense. To keep it motivating and fun for myself, I have chosen to be a little less strict. I think I still eat 97% vegan. When I’m out and about I try to adapt myself to the situation. I do think it’s a shame that I have to. It should become the norm to eat more plant based. But I also notice that there are more and more places and companies that also offer vegan options. So there is a lot of hope!