Is It Hard To Be Vegan?

I am often surprised at the discussion around the difficulties of being vegan, because for many of us who have made the choice to do less harm the answer is simply “No, it’s easy.” In fact, I would venture to guess that for many of us who have switched away from eating dead flesh the plant-based lifestyle is much, much easier. The realization that I was killing animals just to please my taste buds or for social convention, but not for any inherent dietary need, occasioned a strong desire with me to no longer participate in such violence (violence = unprovoked, unnecessary use of force on another). I am far more in line with my ethics living a vegan lifestyle and that makes living easier.

I know I will catch some flack for these comparisons, but there is something to this line of logic. Anything that we find abhorrent, violent, or undesirable is easy to avoid or turn down. For instance, I never liked the taste of black licorice. So, licorice of that sort has never tempted me to deviate from a healthy diet, but Swedish fish candy was another story. I grew up loving the taste of those sweets, and only after discovering the negative impacts on my health did I see that yellow and blue package in a new light which made its removal from my life much easier. That analogy is the gentlest I can think of, as the only one harmed is me. This is why I use more striking analogies that would be more appropriate.

Going vegan ought to be like seeing the horrible nature of racism, sexism, or child violence. When I saw the harm I was doing (while watching ‘Earthlings’), I wanted no part of it. Staying vegan (avoiding causing harm to animals) is akin to avoiding abhorrent violence of any sort. It’s far easier to be peaceful and eat an apple, than to participate in violent acts for a piece of cake or social acceptance.

Yes, I do recognize the practical aspects of challenge. That is one of the reasons I created High Energy Parenting and am back on track to deliver specific ways for us to improve our health and energy levels. Three of the best tips I can give to someone struggling to stay vegan are; connect with your ethics (how do you want to live?), connect with other plant based people (the power of communal support), and try, try, try new healthy vegan recipes (until you replace old favorites with new ones).