Just don't go into vegan communities and do your own thing. I don't know why you expect a diet that goes against general society to be easy? It's a sacrifice, like any unconventional diet. If you don't think thats worth for your beliefs, then youre just simply not ready for it, and need some introspection. Are you really dedicated to the cause, or do you just feel bad for the animals cos they're cute? do you just wanna feel good with yourself, or do you genuinely want to fight for a cause?

Besides, as well as cravings going down as time goes by, there are vegan versions of literally everything nowadays. You won't struggle with craving non vegan cookies if you just bake vegan cookies. Veganism kinda requires you to learn how to cook, which is also good cos u can make low cal versions.

Conclusion: literally just get a grip and do it. I was vegan for 8 years and it's just how it is.

 

If you're doing it for the animals, then eating 1 animal product per day is still a lot better than eating 4 animal products per day.

They say the enemy of good is perfect. I.e., you try to be perfect and you can't so you give up and don't even do good. Don't fall into that trap.

 

If you're doing it for the animals, then eating 1 animal product per day is still a lot better than eating 4 animal products per day.

They say the enemy of good is perfect. I.e., you try to be perfect and you can't so you give up and don't even do good. Don't fall into that trap.

Thank you so much for this <3. I think I will never be able to go 100% fully vegan ever. At least not for the rest of my life. I will always eventually cave to some of my favorite things like Honey Nut Cheerios, cream in my iced coffee, regular ice cream, etc especially if I restrict them for months and months on an end. That usually just leaves me craving them even more and instead of having one, I go all out. I think full veganism isn't for me no matter how hard I try. I will continue to live my mainly plant based diet (I mainly follow a raw vegan diet which I have been on for months now) without any meat or fish but I will definitely never cut out my favorite things 100%. I know it's better to eat like this than to eat animals every day because every little counts. But sometimes vegans just love to shame us and I do fall for the guilt things I see on Reddit. I'm just trying to remind myself that I am doing something to help.

 

Becoming "fully vegan" takes time. I've been off/on "vegan" for years (atleast 8-10yrs) but currently I've stuck with it for a year and a half now. I do still have temptations but whenever I get them, I just opt for the vegan alternative. There's probably a vegan version for everything now! I'm not sure where you are located but there are more and more vegan products coming out so hopefully you have some near you or coming soon. Now, I agree the overall vegan community is kinda toxic. But even in the definition, veganism is as far as possible and practical. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much over it. I don't go contacting every brand, hounding them about their ingredients. I do look out for certain ingredients but I'm forreal not contacting sugar companies to see if their sugar is vegan. It's not practical for me. No vegan is perfect. If this is something you really want, you'll get there. Just keep trying. Trust me, I've done this for years and I'm just now finally on the roll. Also, there are some apps that will tell you if a food is vegan or not. It may help.

 

YES i eel so guilty bc my views align with veganism but I can't do it.
I've been veggie for 5/6 years and I'm so close to being vegan but my down fall is snack - like choc/muffins All that unhealthy shit.
I also have issues where if I'm craving a food I physically cannot eat anything else so last time I wen5 vegan it was pizza and I didn't eat for days bc vegan pizza is too expensive and cheese less pizza isn't a thing unless from take out or made yourself. As long as you're trying any cut down is great!

 

YES i eel so guilty bc my views align with veganism but I can't do it.
I've been veggie for 5/6 years and I'm so close to being vegan but my down fall is snack - like choc/muffins All that unhealthy shit.
I also have issues where if I'm craving a food I physically cannot eat anything else so last time I wen5 vegan it was pizza and I didn't eat for days bc vegan pizza is too expensive and cheese less pizza isn't a thing unless from take out or made yourself. As long as you're trying any cut down is great!

Thank you! And same my weakness are my binges lol. I have tried vegan alternatives to ice cream and other stuff. I do like some and they work out just fine. But some alternatives just don't cut it for me like ice cream. I've tried every vegan brand I could find, but nothing compares to Ben & Jerry's. I'm going to continue to be as vegan as I can even if it means a little slip up here and there. I guess I just have that all or nothing mentality as with everything else in my life.

 

I've been veg since 2008 and vegan since 2015. I've become a lot less militant over the years. If I buy something and later on I notice honey listed as an ingredient, I'll still eat it. If I go to a restaurant, I'm not badgering the wait staff demanding to know if there are separate fryers/cooking utensils for food. The last thing I'd ever do is check to see if Vitamin D is animal-derived. That doesn't even phase me. I still consider myself vegan. Are there some vegan police out there who would immediately issue a warrant to strip me of my "vegan" title? Sure, and I don't give a fuck. They can talk to me when they've been in the game for 13 years like I have. I actually think being a miserable vegan to be around is more of a disservice to veganism than the vegan who's willing to eat an acai bowl with a little honey. I don't associate with vegan groups and communities because I don't want to hear it. I just want to peacefully live and let live.

It helps to find the vegan versions of your favorite vices and junk foods. If those are what you have on hand, those are what you're going to binge on. I have yet to be unable to replace a favorite food with a vegan substitute. And the options are getting better and better everyday.

It's all about progress, not perfection. You don't have to think in terms of extremes. If all you can do is little swaps here and there, or eat vegan 50% of the time, then do that. It's better than nothing. Every time you buy almond milk instead of cow's milk, you're voting with your dollar. That makes a huge difference since your money is how you communicate what you like/don't like with corporations.

 

The level of acceptance and understanding in this thread is truly inspiring! I've been on and off vegan (but completely vegetarian) since 2013. I struggle TO THIS DAY with eggs, cheese, and baked goods. Everyone has their weakness, especially if you have an ED. The main thing is that you don't just cave in and go nuts with the animal products. Compassion for animals starts with compassion for yourself. Accept where you are at in your journey and strive to be better, but don't be too hard on yourself. As I'm typing this, I'm also telling myself that lol. As was stated above, you vote with your dollar and every vegetarian or vegan meal you opt for is a choice that improves your health, reduces harm on animals, and reduces damage to our ecosystem. Small steps lead to big changes. Nothing happens overnight, and all things that are worth it take time and patience.

 

As someone who's been vegan for almost 10 yrs, any effort is. better than no effort, and yeah especially if you have an ed! personally i still eat a bunch of junk when im in a binge phase or high restricting and not worrying abt macros (oreos, non dairy ben and jerrys, vegan cake/cookies, BREAD, fries, chips, candy, even some pop tarts are vegan - although theyre unfrosted) basically everything i eat is the same as when i was not vegan, just with substitutions like tofu etc. or meat/milk/etc replacements. I also made a point to research things like iron/protein etc. and made sure i was getting enough and wasn't sluggish and tired from lack of nutrition/ prone to binges from hunger.
But even I have accidentally eaten fish products, dairy d3, gelatin, honey countless times. It sucks and sometimes it upsets my stomach if its a milk product, but I don't feel too bad bc the other 99.9% of my diet is vegan.
Some people eat vegan one day a week, some people only eat fish or a certain non vegan meal etc etc, and I think any effort makes a little difference and helps the world, so don't beat yourself up!

 

I echo everyone else who says that whatever changes you can make are better than giving up and that it gets easier with time.

If we got 50% of animal product eaters on earth to reduce their animal product eating by 50% that would, in fact, have a bigger impact for the actual animals than if 10% of animal product eaters went fully vegan.

I admire people who commit to a vegan lifestyle, but honestly vegans who shame or guilt people can fuck right off bc they're hurting the cause more than they're helping. For some people, being vegan becomes an identity they must project and defend moreso than an ethical cause to fight for.

Re: your actual concerns. Obvious to say, but maybe you can find plant-based alternatives to the foods that trip you up. Some of them are absolutely delicious! If you like to cook, daaaaaamn there are some good vegan cooks/cookbooks out there. It's really fun to learn to make these things for yourself.

A little trick I use with myself when I want to eat something non-plant based is I say to myself, "It's not like you can never have this food again, you just aren't having this version of this food right now." For instance, I love spinach-artichoke dip, so if I'm in a restaurant, I'll skip it and then make my plant-based version at home to eat later to satisy the craving.

 

Yes! I've been vegetarian for years and have been trying to go vegan for a while. I eat mostly vegan but I struggle when eating out or when I'm with my family.

 

get a vegan cookbook. When I first went vegan I tried a recipe a month. It's actually so easy if you have the determination.

 

I think everyone kinda has their own way of doing veganism/vegetarianism, so re: the cheerios (which I had no clue about the vitamin D thing) I still think if they don't contain any of the typical non-vegan ingredients you'd be fine? It depends on what level you wanna be vegan. Some vegans won't even use/wear products containing anything non-vegan, but for some people it's just about the food they eat.

I'm vegetarian, however everybody has a different way of doing that too. Eg. gelatine in sweets and even some crisps maybe some vegetarians wouldn't care about because it's not meat (I do personally tho, I'd never eat them if they contain that), also some vegetarians don't eat eggs (I do). So yeah it's all about what you feel is right for you. I'd also say there's no point in trying to stick to a specific diet if you're not really passionate about it because it'll never work. Like the reason I'm vegetarian is because I'm literally disgusted by meat (the thought of eating an animal on a plate), but I could never be vegan because cheese, milk, eggs etc are not an actual animal so it doesn't gross me out. I do actually prefer the taste of vegan cheese and milk tho so I'd actually choose that over regular most of the time.

Don't try to force something if you don't really wanna do it!!!

 

I hear what you're saying, and I think I have some ideas as to why it might be such a struggle to be vegan.

For one, you have an eating disorder. Seriously, having an ED just make things a lot more complicated. When we restrict, our bodies are going to crave - sooner or later - calorie dense foods. It happens in probably 99.9% of people with ED's, even very restrictive ones. Animal products are all calorically dense. Honey, cheese, ice cream, meat - all dense sources of calories. If our bodies know those foods are an option, we'll crave them when we're starving. I think also, that we might have a harder time giving up foods which represent a significant source of calories (even people without ED's).

I grew up plant based (with the odd animal product here and there), transitioned to vegetarian at age 10 (pre- ED), went back to plant based in my 20's, and a few months later, became vegan. When I say vegan, I mean for ethical reasons, including what we wear, animal testing, entertainment, etc. The only reason I went vegan was because something clicked. Before that, I didn't care that much about what animals went through. I didn't think about their lives or their rights.

And as much as I do avoid supporting animal exploitation, there are times when it's not possible. For instance, I brush my teeth with vegan toothpaste and wash with vegan soap. Recently, I was in inpatient and wasn't allowed to use the toothpaste or soap I'd brought, and I'm sure the stuff they had on hand was tested on animals. I used it; I was/am still vegan. On the other hand, they kept serving me meat, fish, and poultry (even though I said from the beginning I was vegan and would not be eating animals) and I would not eat it. To be honest, I couldn't have brought myself to eat a chicken's body any more than a dog's body. And when I first went vegan, I didn't know half the stuff I do now. That didn't make me less vegan then - it's just a learning curve.

Honestly, if you really want to be vegan and can't make it happen now, my advice would be to recover. I know how hard hard that is, and I'm a hypocrite for even saying so, but I that would probably be the best way to become vegan and make it stick. Recover, eating plant based/vegetarian/omnivorous/whatever feels good and get out of the restriction mindset. Then, re-examine the beliefs that led you to want to become vegan in the first place. Watch documentaries, read books, watch some vegan youtubers…see if it still lines up for you. If it does, it'll be easier when you're doing it from a place of joy and abundance.

Veganism is a counter cultural movement. The vast majority of the world believes that, on the whole, animals' lives don't matter - that they exist for us first and foremost. Vegans believe that animals have the right to live out their lives without being exploited for human gain; we believe that someone else's life supersedes our personal taste or convenience. Sometimes, being vegan is inconvenient. Sometimes, it takes sacrifice. But, honestly not that much. These days, there are vegan versions of everything. I can have vegan cheese, burgers, ice cream, nachos, doughnuts, cereal, pancakes, cookies - you name it. Most things I can buy at a restaurant or pre-made at the supermarket; if there's something I really want and can't find, I can make it myself.

 

I was vegan for around 6 months during covid. It is not sustainable for me personally and for anyone with severe ED it seems especially dangerous... At the time I was cooking from home every single day so it was a lot easier. I made sure I had a protein with every dinner . Every dinner had to have beans, peas, chickpeas or tofu. I also had to take B12 and D everyday and I ate a lot of nutritional yeast. Currently I don't feel like worrying about cooking every day, nutrititional yeast and common vegan items like soy sauce were contributing to my migraines, and I don't want to obsess over protein/macros in my diet when I'm restricting, so eating a semi-vegetarian diet works better for me.

 

For me, as soon as I made the realisation that eating eggs and dairy also contributed hugely to animal suffering and the meat industry, I just stopped seeing them as food altogether. The thought of eating any of those things became totally bizarre and abhorrent, overnight, and it still does 16 years later. It would never occur to me to binge on or crave non vegan food because to me, it isn't food. It appeals to me about as much as eating a human, because I value animals.

As for things like vitamin D, I would say don't let that put you off, but as others have said, reducing your intake is better than not trying anything at all! Personally I wouldn't "attack" someone for unknowingly eating something obscure and non vegan, but it does annoy me when people say they're vegan BUT they eat eggs, or they're veggie BUT they eat gelatin. That's just not true and it confuses people who think all vegans are happy to make exceptions or don't take it seriously as a lifestyle (imperfect as we all are, it's about trying and being honest!)

 

You don't have to be fully vegan, especially if it'd effect your mental health! You can make just some small changes, like using soy milk in cooking but be ok with cow milk in a chocolate bar etc. Seriously, your wellbeig is important and take care of it in the first place

 

I am trying really hard. Ive been vegetarian for a long time. I am giving up eggs and dairy now (as in not having them right out), and then after that I will phase out anything that contains any animal product in it.

 

any change is for the better, but please for the love of god people, don't call yourself vegan if you eat any type of animal products. vegan is vegan, the definition doesn't bend for you.

so yes, do your thing, try your best, and take care of yourself first. but stop trying to change the definition of vegan cuz u want to eat honey but don't want to give up the "title" of vegan. it's a lifestyle, not a dietary preference or a gold star