Being Vegan #meatlessmay

The Vegan Challenge

You've heard of Ian Somerhalder right? A cute actor that starred in Lost, Rules of Attraction and The Vampire Diaries. Well, he's not just a pretty face, he has a foundation aiming to make the world a better place for us all. The IS Foundation to be exact.

Last year, he promoted the idea of #meatlessmay a month in which people give up eating meat which would save animals and in turn help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions.

With Vegan/semi-veganism becoming so popular and substantial products being on the market. I have decided that I would try being a full Vegan for the whole month of May. This means, no meat, no dairy, no products containing anything that can be traced back to animals and even no honey! This also includes my skincare products and my hair care.

As an avid lover of Lush, this is pretty easy for me, I own Vegan toothpaste, body cream and shower gel but for the first time in a longtime, I will have to use a Lush shampoo bar which in the past wasn't my best friend (my hair is unruly and I like to stick to shampoo products that help my scalp and smooth the untamed). But, here it is the lush smelling Jason of the Argan Oil (see left).

Before undergoing this challenge, I have done a lot of research into Veganism and especially with being in Milan. Although, I know in the UK Veganism is as common as hipsters, so it's easier to eat out and most of all find correctly labelled Vegan products including health and beauty, it's not the same here.

In addition I interviewed my Vegan friends to give me more of an insight into Veganism and answer questions that myself and my readers might like to know. To make it more interesting, my friends are from different parts of the world. It also can show how accepted veganism is in different countries.

Let me introduce...

Zoe, who has been a Vegan for many, many years, including in Scotland, Switzerland, Spain and Italy and the lovely Lea who is now Vegan, has been meat free for four years in Netherlands and whilst at university in England.

What is a vegan?

Zoe: Since you are asking, I imagine that you would like a personal interpretation of what vegan is. So here is mine. For me, a vegan is a person who chooses not to include animal and animal products in their diet, and in other aspects of their life, such as clothing, entertainment, or cosmetics.

Lea: A vegan is someone who does not consume animal products of any kind. 

What motivates you?

Zoe: Multiple motivations. The first and main motivator relates to animal welfare, the second relates to health benefits and the third, to environmental issues.

Lea: I am mainly motivated by the unnecessary and cruel suffering we as humans inflict on the animals. Watching documentaries about what goes on in the animal industry really opened my eyes. Furthermore, the animal industry is by far the biggest contributor to the destruction of our climate and planet (it generates more co2 than all cars, planes, boats and other transport in the whole world!) The health benefits I have noticed since becoming vegan are now my second motivation.

What is the hardest thing about being a vegan?

Zoe: Sticking to it. Many delicious foods are made with animal products, and depending on which country you’re in, it’s not always easy to find food and other products that are 100% non-animal. I was raised as an omnivore in an omnivorous family, so it’s difficult to divert from what I have known for most of my life.

Lea: The hardest thing is the conversations with people who don't or refuse to understand you. You face a lot of criticism as a vegan, and it can be hard to stand up for yourself in a respectful manner. I have lost a few friends, who turned out to be very different than I thought.

How did it change your life?

Zoe: It made me more sensitive and more aware of what I choose to consume. I learned how heavily we rely on animals and parts of their bodies to make our own lives more convenient and cheaper. My conscience was partly relieved to know that I was not (or almost not) participating in globalized and normalized mass torture and slaughter any more.

Lea: I am much more aware of the impact my choices have. I feel so much healthier and happier as a vegan. My skin is a lot clearer too!

How is it going to change my life?

Zoe: You’ll have to find out for yourself 😊

Lea:  I am convinced you'll feel healthier. You will probably lose some weight as well, intentionally or not. Most importantly however, I hope you will feel so much better about yourself knowing that you've stopped supporting the horrible fates of all the animals that are maimed and slaughtered for human consumption.

What should I be prepared for?

Zoe: Spending more money (no more cheap shit from the local supermarket), having to explain yourself to everyone, being judged, having to refuse invitations to some restaurants, reorganizing social activities, having pointless and sometimes enraging conversations (but this has more to do with narrow-minded people in general, not veganism).
Lea: Be prepared to face a lot of people that don't support or understand what you're doing. Be prepared to crave the foods you gave up; cheese for me was the most difficult thing to give up, but watching documentaries about the dairy industry is a helpful way to fight those cravings. It will be a challenge the first month; after that, it's smooth sailing. 

In which country is veganism more respected?

Zoe: Without being certain, I would say the UK. It’s certainly more known and diffuse than in the rest of Europe, in my experience. I don’t really know about the rest of the world.

Lea: The Netherlands is pretty accepting of veganism. Asian countries like Nepal often have mostly vegan diets (though often not intentionally).

Where can I find the best range of vegan food products?

Zoe: In Italy (where I am now), the two main organic supermarkets are Bio C’ Bon and Naturasi. These are good if you like animal substitutes. I don’t particularly like to consume tofu, veggie burgers or fake cheese because they are processed and bring about other issues. The best solution would be to visit ‘international markets’ which sell products like rice, beans, vegetables, legumes, nuts, dried fruit, etc. but that’s a personal choice.

Lea: I wouldn't know where in Italy would be the best to go, but it's actually amazing how many vegan products have become available in supermarkets in the Netherlands and UK. Wholefoods/nature food stores are great but usually expensive.

Where can I find the best range of vegan beauty/lifestyle products?

Zoe: I don’t use make-up or indeed many cosmetics, but the aforementioned supermarkets offer a decent range, in Italy. I suppose Lush is good but I find the smells overpowering. One thing I still haven’t understood is if the labeling of ‘vegan’ also means ‘not tested on animals’. If not explicitly written, I wouldn’t trust (assume) them to be what they call ‘vegan-friendly’.

Lea: Lush!

Long terms effects of being a vegan?

Zoe: A hatred of the human race? Trying not to be facetious is challenging, but let’s focus on the positive. I feel better, my stomach and other organs are happier as they don’t have to process meat and dairy which was putting a strain on them. I’m not an angry or hateful vegan. Like everyone else, I deserve and expect respect from people who are like or unlike me. I don’t lecture people when they eat steak in front of me, and in turn, I appreciate being left in peace when I enjoy a meal. The issue with talking or thinking about veganism, as we are doing now, is that I find that many people are not really interested in talking about it. The topic usually leads to much broader and deeper issues than simply ‘what we eat’. Stuff like - who are we at our core? Are we good? What makes humans superior? Is it right? Why do we do what we do? Is this justifiable? Is it natural or normal? Why? ..and the philosophical pondering continues (in my head). 

Lea: Refer to how it changed my life.

Thank you so much girls! I'm actually looking forward to it. Is any of my readers interested in taking part in #meatlessmay?

For those interested in Veganism, check out How to go Vegan.