And that there, is a year. I took it on for a month, and I’ve lasted twelve.
This is my vegan anniversary. 1st January 2019 I started eating meat-free. And – as I’ve admitted in earlier blogs – I haven’t stuck to it every single day. But I can confidently and honestly say that at least 355 of the last 365 days have involved eating completely plant-based. Even those days when I wasn’t vegan, I was vegetarian (except for a 24 hour period around my birthday when I lapsed…).
Why have I stuck with it? Many people have asked that; and also said something along the lines of “You’ve made your point, now why not just have a sausage roll.”
One of the main things that really keeps me eating this way, often in the face of overwhelming meat temptation (especially during those hangovers at work), is something that I really didn’t expect when I started this. I actually enjoy cooking more now. It’s more challenging, and consequently more rewarding. I have to use ingredients I’ve never used before, and often never even heard of. I look back on what I used to cook for myself and it was so lazy. I get a genuine sense of excitement at trying something new, cooking something outside of my norm. It doesn’t always work out (thinking about you beetroot brownies…). But for every disappointing failure, there’s a new discovery of something I really like. Kala Chana, nutritional yeast, medjool dates, tamari sauce… all things I wouldn’t have tried before.
The vegan wilderness can be a treacherous place, and it’s not for the faint hearted. But being brave enough to wander out into it forces you be be resourceful and open-minded. You’ll always miss home, but for me, it’s exciting and challenging enough to keep me from going back.
