For the first twenty-six years of my life I ate meat and dairy without a second thought, and I absolutely loved it. A good cheeseboard at Christmas and a barbequed sausage sandwich on the beach in the summer were things that I really looked forward to. When I spoke to people interested in sustainability and the environment, many of them said things such as “If you care about the environment then you should become a vegan”. This sentiment was delivered in varying tones of aggression and to be completely honest, it really annoyed me every time I heard it.
I think that I loved eating meat and dairy so much that I didn’t want to allow myself to consider giving it up, and therefore I avoided researching the alternatives. Fast forward a few years to 2016, I started my masters in sustainability, and several members of my family had made the transition to veganism. Slowly but surely, I began my transition too, kickstarted by challenging myself to one week ‘Meat free’ during a study week in Cambridge. The more I studied and researched sustainability, the more it made sense to give up meat. I was a very happy vegetarian right up until January 2019. After a particularly cheese filled Christmas, my partner and I decided that we should try ‘veganuary’ and I am pleased to say that we have not looked back.
I absolutely stand by the ‘slow transition’ method and therefore find aggressive vegan propaganda really off-putting. I think that it is really important to acknowledge that there are a whole range of reasons that prohibit people from just going cold turkey, and also that our eating habits are an incredibly personal issue for many of us. I prefer gently encouraging people to try new foods and engaging them in friendly and open conversations surrounding vegetarian and vegan eating.
If you are thinking about making a slow transition or have any questions about becoming vegetarian or vegan please get in touch!
