Veganism— is it really as easy as everyone claims?
Hey babes! I am back with another chatty discussion. If you missed the last one about “Influencers leaving the vegan community,” be sure to check it out.
When I created this blog I had every intention to not only post vegan meal ideas and recipes; but to also diagnose and discuss the raw truth about living a plant based lifestyle, from my point of view (a.k.a personal opinion). Even if that means exposing some of the topics that a lot of vegans like to avoid or deny. The reason being, I grew a lot of frustration over the years of being vegan (almost five years now) watching YouTubers make unrealistic meals, living off of oatmeal or smoothie bowls and for so long, I had wished there was an outlet similar to the one I am creating now. An outlet that spoke about the truth, the struggles and the misconception that being vegan is easy and anyone can do it, without any issues. I do want to disclose that I do not want this topic to push any non-vegans away or be frightened. This topic is meant to discuss day to day struggles with a plant based life style, that I myself have experienced. With that being said, this topic should not scare anyone as my entire website is designed to help give you the tools and easy recipes, to push past these obstacles.
You should also keep in mind that my stand point may not be someone else’s experience. So lets dive into this!!
IS A VEGAN DIET AS EASY AS VEGANS CLAIM IT TO BE?
IS IT AS SIMPLE AS THE IDEA THAT, “THERE ARE SO MANY VEGAN OPTIONS YOU HAVE NO REASON TO NOT BE VEGAN?”
The real answer is, it depends who you’re asking. Are you asking someone who gets to spend majority of their time at home, with easy access to a kitchen all day long or are you asking someone who has a busy schedule with barely anytime to breathe?
To understand where I stand I will have to give you some back story. Lets press pause for a second and rewind back to 2020 when I first created Love by Plants. I have always had a busy schedule because of my “nine to five” job; which is more like a 5am - 8pm job. This is because I work in Los Angeles and the commute took nearly 2 in a half hours (combined to/from work). This left my wake up time at 5am and pulling back into my driveway around 7:30-8:00pm. I then had only a couple hours to prep my food for lunch the next day, shower and sleep early enough to wake up at 5am again.
As you can see, this is not the ideal schedule nor is it ideal for someone following a plant based diet. You might be wondering.. well what does this have to do with being vegan and just switching out what you eat?
It has everything to do with what you eat because the effort that goes into making a good vegan meal MATTERS to satisfy your cravings, your nutritional value and to maintain a balanced diet. When you barely have time in your day to eat + you are following a vegan diet… you can easily begin to start craving non-vegan food items. I was so busy with work that I had no brain capacity when I got home to ponder up some tasty meal ideas for the following day nor did I have the luxury of time to make them fancy. I was physically and mentally exhausted and watching YouTube recipes/meal ideas were NOT ideal for the amount of time I had to make something. I bet moms can also related to this! The internet was filled with unrealistic options for people who are constantly on the go. Every food blogger or YouTuber I religiously followed were continuously making recipes that seemed to only cater to those who have the luxury time.
Like… does it really sound like I had the time to soak some damn cashews or go searching in the markets for random ingredients I never heard of? Let alone follow 20 step recipes with 10 ingredients? Yea right!
To continue on what I noted above Love by Plants stemmed from frustration not only in the vegan community for what I felt was pretending Veganism was EASY; but within myself for continuously wondering if I can continue down the path I chose to take. No matter how many times I questioned my diet, I never gave up. I love following a plant based lifestyle so much that I did not want anyone else to experience the annoyance of what I was feeling and the aggravating feeling I felt when I resorted to online platforms, to help me find an easy/realistic meal idea. For this reason, I created Love by Plants. Shortly after, COVID happened and we were not only put on a stay at home order but I am fortune enough to currently be working remote (for the last year); this has completely shifted these struggles I had and made a vegan diet EASY. I am fortunate enough to be working remote and have now experienced what It is like to be vegan with the luxury of time and BOY there a BIG difference.
Although I do have time to get creative and make more tasty recipes I have not forgotten why I created Love by Plants.
Eventually I will be back in office with the crazy commute and will have to face those hardships head on again. Although I currently have more time, I am not allowing my extra time to influence my recipes and make them complicated or unrealistic for the regular busy bee’s out there. I will always share recipes that I have mastered in the most simplest form with easy ingredients- after all, thats why I am here.
Back to the root of the question: Is being Vegan as easy as people claim?
In my opinion… It’s a hard NO! Not everyone lives the same lifestyle, some live in areas where vegan options are little to none, others are new moms and haven’t slept in days and many live in households where its even harder to change what they eat. It’s not easy and there will be moments where you will want to break and there will be other moments where you feel like you don’t have time to make the efforts you are trying to make.
These are the truths that need to be spoken about so that others experiencing similar, do not believe that they are alone, and quit. If you feel this way, try not to resort to online platforms of vegans preaching “being vegan is easy there are no excuses,” and then broadcasting acai bowls, oatmeal and recipes that contain an insane amount of ingredients, as if the regular working person has time. I believe there is a whole universe dedicated to creating only what is seen as, “aesthetically pleasing” and for some that might work. But for me, and many other people we need easy, simple and realistic so that we do not take 10 steps backwards.
Veganism should not cause people to start questioning what they are following or eating.
The good news is that (if you face these issues) there are ways to manage the stress, the time, the lack of creativity and any other hurdle you may experience while following a plant based life. That is why I am here, to help you push through the complications that may occur when being and or attempting to be vegan, through easy recipes (minimal effort) that wont bore your taste buds. I purposely created Love by Plants to do all the thinking, taste testing and creating for you; to help beat these struggles you might be facing, just so that you don’t give up! But, it was important to discuss this root of this issue and acknowledge that sometimes it just ain’t easy for everyone and that is okay, as long as we talk about it.
I mean… someone had to say it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the idea that “Veganism is easy and everyone can do it!” Have you experienced similar bumps in the road? Have you ever flipped back to eating meat because of this toxic theory? Have you been too busy to get creative in the kitchen and question if this diet is really for you?
Drop some comments below and share or leave your thoughts on my Instagram!
My feelings and experiences are simply mine and they do not reflect each one of yours. My experience also does not take away any truths from your own experience. That is whats beautiful about this and that is why we should all share our own journey :)
More Resources that will help if you feel like caving and eating meat (this link will help you remember why you are on this journey):
https://www.lovebyplants.com/blog/veganresources
These essentials will help you find some easy grab and go ideas for the busy bee’s:
https://www.lovebyplants.com/blog/trader-joes-vegan-essentials-veganuary-week-one
Other easy options for people who are too busy to cook every meal could be found at your local target:
Frozen burritos (many vegan brands)
Frozen veggie/chickn’ bowls (Sweet Earth and Gardein)
Make a basic sandwich with vegan mayo, bread, buffalo chickn’ patties (by Morning Star)
Grab some wheat thins (plain flavor) or any cracker + Target’s brand of vegan buffalo or queso dip for a snack
Burger patties (Impossible, Morning Star)
Vegan sausage (they carry many brands) can be diced up and topped on a bed of white rice
Rice noodles (top them with cold veggies like cucumber, carrots, spinach and soy sauce)
Buffalo Chickn bites (Morning Star)
