Here are some things you can do when you start to falter or vegetarianism seems too difficult. It can really help to focus and keep these things in mind. Not all of them will speak to you and your reasons for going veg, but each one is important:
- Think about the suffering involved. When you think about the suffering that pigs,
cows, chickens and turkeys (billions of animals in the USA alone are brutally
treated before being inhumanely killed) go through their whole, short lives so we
can eat a (unhealthy) meal it becomes easier to turn away food from animals.
- Think about your health and the health of your family.
- Think about what raising animals for human consumption does to the
environment and the Earth.
- Think about the millions (billions?) of people (mostly children) who starve to
death every year. If more people were vegetarians or vegans there would be enough
food to feed many of the people who are starving to death or dying of malnutrition.
- Take along good, nutritious, satisfying food when you go elsewhere for a meal.
One of our favourites (which we'll likely take along to an upcoming family dinner)
are pieces of tofu which have been coated in several herbs/spices and which are then
fried (or baked). They taste great! Also we occasionally order a veggie "turkey" from
a lady in Toronto. (She ran a well-known vegetarian restaurant). This comes sliced
and is incredible (way better than the tofurkeys you can get). I know someone in
Vancouver who orders this and has it couriered out to him. For a sweet treat we
occasionally have dark chocolate which contains no animal products.
- Willpower. The longer you go being vegetarian/vegan the easier it is. My wife and
I have been vegans for about 15 years and we don't even like the smell of cooked
animal flesh. One of the more difficult things for me to give up (thinking about the
animals made it easy for me to stop eating eat) was milk in my coffee. Now I
couldn't even consider putting this in my coffee (I've switched from sugar to maple
syrup too)
- Read about animals and the food industry; I'd suggest reading "Animal
Equality" by Joan Dunayer and "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins.
- Try to have a sympathetic friend you can contact if you feel yourself wanting to
eat animal flesh or consume products from animals.
© N. Glenn Perrett
Thank you,
I am lacto-ovo who is transitioning to vegan. My husband is an ominvore, and we have two children who I would like to raise veg. My husband thinks that being veg is a good idea but has not changed and still gives our boys animal products. It can be hard; sometimes I feel like I am swimming upstream. Thank you for helping me to remember why I am doing it. Also, my older son told me today that he wants to be a "veggie boy" and have tofurkey this Thanksgiving. That felt good.
Thanks again,
Annie Gillam
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