If you’ve decided to go vegan let me take this opportunity to commend you. You are BOLD my friend, because you are in for one hell of a ride. While most people think the worst part about going vegan is all the delicious pastries and steak frites you have to cut out of your diet, that’s not even the half of it. The worst part will be dealing with the constant questions, the mockery from friends and the way your grandparents will just outright refuse to acknowledge your dietary restrictions. It’s a rough world out there for herbivores, but it’s worth it.
There are a lot of reasons to go vegan: for your own health, for the sake of the animals themselves and for the environment. In the last couple of years documentaries like Cowspiracy and Earthlings have drawn attention to the benefits of veganism. But, despite their convincing arguments (Cowspiracy finds that a plant-based diet can cut your carbon footprint by 50 per cent!), there is still a whole lot of stigma against restricting yourself to a vegan diet.
That’s why its pretty important for those who decide to take the plunge into the vegan green juice to have some good role models. Over the last year I’ve delved into the world of veganism and following like-minded food bloggers has inspired me and kept me on track. When I told my grandma I couldn’t have milk in my tea and she stared at me with slack-jawed confusion, I reminded myself that if Deliciously Ella could do this so could I. When an acquaintance bluntly asked me if I was only cutting out meat to lose weight, I remembered that somewhere in Portland the Minimalist Baker was making cookies out of aquafaba, which, for those of you who don’t know, is quite literally the water in chickpeas cans. And dammit if someone is making cookies out of dirty water for the good of the planet, then I can do this too.
Here are a few inspiring plant ladies to help you keep your vegan resolutions.