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Shortly before Spring Break 2017, I decided to dedicate my Lenten vow to attempting to become vegan. However, this shortly became a promise to myself to only cook vegan in my house and make a conscious effort to eat vegan outside of the house as well. So far, I have been able to continue only cooking vegan cuisine for myself. But after months and months of letting myself slide when reaching for chicken… or fish… or lamb, it is finally time to admit to myself that this lifestyle change is much harder than I had originally anticipated.
My best friend was the first person I was really close with to successfully go vegan. She told me how much better she felt and that her doctor was surprised at how well her body was responding to the dietary change. She and I had always been plagued by similar health problems, so the diet became increasingly alluring with her testimony. She told me that because there were so little options where she lived, she is virtually always cooking. As someone who loves cooking, this new culinary adventure excited me. I knew how to roast a chicken and make a decent bone broth, but I didn’t know what the hell to do with zucchini noodles or how to make an Alfredo sauce out of something other than dairy. In theory, going vegan was a quick and dirty way to eliminate the dairy I absolutely could not have while challenging myself to learn new cooking methods and try new foods and break out of my comfort zone.
One thing that you don’t realize until you actively try to become vegan is how much free food is offered on a college campus. And how much of that free food contains dairy. Or meat. Or eggs. Or even honey. Another important consideration is that unless you have specifically planned out your diet, you will probably begin to have a slight B vitamin deficiency. To counteract potential deficiencies, I began supplementing B12 (sublingual is best), Vitamin D3 (the most bio-available form), and Zinc (often found in shellfish, not vegan), but I found that I was horrible at taking pills daily and I was fatigued as a result o my poorly planned diet. But for me, it was not the fatigue that did it. What really prevented me from being able to commit was the lack of vegan options that I could grab on the go while on campus. Even the healthiest salad from Starbucks had queso fresco and chicken, while these things can be easily picked out, I didn’t want to pay $7 to pick out all of the good stuff and only be able to arugula.
I still consider myself in transition and it’s getting easier every single day. I am lucky to have a solid group of friends that consider themselves at least part-time vegetarians and I am still strictly vegan when it comes to cooking in my own home. I hope one day that I will be able to become a strict vegan, but if that doesn’t happen, that’s okay too.