At first, going vegan can feel like a mammoth step to take, and it definitely helps to hear an honest account of others’ experiences before we take that plunge ourselves. In a conversation we had with Miriam Calderaro, a vegan mom from our Cowmunity, she shared a bit about her own journey into veganism.
We hope you find value in her insights, approach, and advice!
HC: Can you tell us about why you decided to give veganism a try?
M: A friend told me about Veganuary in December 2019. I was pregnant at the time. I thought it would be a great challenge to try out, and, you know, I realised if you can do it for 30 days it’s likely you can continue!
HC: What was the hardest thing you faced when you first went vegan, and how did you overcome it?
M: Before I started out in January 2020, I already had a diet with no meat and I ate fish only rarely. My diet had no milk or eggs but I never bothered too much to check if milk or eggs were inside of biscuits/cakes. I guess the hard part was really giving up cheese and having to check the ingredient labels all the time, but it felt like a game. So I was busy finding different options and experimenting a lot in the kitchen!
HC: Would you like to share any insights, learnings, or breakthroughs you experienced in that first month?
M: In January I was really strict with myself, paying a lot of attention to every detail, but then I realised I had nothing to prove to anybody. So if I ever slipped off the track by having cheese or ice cream, I realised it was not the end of the world. There was no chance of eating meat or fish anyway, because just the thought of it made me sick. I had already watched Cowspiracy and Seaspiracy, which really convinced me to never go back to eating meat.
HC: What would be your #1 advice to new vegans?
M: Don’t be too hard on yourself! You don’t need to replace everything with vegan options, say, cheese for example. Here in Italy there are limited options and some taste really bad, but I know I can live without cheese – vegan or not!
HC: Were there any online resources, platforms, or bloggers that you found particularly helpful when you made the shift?
M: The Veganuary Facebook page was very helpful. I also found plenty of recipes from vegolosi.it. I did lots of research online any time I wanted to turn a dish into a yummy, vegan equivalent.
HC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the HappyCowmunity?
M: I feel good respecting the environment and the animals, and I feel sad sometimes that people don’t really get how cruel it is to eat meat. I gently explained to my daughter that animals are not happy to be killed and get to our plate. It seems she got it, and now she doesn’t eat meat. She has rice milk instead of cow milk in the morning! I won’t push her anywhere, she has to understand it herself and make her own decisions. Once my little boy is old enough, I’ll explain it to him too. Besides, we have a pet cat and we love and respect animals – all of them.
“I always say this: If you want to eat animals, then be coherent and eat all of them – cows, monkeys, rabbits, cats, bugs, turkey, lions…” Why love one but eat the other?
Here’s a sweet video of Miriam’s daughter helping her teach English. See what the little one has to say about farm animals at the end of the video!
TeamCow would like to thank Miriam for sharing her story!
If you’re a new or aspiring vegan, you’ll find comfort, inspiration, and support in these articles:
– Can Going Vegan Change Your Life?
– Addressing 5 Common Concerns About Going Vegan
– Best Online Groups To Join If You’re A New Vegan
– How To Meet Other Vegans Near You
– How To Be a Vegan Kween: Why It’s Easier Than Ever To Go Veg
– Time-Saving Vegan Cooking Tips For Beginners
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