When I went vegan it was overnight. I pretty much went to bed with chicken wing sauce on my fingers and woke up pressing tofu. In fact, my whole vegan saga is the subject of the new book The Skeptical Vegan (Skyhorse Press) coming out at the end of July. (Make sure to read through to the end for a GIVEAWAY!)
I was the last person on the planet that you’d expect to go vegan. I was a known omnivore with strong leanings toward carnivore. If it wasn’t beef, it was chicken. If it wasn’t chicken, it was pork. Once a year it was turkey. On Friday it was fish. I ate shark, octopus, conch, lamb, goat, deer, duck, goose, squirrel, bison, and even bear. If it could be killed, butchered, baked, or barbecued, there is a very good chance I ate it at one point in my life. For the record, and in case this book winds up in the hands of the FBI, I never ate an eagle. At least not a bald one.
I had a lifelong love affair with meat and we were never breaking up.
Then, one day, I woke up vegan. It wasn’t easy at first. In fact, I was very reluctant and skeptical. The least of my worries was “where would I get my protein,” when all I could worry about is when would I get to eat chicken wings again.
Today, six years later I’m still vegan. From omnivore to herbivore to dietary vegan to ethical vegan. Looking back I reflect on many of those early challenges and present to you:
Five Things I’m No Longer Skeptical About (Going Vegan)
1. Why Are There No Vegan Options?
I’ll never forget after first going vegan how adamant I was to all my new-found vegan friends that there are “no good options” for eating vegan on-the-go and that this was clearly displayed in any vending machine in any bus or gas station in America or in a Minnesota steakhouse. I was very sure of myself when I mentioned to them all the food that you could buy while traveling that simply does not exist for vegans (on-the-go vegan food does exist).
However, please note, you should not be eating vending machine food in the first place.
Today there are vegan options popping up everywhere and the quality is improving at an incredible rate. In fact, anything I used to eat as an omnivore now has a vegan (and healthier) option.
And I bet you didn’t know that every grocery store in America has a full vegan section. It’s called “produce.”
2. Will My Health Actually Improve?
When I first went vegan I was very skeptical about the health advantages, assuming that losing protein, B12, D-whatever, and all the amazing health benefits of eggs, would turn me into a scrawny weakling. Of course, within the first six months the exact opposite happened. I did, in fact, lose weight (a total of 30 lbs in the first year) and soon discovered that my energy level increased, my hair was thicker, my skin was clearer, and … well … I was pleased to discover the incredible benefits of veganism in bed (and I’m not talking about sleeping).
It was within the first two years that I really started to pay attention to what I was eating and exploring new foods that fueled my new vegan body. I learned from many of the leading experts in whole-foods, plant-based nutrition (through conferences and documentaries) and can now go toe-to-toe with any omnivore when talking nutrition.
3. Where Will I Find Vegan Support?
Soon after going vegan I realized I was going to lose a few friends. The friends who I used to sit around a campfire with eating fresh-caught fish or the gang who would get together over a chicken wing special. If there is one downside to going vegan, this is probably it. This happens when you make any radical lifestyle change and I learned to accept it.
Of course, the upside is that you get to meet and make new friends. Starting with local meetups and vegan clubs and joining every vegan Facebook group of interest, within a couple years I built an entire peace-loving army of vegans who I consider my friends and getting together with them is every bit as rewarding, if not more, than my original group of friends.
Plus, those old omnivore buddies will go vegan one day … everyone will.
4. Would I Be Able to Go the Distance?
Probably the most skeptical part of going vegan for me was whether or not it would last. Whether or not I would be able to go the distance. Would I fold or cheat or make excuses?
It was in the first year that I knew I was forever vegan and this is the one thing I tell anyone who is considering trying. Once you’ve made the connection, there is no going back. Once you’ve connected the dots and understood that animals deserve to live and that their byproducts are not ours to consume, you will be forever vegan.
I can remember staring at a field of grazing cows when I made this connection. I pulled my car over and watched them as they went on with their morning. Enjoying the sunshine. Eating whatever it is they eat. Bumping into each other. Frollicking. Loving. Living.
These animals had as much a right to live as I did and, once I had this epiphany, I knew there was no turning back.
5. Was I Actually Saving the Planet?
I was skeptical about my own impact on the planet. Would cutting meat, dairy, and eggs really reverse global warming and protect the polar bears? How could my food choices have any effect on the future of our planet?
They do. Every choice I make helps. My voice has become loud about veganism and about the fragility of planet Earth. I know that my own choices are making a differences but, more importantly, I know that the hundreds of people who I’ve educated over the past five years makes the biggest impact.
I am but one who will change many.
But, can one person really make a difference? You really can make a difference. If you’re compassionate — and passionate enough — it will silence some of the fear you may have in giving it a try. If you get started on your journey and see it through, it will grow into something amazing,
Should you try going vegan or remain skeptical? From someone who personally experienced every aspect of going vegan and jumping in the pool feet first, I can tell you it’s worth it. Every morning you wake up knowing you’re doing your part to improve your health, help save the planet, and be a voice for the voiceless. One person makes a huge difference. You are a drop in the ocean that will become a wave.
Go Vegan.
GIVEAWAY
In celebration of the release of The Skeptical Vegan, we are giving away 10 FREE digital copies of the book! This giveaway is open worldwide with no geographic restrictions. To enter, all you have to do is perform one (or more) of the following actions on the RaffleCopter widget below to earn points. You can perform the actions as many times as you want during the next week to earn more points. The more points, the more chances to win! RaffleCopter will choose 10 winners at random on July 31st, 2017. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Eric C Lindstrom woke up vegan. This single lifestyle change ultimately led to a popular food blog, a successful design and marketing firm, and eventually to the 2017 release of his first book, “The Skeptical Vegan” which led to his second book, 2018’s “Mind Your Peas and Cukes: A Guide to Raising Vegan Kids.” Today, Lindstrom is the Program and Marketing Director for Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) and manages the online views and vegan support programs. Eric currently resides in Ithaca, NY with his vegan wife, two vegan toddlers, and vegan dog named Kimchi.
