New to vegan-ism, kinda

ChefMel

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Joined
Jun 25, 2017
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  1. Vegan newbie
Hey guys. So my name is Mel, im from the UK, and ive been a chef for 10 years. I am thinking of trying to get back into vegan-ism again. I grew up as a vegetarian on and off, with both my parents being vegetarian. They never forced it on me- if i said i wanted ham or chicken, my mum would buy me some, but my mum was a fantastic cook, and so generally being vegetarian for the majority of my childhood until i was about 15/16 didn't seem like a big deal at all.

When i was 15, and to be honest getting very skinny and into dieting, i tried veganism for about 1/2 a year. It was also because i decided i wanted to be a chef, and i figured if i go into the restaurant trade, and someone came in my restaurant and wanted a good vegan meal, i thought the best way of learning how to cook good vegan food was to become vegan myself for a bit! However, when i became a chef at 16, i very quickly realised the "V" word was a gazillion times worse than the "C" word when it came to the attitudes of chefs, and so i stopped vegetarianism/veganism and started eating meat.

That was 10 years ago now, and i dunno what it is, but i would love to try and be vegan again. Its a big mixture of reasons. 1) I love animals, and deep down i've always found it difficult to separate animals suffering with eating them. 2) Ive been trying to lose weight- i've lost a stone and a half recently and am now a healthy weight, but i havent been doing it in a healthy way- my diet is attrocious! Its all caffeine, booze, fags, and disrupted meal schedules. As a chef i can go days without eating, and then i will pig out on mountains of pasta and noodles and crisps and things. I dont just want to lose weight- i want to feel healthy! I dont want stomach aches all the time. And i remember just feeling really GOOD when i was vegan. Its not a weight thing but a feeling healthy thing. 3)I feel now is a good time to look into veganism again, because unlike 10 years ago when i tried it last, it is so much more popular. Its fashionable! saying your vegan doesnt mean your a hippie freak anymore, it means you are trendy, lol.

Ive stopped my milk delivery with my milkman, and starting wednesday i am going to be trying my best to be vegan. My biggest challenge will be my boyfriend- he is south african (very carnivorous!), and refuses to eat a meal without meat, so i'll have to make seperate meals. He'll hate the idea of me being vegan. I'll just say "im trying to be healthy".
 
It is hard to separate meat and suffering since choosing to eat meat is causing sufffering. Go ahead with the vegan diet despite what others think. Good luck!