How to become vegan if you enjoy dairy and a bit of meat but want to give them up on principle?

[malificent7]

I used to be vegan 25 years ago before it became trendy. Unfortunately it was tough back then , i gad no support from family/ friends/ society and I was tunnel vision resulting in an eating disorder.
I would like to ve vegan again due to climate change and I genuinely like my veg but i don't want to become they typical vegan bore again and i like meat and dairy. Sounds a bit stupid but id like to give it another go...any tips?

Haven't rtft but just do what you want without all the bloody labelling yourself. Can't you just say I only eat meat and dairy very occasionally, if anyone asks. It's no one else's business and you don't have to declare yourself as anything to just be pigeonholed.

I’ve been vegan almost 5 years now and it’s so unbelievably easy now. More people than ever understand veganism so food is readily available in shops and restaurants. Even 5 years ago it wasn’t easy, there was no options in restaurants aside from maybe chips or a Salad but now I’m spoilt for choice. I gave up everything overnight after watching some documentaries. It took me a while to find a milk for cereal that I liked (oatly semi is my favourite, my husband prefers almond milk) but nothing else bothered me.
I became vegan for the animals and honestly what I’ve seen in documentaries etc stays with me. The thought of grisly meat or thick dairy milk makes me feel sick. I did miss it ain’t he early days if being vegan though that’s natural.
I’d say do a little at a time, I did it overnight and found it hard, I didn’t know what to cook and what was ok etc. My teen has given up one thing at a time, first meat, then cheese, eggs and all she has now is milk but she’s trying to stop that, she’s just not found a plant based milk she likes yet.
There’s some really great supportive vegan groups on Facebook. And no one needs to be a typical vegan bore and most people aren’t. This is a term usually used by those who dislike vegans, to make us feel we are a bore/extreme, so we keep quiet about our views…..

@Billandben444

Trust me many of us vegans aren't bores I agree, but many are. As it is a lifestyle choice there's no need to hold forth at the dinner table and make others feel uncomfortable. There's no need to banish omnivores from your kitchen to a 'cupboard' where non-vegan products are permitted. My born-again vegan sister does both of these and we've fallen out over it. Her diet is not as healthy as mine as she appears to live on highly-processed gunk shaped to look and smell like the 'real thing' that goes in the microwave. Yes, of course not all vegans are bores but there are plenty of sanctimonious ones around! I wish the OP well - her approach sounds a good one - and I've picked up some tips on here on how to make some easy changes to my diet.

I strongly disagree with this, as a vegan I am fed up of meat eaters going on and on at me about it and why I’m wrong. I don’t talk about me being vegan, until I’m forced to. It’s my body and my choice to be vegan and I’m not hurting anyone so the only reason I can think of for them to continually bring it up is their guilt.

Like every time there is a thread on here about how do I go veggie or vegan and loads of meat eaters jump in.

@malificent7 if you are interested in the environmental impact I wholly recommend Minor Figures oat milk for your tea. Their carbon footprint is offset so they are at zero. Long shelf life and keeps longer than cows milk once opened. Also my favourite of all the oat milks I have tried.

I know a 12 year old vegan bore....seriously the lectures everyone gets over the dinner table are something to behold. I do not want to be THAT vegan. I was the 1st time round...I was militant( not violent just v zealous!).

Meat eaters are much bigger bores than vegans. You find a lot more meat eaters on vegan and veggie threads trying to convince people that local meat and dairy isn’t bad for the environment (it is) and that you’ll die of deficiencies if you become vegan (you won’t). Not to mention the stupid ‘but bacon’ comments or ‘I could never give up cheese’. You don’t tend to find vegans on random threads trying to persuade people to go vegan because most vegans are aware of not wanting to be ‘that vegan’. Meat eaters need to learn to not be ‘that meat eater’!

OP as previous posters have said if you’ve previously had an eating disorder it’s probably not a good idea to opt in to such a restrictive diet, just eat what you want for each meal without labelling it and perhaps speak to a dietician or GP before making any changes to your diet.

To be fair i dont think meat eaters helped my eating problems when I was vegan due to the permanent derision i encountered.

I was vegan a few years ago, I lasted probably 18 months before I couldn’t hack it anymore. The worst thing for me was eating out because nowhere had a reasonable vegan option. I used to find myself just eating plain salad and a bowl of chips wherever we went which was absolutely miserable.

Things have changed since then, I had an amazing vegan burger last week at TGI Friday’s, easily the best I’ve ever tasted. Veganism is way more mainstream now so you’ll find vegan options just about everywhere and in every supermarket now too, it wasn’t the case a few years ago and I had to get most things from Holland & Barrett which cost a pretty penny…

The hardest thing for me was always cheese, vegan cheese was just always so disgusting.

I'm just saying kikisparks that there are meat & dairy producers out there with a much more ethical approach and lower environmental impact and that the research around methane emissions and carbon sequestration through pasture-based systems is complex and evolving.
So someone who wants to eat a mainly plant-based diet but still occasionally include some livestock products can do that with a lighter conscience.
Plus if we increase the demand for low-carbon, ethical, regenerative food products it will make my job a whole lot easier, as I work in the conservation sector advising farmers on transitioning to a management model that encourages nature recovery and facilitates climate resilience.
We need people to reduce their meat & dairy intake significantly and also to shift that consumer demand to high-quality low carbon produce, but we need a combination of regulation and consumer pressure to drive that, so if there is someone who likes meat & dairy but is concerned about the env impact I will signpost them to places that will be of interest to them.

Watch Land of Hope and Glory. Earthlings and Dominion. Once I saw who suffered for it my cravings seemed unimportant. Over time my tastes changed and I've been vegan two years now and never crave it. What the Health and Forks Over Knives are some other very interesting documentaries focused on the health benefits of plant based eating.

I'd advise giving vegan cheese a swerve until you "detoxed" from the dairy so to speak and given your taste buds time to adapt. I found vegan cheese absolutely vile at first so left it alone for a couple of months and it tasted a lot better after that. The Applewood smoked vegan cheese is very nice. Green vie mozzarella is very nice too.

Some of my other favourite products are:
Naked Glory chicken pieces
Linda McCartney duck pieces
Birdseye Green cuisine range, particularly the Southern fried strips and the grills
M&S vegan cornettos
Aldi vegan ice cream - choc fudge brownie or salted caramel
Chicago Town cheezburger pizzas
Greggs vegan sausage rolls
This Isn't Bacon

I eat mainly whole foods myself but my partner eats a lot of the mock meats. Honestly there are so many different foods available now, it's so easy.

Ihaventgottimeforthis

We need people to reduce their meat & dairy intake significantly

Have you noticed what I've tried to explain or not? You don't seem to care. Many people cannot reduce consumption due to health reasons. Many will be severely malnourished without adequate access to animal products. What are you planning to do in terms of 'regulation'? Give out rationing books? What's so difficult to understand? There's no consumer pressure, it's all in your heads.

I work in the conservation sector advising farmers

I'm dismayed that we are spending public money to subsidise the 'employment' of people with this mentality and bullying stance.

Actually if you want to know who is lobbying a lot it’s the animal agriculture industry, against veganism

kikisparks it's very easy to see who's doing the real lobbying here, and it's probably all coming out of our own pockets. It's a disgrace

I limit meat and dairy days to once a week.

I'm 98% vegan, in that 98% of my day I'm not actively consuming meat or dairy products. I find this balance works well, allowing myself these things for 2% of my day and strictly avoiding them the rest of the time - I don't suffer cravings this way.

I'd remove one thing at a time - white meat, red meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese etc.

For me, the last things to go would be eggs followed by cheese as the vegan alternatives just aren't really there yet.

Reductions in consumption are still enormously helpful.

mustlovegin

My own children have never eaten meat. Ds has been vegan for years and Dd eats more vegan meals when she is at home.
I have been vegetarian for decades. I can’t say I am vegan but I can’t remember when I last ate dairy or eggs.
It was when I ate meat that I would be constantly battling anaemia and had so many health problems to do with my digestion. The revelation when I realised that it was the meat that was causing my issues gave me my life back.

None of us have ever had any sort of vitamin or iron deficiency because of our diet although you can be vegan or vegetarian and be anaemic and lack vitamins.
I remember a poster who would make lovely recipes for her family that contained meat then stick a frozen pizza in the oven for herself and was wondering why being vegan/vegetarian was making her feel shit and how the vegan food she was eating was shit. When a slight adjustment to the recipe and she could have been sitting down to similar to what she had cooked for her family with all the nutrients she needed in.

The amount of people who can’t survive without meat is very minimal. Mainly those that have a certain health issue where their bodies cannot break down something in vegetables/grain. (Can’t remember the name)

I had a lot of judgement bringing my children up without meat.
Lots of people who said I would be stunting my children’s growth by not feeding them meat
Given both dc now tower above us by several inches I wonder what height they would have got to if I hadn’t “stunted” their growth with my insistence in a non meat diet.

Do free range eggs contribute to climate change? I love eggs and all the arguments againt don't deter me atm. I'd love to keep chickens for example.
However i can make a perfectly successful cake without eggs.

Against.
Arguments against battery farming DO deter me though.

The amount of people who can’t survive without meat is very minimal

You don't know this. Your example is as valid as mine. I'm not judging your choices BTW. Two examples that demonstrate that everyone is different and has different needs, that's all. Meanwhile we have lobbyist (who we probably pay for) trying to pass legislation to restrict availability of nutrients to those who do need them.

What we need is to tackle overpopulation, starting with our own country maybe? Otherwise it will very soon be a race to the bottom.

I'd love to keep chickens for example

Do it, if you have the space, time and inclination

Mainly those that have a certain health issue where their bodies cannot break down something in vegetables/grain. (Can’t remember the name)

Coeliacs, at risk of malnutrition too.

Coeliac disease is a condition that affects at least 1 in every 100 people in the UK. But some experts think this may be underestimated because milder cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Also very prevalent in Norther Ireland

I meant in Ireland, not NI only

malificent7

I agree with everyone that most vegan cheese is rank but Applewood is really good. Violife is another good alternative. I really like their Greek style cheese. It is creamy, semi hard and has a really strong flavour. (I really like smelly cheese).

Go veggie or no dairy as a first step. Be well informed re nutritional needs. I was veggie for 26 years, despite loving meat. My principles and the health benefits were enough for me. Only started eating meat again because GP couldn't work out was was wrong with me so blamed being a veggie. Turned out, after eventually seeing a specialist, it was nothing to do with diet at all.😠