Amy Shafer has been vegan for two years and loves to tell people about how the change is the best decision of her life. Since going vegan in 2010, she has joined the Peace Advocacy Network‘s (PAN) Board as Volunteer Coordinator. The non-profit, 100% volunteer-run group connects social justice, human rights, and animal rights with vegan education being a root of their many campaigns. Amy also has a blog, The Vegan Light Bulb.

How I Went Vegan

1. What made you decide to go vegan?

For the majority of my hypocritical just-vegetarian existence, I was telling people, “I could NEVER be a vegan!” After about 10 years of that, I started to think, “Well…maybe I could be vegan.” What changed my mind was a combination of having a few professors who were vegan, having a housemate who was vegan, and stumbling upon various articles. All of those things lead up to the most influential thing for me, which was finding The Veganic Witch on YouTube. After watching her videos, I quickly decided, “No more!”

2. Was there anything that you were nervous about at first?

Once I make up my mind to do something, I’m usually pretty fearless. This was largely the case with my going vegan, but I do remember being nervous about losing weight because I’m already so petite. Sure enough, well-meaning people told me I was losing weight and I felt self-conscience about it. Then I weighed myself and discovered I was actually heavier - ha! Perception is a powerful thing. The good news is that I weigh more than I did since that weighing but it is still a healthy weight.

3. Did you go vegan gradually, or in stages? How did you learn to eat out, read labels, etc?

I had already been vegetarian for 12 years when I decided to go vegan. Once I went vegan, I cut out all animal foods. I stopped buying non-vegan clothes and other things. I used up certain household things that I had from before, though (like shampoos), until they ran out.

I’m very fortunate to live in Philadelphia, where there are a ton of vegan restaurants. I’m also lucky in that, I feel the city has been veganized and is veganizing right along with me. When I first went vegan just two years ago, there was only a handful of vegan restaurants. Now, that amount has at least doubled and there are dozens of places with vegan options.

To someone less lucky, I would recommend researching places, calling ahead, etc. Most places are happy to help (and cook something different for a change!) if you give them notice. Sometimes eating a sandwich before going out is a good idea.

As for food shopping/label reading - despite being vegan for 2 years, I’m not as great at reading labels as I should be, because I food shop at Trader Joe’s and they mark - on the shelf - whether or not the product is vegan. Since I tend to be short on money, I prefer to buy whole foods like rice, beans, veggies, pasta, etc rather than buying processed foods and reading labels. It’s actually the healthier way to go about things, too.

4. How did you learn to cook? Are there any substitutes or comfort foods that have been helpful?

My cooking skills are actually quite limited, but I still always enjoy what I whip up. I own a rice cooker, so I basically eat rice with a stir-fry every other night, and pasta on the other nights. For the stir-fries, I don’t follow a recipe. I just throw veggies in a pan with olive oil and then add some beans. I’ve started experimenting with spices recently, which is fun and tasty. I’m still always trying different vegetables. A nice thing about eating plant-based foods is that it’s easy to find things that go well together. Nutritional yeast can also be a nice addition to many dishes.

After going vegan, I discovered nutritional yeast, which I never would have tried before. It may not look or sound appetizing, but it makes many things taste better and it’s incredibly healthy! It’s packed with nutrients, and it helps improve your mood because of all the B-vitamins. Prior to going vegan, I used to struggle with depression and sleep-issues regularly. After going vegan, these problems vanished. I think nutritional yeast was a part of that.

5. What was your transition like socially? Have friends and family been supportive? Do you have a support network of vegan friends of acquaintances (in person or online) that makes things easier for you?

The social aspect of veganism is by far the hardest but I truly think it’s a good thing. The first couple of days, I was a bit nervous about telling people, friends, family, and even strangers, that I was vegan . Maybe this was because in the past, I myself had been incredibly judgmental against vegans. Later, I  experienced a sort of fantastic boost of “I’m vegan and I’m so happy about it!”. It is this attitude that was great for (and continues to be great for) educating others.

My family was initially concerned about my health. One of my family members is even personally tied to the animal agriculture industry. This person reacted to my veganism with so much hostility  that I remember feeling like I didn’t want to go home again. Still, when I argued with them, I felt comforted by all I heard/read/learned from Gary Francione. Not long after this intense argument, this person discovered that they had become lactose intolerant. Now, things are peaceful and at family gatherings, we eat a lot of the same things. The fact that I’m still alive and kicking after two years of veganism has also helped to re-assure my family that veganism is healthy.

My friends have always been fine with my veganism. There is teasing, of course, but I have the kind of relationship with them where I can just say rude things back and it’s fine. I love that because out in the “real world” when people make bacon comments or whatever, I have to smile politely and educate them patiently - even though, sometimes I wish I could just be sarcastic back. So I’m glad I have friends that I can be sassy with when they say, “How ’bout a steak?” Mixed in with the zingers and bad language, there have been deeper conversations and I feel good about the seeds I’ve planted.

I’ve also gotten a lot of vegan friends on and offline. I joined a vegan non-profit group; I’ve made a bunch of friends through that. Online I have a ton of friends. I love the fact that when there’s something vegan-related bothering me, I have 50+ people I can talk to about it. It helps me stay sane!

6. What advice would you give to someone who is considering going vegan?

Always remember why you want to and have to be vegan. If you keep that in your mind and your heart, all the “hard” stuff will become easy.

Also, I always think about people who struggled for various social justice issues in the past, whether it’s civil rights or feminism or whatever. They did the right thing even when it was much harder for them to do it than it is for me to be a vegan now. The law often worked against them; their lives were often on the line. The social pressures they faced were much more intense than what most vegans face. Thinking about such people - most of whom were anonymous – gives me strength; it makes me realize that I am part of something big. Humans are always progressing towards greater social justice and veganism is a part of that. Anyone who really cares can be a part of it, too.

I would also like to stress the importance of a positive mindset. See veganism as an adventure and an opportunity to run wild with something new. If you educate yourself (for example, the most commonly asked vegan-related questions) and if you are able to share this information with a genuine smile, you will be doing more for the animals than anything that you could have accomplished with a check or a signature on a petition. Any vegan who hopes to help the animals needs to stay happy, healthy, and kind. Don’t become a junk-food vegan and don’t became a vegan who hates people. If you need to, find a book or a website to keep your spirits up. Human beings are animals, too!

Kelly Ryan lives in Oxford, UK, with pieces of her heart scattered across the South Coast of England and India. As well as being an all-round awesome vegan, she knits, crochets, cooks, bakes, makes up songs about her cat, Tony Stark, and dabbles in running, yoga, meditation and self-improvement.

In this section, Kelly shares her vegan story, and provides insight and advice on going vegan.

How I Went Vegan

1. What made you decide to go vegan?

My decision to go vegan was actually based on a personal diet challenge. I had a friend who was vegan and I was intrigued, so I thought I’d give it a go. It was only after I’d changed to a plant based diet that I came upon animal rights information online, especially the Abolitionist Approach website, which opened my eyes. I’m now vegan because it’s the right thing to do.

2. Was there anything that you were nervous about at first?

Food. I think everyone is nervous about food because it’s such a social thing. I was worried about eating out in particular, but I realised with time that a little planning goes a long way!

3. Did you go vegan gradually, or in stages? How did you learn to eat out, read labels, etc?

It was a gradual process. I focused on food first, and when I was comfortable with that I got rid of all my animal-based clothing. Toiletries and cosmetics came last.

As I mentioned before, eating out was a concern at first but I learned to call ahead and, if I hadn’t called ahead, I learned to graciously accept a salad! In time, I figured out the best and most accommodating places to go, and discovered how delicious cheese-less pizza is!

Label reading can be quite daunting when it comes to making the food changes. Even now I still occasionally get caught out! My iPhone is extremely helpful; I often search for an e-number or an unknown ingredient and get immediate answers. If it’s not clear whether the ingredient is animal based or not, I avoid it anyway. In the UK, the Vegan Society have a pocket sized book called the Animal Free Shopper which was very handy for me in my early days of veganism, when I didn’t have a smart phone.

4. How did you learn to cook? Are there any substitutes or comfort foods that have been helpful?

I’d always been interested in cooking, but looking back to my omnivore days, my meals were quite uninspired. Since becoming vegan, I have become a pretty good cook (if  say so myself!) and have become very experimental in the kitchen.

For anybody interested in vegan cooking I was recommend good basic recipe website such as
http://vegweb.com/
as well as a book or two. Vegan with a Vengeance or Veganomicon are staples in my house but may be quite complicated for the novice vegan cook. This cupcake recipe has been with me since the beginning of my vegan journey and has definitely helped me eat my way to vegan happiness!

As for substitutes, in the beginning I was into substituting cheese (Bute Island’s Sheese is the best I’ve tried in the UK) but now I’m not as interested. I was a cheese fiend as an omnivore, but now my palette has definitely changed to prefer more fresh unprocessed foods.

I use soy milk regularly, but it took so long to find a type that I like! The first soy milk I used was hideous and grainy but I stuck it out (what a hero!). Now I go for the long life own brand supermarket versions.

5. What was your transition like socially? Have friends and family been supportive? Do you have a support network of vegan friends of acquaintances (in person or online) that makes things easier for you?

Friends and family have been very supportive, and I know just how lucky I am. At first, I think they may have been slightly bewildered, and perhaps didn’t understand my reasons but as time has gone on they have opened up. They have learned to cook vegan meals, have listened to my reasons and recently a group of people, including my parents, had a plant-based day to celebrate my 3^rd year vegan anniversary.

As a vegan, you will meet people who want to challenge you. Some will be respectful, some less so. My advice would be to learn as much as you can, familiarize yourself with the many (often ridiculous) reasons people fabricate for not being vegan and ready yourself with calm, informed responses. This self education does take time, but after 3 years I am beginning to feel more comfortable in face to face situations.

Getting to a point where I can communicate more effectively has been helped by online groups. Facebook has a good network of abolitionist vegan groups, and the Abolitionist Approach website also has useful forums where you can connect with like minded vegans.

6. What advice would you give to someone who is considering going vegan?

I have some of snippets of advice for budding vegans.

Do it at your pace. If you have the ultimate goal of veganism in mind you’re on the right path. It took me at least a year to phase out toiletries and cosmetics, but the staggered approach I took made it seem much less daunting: food followed by clothes, followed by toiletries etc (and in fact household cleaning products took a little longer).

The second snippet is be prepared. Yeah, I know it’s the Scout motto but I’m keen to pilfer it for veganism instead. A little forward planning is going to make your vegan life so much easier. Don’t expect shops or restaurants to have food for you to eat; carry snacks, call ahead; take small steps in advance in advance to ensure you’re not disappointed. I’ve always taken this approach and everybody who I’ve badgered in restaurants and the like have always been very accommodating.

Veganism isn’t hard. It might seem hard when you consider it, but gradual changes and planning will make it much more accessible. And finally, veganism isn’t about perfection, it’s about doing the best you can whilst holding the values true in your heart. We all make mistakes, and sometimes we have to make exceptions (i.e. medications) but as long as you’re not deliberately scoffing chicken burgers whilst claiming to be vegan, you’re doing it right.