For many years of my life, I didn't fully understand why I didn't eat meat. So, I decided to do my research into the background of vegetarianism. Diet is important. Our diet is linked to our mental health and our psyche, we literally intake the energy that is within the food we are eating. Veganism has many different arguments within it - you get people who have a raw diet, living only on raw foods. You also get those who don't consume or wear any animals products whatsoever, and those who do not eat any animal products. Environmental vegans is a category in itself. I would say, from my perspective, it is important to make the decisions which are best within the bigger picture. So, for example, consuming Almond milk is a good alternative to Dairy milk but you have to look at the environmental factors as well. Producing Almond milk uses a lot of water, in comparison to Oat and Soy milk. It is arguably better to use an alternative to Dairy milk - because of the amount of emissions, land use and water use, and the way Dairy cows are treated etc. - but there are other options which are better overall. This chart which is taken from the 'Datawrapper' blog shows how Dairy milk overtakes all of the other milk alternatives, in terms of emissions, land use and water use.

So, I think it is important to remember why you are choosing to change your diet, and why you are doing things differently. If we forget why we decided to make changes in the first place, then we lose sight of our main goal. If you are choosing to follow a vegan diet, but you are still purchasing leather, does that take away the impact of changing your diet? If you are choosing to follow a vegan diet, but you still purchase excessive amounts of clothes, is this environmentally beneficial? There are many different arguments within the Vegan argument, and there are obviously different reasons for following this lifestyle, which are personal to you. But, we need to remember that everything we do has an impact. 

I am working my way to becoming vegan, or at least, to cutting dairy out of my life completely. I was previously vegan for 2 years and I have never eaten meat in my life. Personally, once I realise the truth about something, I can't continue to go on living a lie and simply forget the new information that I have discovered. Being raised as a vegetarian has definitely allowed me to grow up with empathy and compssion. There were a few times in my childhood where it made me feel excluded or weird, there was maybe 2 other vegetarians in my year through every year of Primary School. I think it has allowed me to have empathy in different ways. I can understand when someone feels left out, like they don't belong. I have experienced a lot of different reactions to my diet as well, which has definitely made my skin a little bit thicker. Going to restaurants was a challenge when I was vegan, it is fine when you have the chance to plan where you are going, but a lot of the time there won't be an option for you. It is something that you learn to adapt to though, obviously, just like any other dietary requirements. 

I also feel like I have developed empathy in the sense that I can understand pain, I am not 100% sure if this is purely just from being raised as a vegetarian or if it is just part of who I am as a person. I have added a photo below which shows a quote from the Game Of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. I will never forget this quote! It is a fairly simplistic statement but I think it is important. We are so disconnected from where our food comes from, that we forget any kind of suffering or pain that the animals go through before we eat them. I have worked in hospitality for years and have had many discussions with chefs over vegetarianism, and surprisingly - not, a lot of them do not understand the argument. I enjoy hearing about people talking about their passions, and it is no different when chefs talk about cooking. I like the way chefs have described the process of cooking to me, that evertything has to come from somewhere, and I respect that they do go and hunt animals, and actually understand what goes into the process. But, that does not mean I agree. I simply respect the fact that they are not disconnected from where their food comes from, unlike the majority of society today. Just like the fashion industry, a lot of the time, we do not know who has made the clothes we wear, or what the working conditions are for the people who make the clothes etc. If I get into a discussion with someone about vegetarianism, and the morals behind the argument, I like to ask them whether they could kill an animal themselves, so maybe that is something for you to think about..

I have tried many, many vegan products over the years! I would have to say, some are much better than others. But I am so glad to see the increase in vegan products on the shelves! I find that, some products are trying to replace items which already exist, which I do not think is always completely successful.. But if I ever see something new, I normally can't wait to try it. 

I have thought about this for a few years now, whether or not products should be labelled as the same as another product, or be called something different completely. I personally can't eat products which look too similar to actual meat. I have never eaten meat, however, so I can see how some people may feel like they need to replace the act of eating meat because they like the taste. But, when I was walking through Asda the other day, a lot of the veggie burgers, sausages etc. were a little too pink for my liking. It is also the texture which I don't like the idea of. It applies to cheese as well, should vegan equivalents to cheese be known as cheese? If you have the same process for making the product, then I can see why you would label it as the same thing. But, sometimes, I can't understand why you would want these products to be linked to dairy or meat products. If something has a completely different taste, then I think it should be given a completely different name. It's like a comfort thing for people who have eaten meat or dairy their whole lives, but personally, I don't want to have any thoughts of these actual products in my head. I would rather eat something for what is is, as opposed to what it is trying to copy. If you understand that something is wrong, then the whole thing should be adressed rather than just specific parts of it. At the end of the day, I suppose as long as you know what is in your food and you know it is not harmful for animals, then there is no harm in it! You can add comments below if you have any thoughts on the issue! 

Asda and Tesco have both increased the amount of vegan products they have on offer, specifically within the freezer section! I have noticed how the green packaging is slowly taking up more and more space within the aisle. Also, the free from section now has its own area of the supermarket! Within the past couple of years, there has been so many new products which are vegan friendly appearing in supermarkets. I picked up some vegan-style mozzarella sticks the other day! The amount of vegan chocolate products that are on offer have increased also. It really is the little things in life that you start to appreciate the older you get! I am also very easily pleased! There really isn't any excuse to not try the vegan diet anymore - if you have been considering it, then now is a better time than any to try it! You would struggle to list products which don't have any vegan replacements now! I have added some photos below of some of the vegan products I have purchased or seen in shops!