I’m thinking of going vegan for environmental reasons, but I have some concerns about it. Everyone says we need to cut out meat to save the planet, but on what scale? Industrial? Individual? Corporate?
I guess for me the problem is that there are loads of unknowns about becoming vegan compared to, say, cutting out single-use plastics, or driving my car less. I’m a south Asian woman with diabetes in my family. I’ve been told by my doctor that there is a higher risk of putting on weight for people like me – so I’m incredibly conscious about health effects. I worry that changing from my current balanced diet to a vegan one might result in putting on weight, or becoming less healthy.
With regards to health, there are other things I worry about too, like my protein intake and how I will access the nutrients and vitamins I need. I’m worried about the annoyingly female side-effects, like being more tired, and suffering from iron deficiency and low energy. It’s odd that veganism is supposed to be this super eco-friendly, natural thing, but then people end up using loads of artificial substitutes and popping loads of pills to stick to it.
My second worry is about time and money. Is it possible to get a balanced vegan diet on the cheap? How much time will it take? I have a full-time job and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that obesity is on the rise at the same time that people are being asked to work every minute of the day. So I wonder if it’s something I could commit to financially and time-wise.
Finally, I’m nervous about such a huge transition in my life. Will I have to give up everything? Will I still get to drink? And be fit? How am I going to make such a drastic change to my everyday life, and stick to it? The more tips the better, thanks!
It’s natural to doubt your own impact as one small fish in a big pond of multinational corporations producing meat on a colossal scale every day. But you are more powerful than you think: a huge study this year by Oxford University, looking at 40,000 farms across 119 countries covering food products that represent 90% of all that is eaten, found that avoiding eating meat and dairy is the single most effective way to reduce your impact on the earth. You can apply this research to your own motivations: for example, the study found freshwater fish farming to be relatively environmentally friendly, so you might not have to go cold turkey if you don’t want to.
There are healthy and non-healthy ways to be vegan, but having to think about what you are putting in your body may actually help you. There’s a great Instagram story thread on going vegan here. I interviewed the creator, Cecilia Gorgon, because she recently turned vegan and has considered some of your questions in the thread. On getting the right foods, she says: “People never ask about protein consumption or vitamin consumption until you go vegan. Do you hit those targets now? It’s not a given that you do because you eat meat.”
Pill-popping might also not be as bad as you think: the National Academy of Sciences recommends that anyone over 50, including meat-eaters, should take a B12 supplement because we have difficulty extracting it from food.
Gorgon makes the normal recommendations for protein: lentils, chickpeas, hummus – coincidentally, some of the cheapest foods. While some foods such as nuts can be expensive, Gorgon finds the cost pretty equal: “I don’t spend extra on meat, dairy or fish any more, so it evens out.” She recommends batch-cooking and ignoring superfood fads: “People don’t need to eat chia seed pudding everyday. Have it if you like it, but it’s not a necessity. You can be vegan in as many different ways as you can be a meat eater.” There is a wealth of useful resources online for finding vegan adaptations for meals, too (for example, cashews in sauce for a creamy lasagne).
Will you save the planet this way? Perhaps not, but at least it’s something you can control: “We can’t stop how much plastic corporations produce every day. But we have power over the three meals we eat,” says Gorgon. Her brother and mother followed her into veganism after being diagnosed as pre-diabetic. That’s what motivates Gorgon now. “One person going vegan won’t change the world, but people around you see you making a big life decision and may in turn start to think about their own behaviour. That, for me, is one of the biggest impacts you can have.”
• What do you think? Or have you got a question for Poppy and readers to consider? Post your responses below or email them to in.it.together@guardian.co.uk
