What I Learned From Taking Part In Veganuary
By: Conor Diskin
Tags: Vegan, Food, Veganuary, Foodies, Diet

January is generally the longest month of the year for most of us. This year was a lot longer for me though as I decided to take part in Veganuary. Veganism is something that’s still seen by many as an extreme lifestyle choice so I decided to break through the noise on social media and jump on the Veganuary bandwagon to see what it’s really like to live as one. That way instead of just joining in on the almost fashionable criticism of vegans, i’d be able to at least slag them off from a more educated standpoint. As the month came to a close and I had strictly kept to my new diet, here’s some of my key takeaways from the experience:

The word “Vegan” is now everywhere:

Part of the reason why I decided to take part in the month was because I had a feeling that the media would be covering it closely. What I didn’t expect was that the word “vegan” would be everywhere from the start. This may have been in part because I was looking at it but the start of 2019 saw even Gregg’s and McDonalds introducing vegan items to their menus. Grocery stores also began to cash in on this new almost trendy outlook on the diet.

With multiple news stories detailing that people should be cutting down their meat consumption by up to 90% in the coming years to save the planet, I can see 2019 as being a massive turning point for the vegan diet. I don’t think it will ever become mainstream in Irish households but it’s clear that there’ll be plenty more vegan items on our stoves, shelves and menus in the future.

Image Via Magnum.co.uk

It’s not necessarily a weight loss diet:

The vegan diet is heavily associated with being an effective way to lose weight, improve your digestive system and boost your overall energy levels. Even the word itself brings about images of lean long haired yoga instructors in poses that most of us can only dream of pulling off. So naturally people would tell me that despite the sacrifices I was making, I’d at least “lose a heap of weight”. Losing weight wasn’t really a goal for me during the month but nonetheless I was interested to see if I would enter February at least a few kg’s lighter and of course be able to do the splits.

I started the month at a jolly post Christmas 94kg’s (14st 8lbs) and after my 4 weeks without meat or dairy I weighed in at pretty much the same give or take a pint or two of water. It seems if you eat roughly the same calories each day and binge on chips, vegan mayonnaise (actually unreal), red Doritos and Oreos every time you’re missing your usual comforts, the weight doesn’t just disappear. The meme below was posted into an Irish vegan Facebook group and pretty much sums up how I treated the month:

As for the boundless amounts of energy that vegans claim the plant based life gives you? Well again for me I didn’t really feel any livelier or weaker during the 31 days. My digestive system didn’t feel any better either so I can’t attest to any bodily benefits. Had I spent the month getting 9+ hours of sleep, exercising regularly and eating strictly salads and superfoods then this may have been a different story. For me the month quickly became about making it as bearable as possible. Maybe the greater sense of overall health and energy comes with that feeling of superiority some vegans have over mere meat eaters? I’m not sure but the yoga pants will have to wait…

The vegans are a sound bunch

Another big reason why I wanted to get involved in Veganuary was to learn more about the vegans themselves. Publishers on the internet have a habit of latching onto divisive issues and spinning them for clicks and engagement. Over the last few years along with Trump, Brexit and other hot topics, vegan related stories usually get the keyboard warriors on all sides typing. This means that any time we see the words vegan online it’s usually followed by the word “outrage”.

With this in mind, after joining some Irish vegan Facebook groups I was anticipating a months worth of conspiracy theories, infighting and maybe even to join the odd organised midnight liberation raid on a farm or meat factory. Sadly, it seems most vegans are just normal people who eat a load of vegetables (surprise). I did learn that veganism is about a lot more than food but the vast majority of the posts were very mundane. From members sharing new food items they’d discovered to posts about dating as a vegan in our cruel world (it usually ends badly), I was surprised at the lack of “militant vegans” that we hear about constantly in the media.

How much I appreciate all types of food

The month did help me discover a new appreciation for different foods. Chickpea curries, falafel salads, tofu stir fries and sweet potato dishes all tasted lovely and kept me full. Being a 26 year old infant that still lives at home, I have to give my Mam a special mention as she did prepare plenty of dishes for me during the month too. Her enthusiasm didn’t stretch to actually joining me and eating too but overall it helped me to get through.

Eating out can be a nightmare and at two recent work events I felt like a bold child being punished with small tomato and pasta dishes while the rest of the table ate hearty steaks and buttery mash. There are however, some great options for vegan dining in some places around Dublin. I enjoyed tasty vegan meals from Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Cocu Hatch, The Lean Bean and Toltecca to name just a few.

One thing that kept annoying me though is the number of vegan menu items that try to mimic some of our favourite meat dishes. Delights such vegan sausage, vegetable steak and plant based kebab all set your tastebuds up to be bitterly disappointed. I’ve even seen recipes online for “Cauliflower Buffalo Wings” that apparently taste “just as good as the real thing!” Cauliflowers don’t even have wings! (I Googled it).

Will I keep it up?

The answer is a swift no. Don’t get me wrong the diet is definitely not as hard to stick to as I thought it would be but it’s just not that much fun in my opinion. Many vegans in the Facebook groups and online forums I kept my eye on during the month talk about the turning point in their lives when they “saw the light”. This come to Jesus moment is when they realised it was no longer ethical to consume any kind of animal products. This may have been brought on by a documentary they watched, a loved one they spoke to, a farm they visited or one of the million “Scientific Studies” that they cling to like scriptures from the bible.

I think that until you see this “light”, you can’t really go all in on veganism. Sadly, I was shielded from the light during the experience by my intense love of food. Yes I may have watched some of the documentaries and looked at the various studies on the issue, but for me it all boils down to what I already know — Animals are exploited and killed for us to eat. I know that and always have I just like to be conveniently ignorant to the suffering behind the beautifully stocked shelves and well presented dinner plates.

At the end of the day in my opinion life is too short to be vegan! Yes life is a lot shorter when you’re a farm animal but when I’m really hungry come dinner time a bean burger just ain’t gonna cut it!

This blog was adapted from an original post on www.conordiskin.com