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I Tried To Be a Socially Acceptable Vegan
The hierarchies of veganism and my fear of being judged made me hide my choices.
I became a vegan 7 years ago, for several reasons. I felt good when I wasn’t eating animal products and my body responded better to training the more fruits and vegetables I ate. To top it off, my father had been diagnosed with cancer, a disease I’ve been terrified of since I can remember, and I was afraid it would happen to me.
Veganism was the common-sense solution to many of those things. For a formerly disordered eater, veganism offered a way to look good and gain muscle without counting calories or macros. As a person who wanted to leave as small of an impact on the environment as possible, going plant-based is the answer. For someone terrified of disease, even at 29 years old, a diet that notably reduced my risk of cancer gave me some peace of mind at a tough time in my life.
There had always been a certain intrigue in me for the ethical part of veganism, for the people who refuse to eat animal products because they believe we shouldn’t exploit animals. However, these people are viewed as fanatics in our society, the worst kind of hippie.
I wasn’t willing to go that far, so I opted for saying I was a vegan for health reasons. I didn’t know the same hierarchy…
