I'm not ready to go fully vegan yet but I feel guilty about it
Hey, I have a lot of thoughts in my head which I need to discuss with someone, I'll try my best to keep it short.
I'm vegetarian for ethical reasons and I've always believed that eating milk and eggs is okay because you don't need to kill or hurt the animals for that. But recently I started to learn more about veganism and realised that it's not really true. I decided to make small, step by step adjustments in my lifestyle, with the goal go fully vegan sooner or later. Right now, I follow a vegan diet when I cook at home and also in my cosmetics, clothes etc. Also when I'm eating out and there is a vegan option, I go for it. But I'm not ready yet to commit to the social aspect of being vegan - visiting my grandparents, family gatherings, going out with friends, having lunch at work in the canteen, eating out while travelling... if it was just about the taste of food, I'm in without hesitation, but such situations would get so much more complicated if I was vegan (sometimes I stuggle even as a vegetarian). Also since I started cooking vegan at home, I downloaded an app to help me keep track of my vitamins and minerals, and I have to say it's really exhausting sometimes, and I spend so much time thinking about food (which I didn't have to do as a vegetarian, because I was partially raised that way and already knew how to plan my meals properly). I hate the idea of my life revolving about food, as I see it just as something to keep my stomach full and body healthy.
But today I watched a documentary (Dominion) and obviously, I'm shaken. When I imagine myself eating cheese or eggs again, all I can see in my mind are those animals and it makes me feel physically unwell too (I have the same with meat, just the idea of eating it makes my stomach feel sick). Now that I know what I'm contributing to, I feel so guilty about not being vegan. But I also don't feel ready for that change yet, mostly because of the social aspect of it, and also because it feels like so much responsibility to do it right and I'm scared I will forget some nutrients in planning my meals and I sometimes I don't have enough time to do it properly as well. I wanted to learn everything step by step, but also I can't unsee what I saw.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Any opinions, experiences, tips? Literally anything would be super helpful.
Posted May 4, 2025, 4:49 PM UTC