10 years of veganism - The changes I see in the world

I (25f) just celebrated one decade of veganism during the summer (okay, the first couple of months I was a vegetarian tbh). I first became vegetarian during a bet, where I would win 20 bucks if I ate vegetarian food for 10 days. I honestly liked only 4 vegetables at the time but I always loved animals too much, so after those 10 days, I decided to keep going and after a few months, I became vegan.

The first few months were rough, cause I didn’t really know how to cook, my parents were (and still are) very against it and I lived in a southern European country where meat and fish are everything. The supermarket next to my house had only one brand of tofu and that was all the vegan options. I spent months eating pastas and terrible food but eventually I got used to it and now, every time I have a blood check, I’m doing perfectly.

I wanted to make this post to share some positive things that changed in the last 10 years, cause (slowly) things are getting better.

• While no “normal” restaurants (meaning, non vegan) had vegan options 10 years ago (at least in my country), now at least 65% have an option on the menu or cook something good for you if you ask nicely. I just did a road trip in the middle of nowhere and was pleasantly surprised about all the food I got in restaurants, including very good one. Also, there are more and more vegan restaurants and some are super yummy.

• Supermarkets now have so much more vegan stuff, including options that are not super ultra processed. Of course I prefer to cook healthy and not buy processed things, I (like most people) sometimes like to cook burgers or “chicken” or even vegan junk food. And now, I can go to trader joes or something and have different options, including ones that are relatively healthy.

• Very slowly, people are starting to be more open to veganism. This one is the one that changed the least tbh. People still don’t understand veganism, think it’s extreme, think only communist/super leftist people can do it… But, I’ve noticed that, especially in more liberal countries, people are more accepting and less judgemental of veganism.

With this said, a lot of things are still very bad. I read recently that the meat consumption in Europe (and probably in the US) continues to rise, and my country is no exception. Alternative milks stjll cost extra in cafes (which annoys me), many restaurants still don’t have any vegan food, there is a lack of education about what veganism is, and the meat/dairy lobbies continue to keep prices of vegan options more expensive.

But this post was meant as something positive, to celebrate a decade of having a great and healthy relation with food, without feeling guilty for killing innocent beings.

Please share the changes you’ve seen in your vegan life!!