i went away for a few days to stay with friends
unluckily they had no idea what veganism was and even after trying to explain i ended up reluctantly eating the dairy foods they gave me to eat.
at least i managed to stay veggie but now i'm back home i'm going to go vegan properly again.
today is day 2 of being vegan - not much but you have to start somewhere don't you lol

do any of you know how to deal with being away from home and being vegan? going to friends houses to eat and stuff?
it's really hard because i always feel such an inconvenience. i don't like to go on about how i don't eat this or that but if i pretend i don't mind then i just end without vegan food. i'd happily cook all my meals if they didn't mind...but i don't want to seem like i think their cooking isn't 'good enough' for me, you know?
i don't want to seem picky, but then i guess i am, at least it's for a good reason....
people think it's odd that i am going vegan because they think vegetarianism is extreme enough. :confused: it's definately not as acceptable to the people that i know

i went away for a few days to stay with friends
unluckily they had no idea what veganism was and even after trying to explain i ended up reluctantly eating the dairy foods they gave me to eat.
at least i managed to stay veggie but now i'm back home i'm going to go vegan properly again.
today is day 2 of being vegan - not much but you have to start somewhere don't you lol

do any of you know how to deal with being away from home and being vegan? going to friends houses to eat and stuff?
it's really hard because i always feel such an inconvenience. i don't like to go on about how i don't eat this or that but if i pretend i don't mind then i just end without vegan food. i'd happily cook all my meals if they didn't mind...but i don't want to seem like i think their cooking isn't 'good enough' for me, you know?
i don't want to seem picky, but then i guess i am, at least it's for a good reason....
people think it's odd that i am going vegan because they think vegetarianism is extreme enough. :confused: it's definately not as acceptable to the people that i know

There is no reason to feel like an inconvenience. Try varying things though, like if you are going to have to eat a meal in someone else's home, offer to bring some ingredients and cook the meal all together maybe. Or if it is just an outing, don't center it around food anyway. or eat before you go out. But with staying at someone's home for a few days, maybe the offering to cook together is a good idea. But at the same time, if you nicely explain that some things are against your beliefs to eat and ask if they don't mind you bringing your own food to heat up, that shouldn't be a problem. I don't know if you are going vegan for ethics or health more, but as far as declining food from people, citing ethics does hold more water, and they would be less likely to say "just this once" or "just a little bit".

thanks for the advice
as for my reasons - it is for ethical reasons
(the environment and animal welfare)
next time i think i will bring my own food and cook more of the food myself

I would struggle to do ten push-ups before I went vegan. Now I've been vegan for about a month now, and I just did 20 push-ups hardly any problem at all. :sweat:

It really isn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

I feel SO much better and so much more active. I feel like doing 50 crunches later today and 40 lunges, maybe I'll start jogging too.

Yay! :pibo:

do any of you know how to deal with being away from home and being vegan? going to friends houses to eat and stuff?
it's really hard because i always feel such an inconvenience. i don't like to go on about how i don't eat this or that but if i pretend i don't mind then i just end without vegan food. i'd happily cook all my meals if they didn't mind...but i don't want to seem like i think their cooking isn't 'good enough' for me, you know?
i don't want to seem picky, but then i guess i am, at least it's for a good reason....

I know what you mean. One way I've found to handle it is just to say that you have a special diet, and ask if you can bring some food, and then bring something that everybody might eat... like a stew or something like that, but not veggie burgers or veggie dogs or tofu.
Anybody who is interested, will ask why you have your diet. But for the people who think it's odd or aren't interested, it might help to just state that your diet is special and not try to explain or try to get agreement about it.

If they think it's just some special diet you chose, then they aren't as likely to get offended, than if you explain that the food they are eating and serving causes suffering... even if you aren't being judgemental about it.
The worst is that they'll think it's extreme or weird.

Things got easier for me, when I stopped expecting other people to consider my diet (often they didn't, or they thought a side-dish of peas and corn was fine lol or they'd think that meat-less cheese pizza was vegan).. and when I just matter-of-factly made sure there was food I could eat.

I would struggle to do ten push-ups before I went vegan. Now I've been vegan for about a month now, and I just did 20 push-ups hardly any problem at all. :sweat:

It really isn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

I feel SO much better and so much more active. I feel like doing 50 crunches later today and 40 lunges, maybe I'll start jogging too.

Yay! :pibo:

:D:D Way to go :)

it's incredible how easy and natural it becomes, and how much our bodies are healthier. It's the opposite of what i worried about when i went all-plant.

i think there's also the energy of knowing i'm doing what i value, and feeling empowered that i can change my self :)

That all makes a lot of sense, but I think that if they are people you are close enough to to be staying in their home for a number of days, they can take the reason why you eat differently. And I don't really agree with using the term "special diet" because it sounds like there's something wrong with you, when you only believe in eating ethically. Don't make a show of it or anything, but don't downplay it either, especially if you are asked.

That all makes a lot of sense, but I think that if they are people you are close enough to to be staying in their home for a number of days, they can take the reason why you eat differently. And I don't really agree with using the term "special diet" because it sounds like there's something wrong with you, when you only believe in eating ethically. Don't make a show of it or anything, but don't downplay it either, especially if you are asked.

Thank you for your thoughts. After I typed that, I was thinking, and didn't quite agree with what I had thought and said. I've adjusted to some limiting dynamics in ym family i think :( but there is always time to improve and resolve anything :D I want to evolve a lot more on this... be a model more than a pacifier.. so I'll just sit and listen and think for a bit.
I do agree, not to downplay it, because it is such an important thing..

I'm sorry if I'm jumping in the middle of something.. I don't have time to read the recent posts in here... I have three jobs and school just started back up this week, so I really shouldn't even have logged in at all... but I just miss VB (this thread especially!) so much, I had to stop in for a second!

I can't wait for the weekend to come so I can catch up. :)
I hope everyone's still doing well!
Good luck to anyone who's just getting started!

Thank you for your thoughts. After I typed that, I was thinking, and didn't quite agree with what I had thought and said. I've adjusted to some limiting dynamics in ym family i think :( but there is always time to improve and resolve anything :D I want to evolve a lot more on this... be a model more than a pacifier.. so I'll just sit and listen and think for a bit.
I do agree, not to downplay it, because it is such an important thing..

Yea, what I meant was, don't feel like you need to make someone feel better or something when you can't eat something. What you can do/bring to eat might vary by the situation though. Like, last weekend, I went to my boyfriend's sister's birthday party, and he knew they were getting pizza. So I just brought an Amy's burrito and heated it up when they were having pizza. No one said anything or seemed to really mind. the only time I mentioned anything (other than just with my bf) was when his mom asked his sister what pizza to order and seemed to imply it had to get here before I had to leave (I had to leave at a certain time to make a train back) and I said not to worry about me because don't eat cheese anymore. I didn't announce to everyone what I was eating and why, but did not try to hide it either. And if someone had asked, I would have said why.

I am slowly transitioning into veganism, over a period of months. I have only been lacto-ovo veg. for a little over a month. I am hoping to be 100% vegan by the first of next year.

Yea, what I meant was, don't feel like you need to make someone feel better or something when you can't eat something. What you can do/bring to eat might vary by the situation though. Like, last weekend, I went to my boyfriend's sister's birthday party, and he knew they were getting pizza. So I just brought an Amy's burrito and heated it up when they were having pizza. No one said anything or seemed to really mind. the only time I mentioned anything (other than just with my bf) was when his mom asked his sister what pizza to order and seemed to imply it had to get here before I had to leave (I had to leave at a certain time to make a train back) and I said not to worry about me because don't eat cheese anymore. I didn't announce to everyone what I was eating and why, but did not try to hide it either. And if someone had asked, I would have said why.

That's an excellent (and in hindsight.. obvious) way to handle situations. thanks for helping me get back on track.. :D

No prob. Just don't let anyone make you feel awkward. You don't need to impress anyone with what you are eating.

Note to myself: have a variety of whole, healthy, tasty foods on hand to eat, so I don't get hungry and buy a Chunky candy bar at the concession stand downstairs at work...

And with that, Tom hauls his behind back onto the Vegan wagon...

Note to myself: have a variety of whole, healthy, tasty foods on hand to eat, so I don't get hungry and buy a Chunky candy bar at the concession stand downstairs at work...

And with that, Tom hauls his behind back onto the Vegan wagon...

I can totally relate to you. I have fallen off the wagon a few times but I shall persist! :whip: We can do this, we can do this!

Note to myself: have a variety of whole, healthy, tasty foods on hand to eat, so I don't get hungry and buy a Chunky candy bar at the concession stand downstairs at work...

And with that, Tom hauls his behind back onto the Vegan wagon...

:p That's great advice for any new vegan!

I've found that when I'm in a hurry, chips and salsa and fried tofu are my best friends. I also make sure to keep oreos and trail mixes with me when I'm running around. They're not especially healthy for sure, but they work! :rockon:

.........do any of you know how to deal with being away from home and being vegan? going to friends houses to eat and stuff?........

It sounds like you've already gotten some wonderful advice, but I thought I'd add my two cents too...

I used to *always* feel like an inconvenience. In fact, I quit being vegan after nearly 3 years partly because I couldn't handle dealing with my parents and my bf's parents every time we sat down to eat. I'm now vegan for the second time and changing a lot of things around to make it work.

For one: I always bring my own food when I leave my house, even when I visit my own parents. I keep really quick snacks with me so I can eat that if every meal ends up being vegan-unfriendly.

The second thing I've made sure to do (and this took some practice, I won't lie) : I sneak away from the table if I'm out to eat with non-vegans and talk to the waiter or chef about what I'm able to eat. For example, I recently went to my bf's sister's wedding. The reception was catered so we had to choose between 4 meat dishes all served with pasta. I snuck away from the table before it was time to order and asked my waiter if it was possible to have just a dish of pasta with no butter. When it came, the chef had put all kinds of great spices on it for me so I didn't even have to end up eating a plate of bland pasta.

I think the key is just to try to be as descrete as possible (without hiding the fact that you're vegan of course!). If someone asks about your food or diet, there's nothing wrong with telling them. But I've found that - for me - the best way to get through the day without feeling threatened is to be very quiet about my diet, so when someone does ask me about it, they don't feel like they have to get defensive right off the bat, because they know that since I haven't been shoving it in their faces so far, I'm probably not going to start.

Okay, that turned out to be more like 87 cents. Sorry about that. :)

thanks guys this is really helpful

btw today is the day.....no more dairy for me!

i'm stocked up on rice milk, soya yoghurts and vegan cereal bars

you can probably tell from my other posts that things weren't going to great but going vegan means alot to me and i am going to start anew and put all the mistakes behind me.

i don't know any vegans or vegetarians so its great to be able to talk to people who are going through/have been through the same things as me and who know what to do....

i'm going to do better this time, i promise!
i'm going to try my best :)

btw today is the day.....no more dairy for me!

i'm stocked up on rice milk, soya yoghurts and vegan cereal bars

you can probably tell from my other posts that things weren't going to great but going vegan means alot to me and i am going to start anew and put all the mistakes behind me.

you can do it for sure... :) you came far already to get to the point of getting off dairy :D

mistakes=learning experiences Without them we'd never have accomplished learning to walk or anything else. they teach us what we didn't know about before.. how to balance to walk, or how to handle urges and other things :D

everyone on these forums is great, and thanks to the site owner and moderators too :)

update: just to say i am halfway through day 2 of being vegan and its going good :)

yay :bobo:

I went to a grocery store last night and stocked up on vegan "junkfood". I could not believe how much they had! I am going to have to go there like once a month to stock up! :rockon: I got chocolate soymilk (LOVE IT!), some vegan chocolate bars, some vegan swedish fish that I found. I also got some soy yogurts, rice milk and some soy ice cream. I have been having the worst junk food cravings since giving it up cold tofurkey, to the point of breaking down and eating milk chocolate. I almost died and went to heaven when I tried the vegan chocolate bar and the chocolate soy milk. I truely cannot go vegan right now without some junk food as sad as that is. :rolleyes:

But I have been doing well, only slipped up a few times since my trying to convert and each week it is getting easier. I find that my cheese cravings have stopped but my sugar/chocolate cravings have increased. My boyfriend has been so wonderful and supportive. Even though he is a full omni, he keeps me strong in the times of cravings. He knows why I want to do this, he supports it 100% and I am so lucky to have him!

I notice my digestion is better during my conversion. I eat way more fruit and whole grains and my digestion and IBS have been getting better. Knowing that I am not contributing to animal suffering anymore and that I am helping my own issues, that is enough to keep me going! Thanks for this thread everyone, it has been so helpful

I did have one question, is cocoa butter vegan? Or is it butter is disguise? Thanks!

Cocoa butter is vegan. :) Unless it's mixed with things that aren't vegan. :p

Cocoa butter is vegan. :) Unless it's mixed with things that aren't vegan. :p

WOOHOO! I am so happy! :pibo: This chocolate bar I got had cocoa butter in it and is vegan. It is the first vegan chocolate bar that I had that melts in the mouth like normal chocolate. :lol: So I started to worry that maybe cocoa butter was not vegan? Now I feel so much better! Thank you!