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Returning to Veganism

705 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  leedsveg 
#1 ·
Hi everybody! I was a vegan from 2003-2008, a half-assed vegetarian (aka "cheating frequently and heart not really in it") from 2008-2010, then I chucked it all and threw my convictions out the window for the last five years. I started seriously dating a meat-eater and ended up marrying him, and used a limited grocery budget and the desire to love my "meat and potatoes" guy with food as my excuses to start eating meat again.

But we are getting our financial feet under us to the point where I can afford to buy what I need to nurture myself as well as him, and I am secure enough in our loving relationship to be my own person from a dietary perspective.

And honestly- I missed it so much. I missed plugging into those good feelings of ethical eating. I missed how it made me feel, physically and spiritually. I don't know why it took me so long to come back, but I'm happy to be here, and happy to be a part of an online community!

I kicked off my renewed commitment with a celebratory dinner at the Chicago Diner! I had ginger-lime seitan ribs, a smoked tofu club sandwich, a side of mac 'n cheeze and a slice of vegan chocolate mousse cake. All my husband could find to eat were french fries, but I didn't feel too sorry for him because that might be my predicament next time he gets to choose the restaurant!

Looking forward to getting to know you all!
 
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#3 ·
Welcome SheriBerry!

How is your husband handling your veganism? Is this something you guys talked about? I ask this as a long term vegan who lives with an omnivore myself. We have made it work for us, but it has not been an easy road. I think it is so important to make sure both partners understand where the other is coming from and for the omnivore partner to understand what you are willing to tolerate and what is off limits. I think it is great that you have come back to veganism! Welcome home!
 
#6 ·
Welcome SheriBerry!

How is your husband handling your veganism? Is this something you guys talked about? I ask this as a long term vegan who lives with an omnivore myself. We have made it work for us, but it has not been an easy road. I think it is so important to make sure both partners understand where the other is coming from and for the omnivore partner to understand what you are willing to tolerate and what is off limits. I think it is great that you have come back to veganism! Welcome home!
So far, so good. I might be naive, but there are a couple of things that make me think it'll be a fairly peaceful transition.

First of all, he is a super laid back guy, tends to go with the flow and deal with bumps in the road graciously. When I said I wanted to go back to veganism, he didn't roll his eyes or make any jokes about it- just respectfully asked a few questions about why I wanted to. What I appreciated was his tone with the questions- they weren't challenging, trying to score points or talk me out of it questions (the way so many questions about veganism are!). They were just information seeking questions, and he really listened to my answers and just nodded his head. There may be some eye-rolling at some points down the road, but I think it'll be in a gentle, teasing way rather than passive aggression. Thanks for the wisdom regarding setting boundaries- I will do some thinking about that!
 
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