1. How do you get enough protein?
This is the number one thing I hear when I tell people I am vegan. Newsflash: meat is not the only thing with protein in it. There are plenty of things with protein, like beans, nuts, spinach and potatoes! Another thing that's crazy is how much protein you think you need. If you want a simple calculation for how much protein you need: weight in kg x 0.8. Obviously this will vary by male or female, your physical activity, etc. but maybe if you do this you will see you're probably getting more than enough protein.
2. Can't you just pick around the meat?
No, it doesn't really work like that. At least not for me. If it was cooked or prepared with meat, cheese, eggs, etc, then no I can't just pick around it. I would rather just make it myself. I hate it when people try to force me to eat something I don't want to eat. It's like being at a grandparent's house.
3. Just have a cheat day.
.... it's not a diet. I can eat whatever I want. I chose to eat this way and it would not only make me extremely sick to eat meat, cheese, drink milk, etc but I would feel disgusted with myself. It's like asking someone with an allergy to eat the food they are allergic to because you enjoy the food and want them to try it.
4. Oh, that sucks.
I HATE it when people just assume and don't even ask questions because most the time they're judging me or they don't understand what vegan means. I would rather you askme, oh so what are your favorite foods or what made you decide to be vegan? Because I'd rather explain it to you than you just judge me.
5. How do you get enough calcium if you don't drink milk?
There's plenty of ways to get calcium as well. There's also other types of milk: like almond or soy. Did you know you can get calcium from bread? Oranges and kale are also a great source of calcium.
6. I couldn't do that, I don't like salad.
(I really love salad and I do eat it a lot) but that's not what vegan means. Insider: If you were to try a vegan diet, you wouldn't be eating salad all day every day.
7. How do you even eat? There wouldn't be any options for you.
Yes, there are plenty of options. Honestly, when I first started eating vegan, it OPENED more possibilities because I actually started trying new recipes and thinking of different things to try. You eat more diverse, which means you're getting more nutrients and vitamins because you're not just eating the same thing over and over.
8. Wow, that's really unhealthy.
I really don't need your opinion on it... especially if you're wrong. I'm a nutritional sciences major so I think I got this covered.
9. Don't you miss cheeseburgers? What if I ate one in front of you?
No, not really. I prefer not to eat dead carcasses, thanks though, you go right ahead. I will take my veggie burger with fake cheese that taste better and has a lot less grease.
10. Wow, I feel sorry for you.
No I feel sorry for you, that you are so narrow minded you won't try anything different. I cannot tell you how many times I've made meals with fake meat and fake cheese and no one even knew the difference. Crowd favorites include chili, "chicken" patties, and vegetable lasagna. I wait until the end and ask them what they thought, and then I tell them it was completely vegan and they're amazed. But if I would've told them that I'm the beginning, they probably wouldn't have even tried it.
I'm not writing this to scold all the meat eaters out there. It's your life and your body. All I'm saying is, once I stopped eating meat, cheese, milk, eggs, etc I felt A LOT better, I felt lighter and had more energy. Try it! Try different foods! Eat something you don't think you would enjoy because you are missing out on so many opportunities!
