My 8th grade and part freshman year of high school I was vegan. The first three months I didn't even eat sugar but I decided not to continue it as, well I was a kid and I loved sugar. But whenever I bring this up in conversation people are always so curious as to how I did it. They act like it was so extraordinarily hard to be vegan. It isn't easy but it is not the hardest thing you will ever do. Here is how I survived temptation of not being vegan for over a year.

Substitutes are glorious. Many times when I was vegan I would crave a hotdog, ice cream, or chicken. However, a lot of vegan alternatives are downright nasty. Some of them are the worst things I've ever tasted. But if you can find a good substitute, they actually taste really good. Now you won't recognize it right away. One of my favorite substitutes was Star Morning fake chicken patties. They vaguely tasted like chicken, but that wasn't the goal. It tasted good, and because I was vegan for a substantial amount of time my tongue started to recognize that taste as what chicken tasted like.

The same thing happened with ice cream, however I ran into several bad brands before I found some ice cream pops that tasted just like ice cream. Often with milk, ice cream, and meat substitutes it takes some tasting around to figure out what tricks your body into thinking that is it the real thing.

I also suggest you have substitutes with you at all times. Temptation can be so bad to go back to the real things, especially when you are craving a hot dog or ice cream. Substitutes help trick yourself into thinking that you are eating what you are so desperately craving. That way you can still kind of eat what you want and still be vegan.

The main issue with temptation becomes when you go out to eat with friends at a restaurant or to a cookout or party. Sometimes it helps to know the event and to be aware if people are going to have vegan options there. If not, it may be a good idea to bring your own food. Such as margarine or meat substitutes. Most restaurants will be happy to use your substitutes as long as you order from a meal and just bring your own vegan substitutes. If they won't, try to look at sides on the menu as they usually have mashed potatoes or vegetables of some kind.

So if you are debating on becoming vegan as you have heard it is too hard or if you have recently switched to being vegan. Try to find substitutes that taste good, satify your cravings, and make sure to have them on you and bring some to events if you don't know that there will be good vegan options there.