Have you ever participated in a "food fad," like being "obsessed" with eating avocado toast for lunch, insisting that you "need" to go to your local, fair trade, 100 percent organic juice shop for acai bowls, or choosing the low-carb option because carbs are suddenly "unhealthy"?

Well, there's another (relatively controversial) food fad that's been gaining quite a bit of popularity lately: veganism.

Cute, artsy vegan cafes (that are very Instagrammable) are suddenly popping up like mad in major metropolises due to the heavy demand for gourmet, plant-based food. Instagram feeds are filled with colorful smoothie bowls lavishly adorned with shredded coconut, nuts, fresh fruit and the like. People are claiming to lose tons of weight by becoming vegan. To a bystander, veganism either seems like a magical cure-all or the craziest thing in the world.

Here's the thing about veganism, though: it's not just a fad. Those vegan activists aren't just wasting their breath when they tell you that veganism isn't a diet, it's a way of life.

After being vegan for a year and a half now (and vegetarian for three and a half years), I can firmly tell you that becoming vegan was one of the best and most beneficial decisions I have ever made. However, being vegan isn't always just the rockin' beach bod and Instagram-worthy food it's made out to be. Here are the true ups and downs of living a genuine vegan lifestyle (and some general terminology you need to know to understand vegans better).

There is a major difference between "vegan" and "plant-based."

You may say, "That doesn't make any since. Both only eat plants. Aren't the words interchangeable?"

No, no they are not.

You see, if one identifies as "plant-based," one chooses to only partake in the dietary aspect of refraining of animal goods. However, if one identifies as "vegan," one chooses to partake in the dietary restrictions involved, abstain from all animal-derived goods (I'm looking at you, leather jackets), and view animals as equal beings that inhabit the earth. Essentially, being plant-based focuses on the physical, while being vegan focuses on the entire being.

Whether you identify as plant-based or vegan, I commend you for making the effort to choose a healthier lifestyle while simultaneously promoting resource conservation (the topic of how much water an omnivore diet requires versus that of a vegan is a whole other topic for another day). Besides, even if you are just plant-based, you're still saving the animals (and who doesn't love saving animals?).

Personally, I identify as being vegan because I believe that taking on the entire philosophy of veganism promotes not only a change in health, but also a change in worldview, especially regarding how and why other people have the attitudes they do towards their food, health, animals, and the environment. I would not be the person I am today without first giving myself a complete paradigm makeover by becoming vegan.

Going out to eat is awkward.

News flash: most of my friends aren't vegan (I really only have one or two vegan friends), so most of the time if I'm going out to eat with friends, I'm going to a very blatantly non-vegan-friendly establishment.

Though I say, "Yes, I'll come to dinner," the question inevitably arises, "Wait, Rowan, can you even eat anything here?" Then everybody starts freaking out, proposing to change eateries just to appease my special diet. I end up saying, "Guys, you don't need to change for me. Really, I'm fine. No, really, it's all good. I'll get a salad. Guys, seriously, I'm fine."

If I had my druthers, I would never go out to eat with friends because I usually just end up having to buy a pathetic (but expensive) salad just so I'm not that one weirdo at the table who's not eating. However, I don't want to miss out on making memories with my friends, so I go anyway because the world shouldn't have to revolve around my dietary restrictions. If I'm lucky, the salad I order will have something more than just lettuce and tomato, and that makes the outing all the better.

No, I really don't care that you're eating meat in front of me (and no, I'm not "tempted" by the smell of meat).

I usually get this question from new acquaintances/friends who end up sharing a meal with me. Honestly, this question does not annoy me because the person who asks is just being polite, and I respect such consideration toward my preferences. Thank you for asking, but I also consider the fact that you like to eat meat, and I'm not here to force that enjoyment away from you.

However, I do get annoyed when people (usually closer friends of mine) start waving their ham sandwich in front of my face, saying, "OH, ROWAN! DON'T YOU JUST WANT THIS DELICIOUS MEAT? I LOVE MEAT!" Though it's slightly cute and funny at first, such actions become inconsiderate and irritating after awhile.

Honestly, I'm at this point in my vegan/vegetarian journey where any type of meat doesn't seem appealing to me at all. All I see is a hunk of weirdly colored flesh from a dead animal. Yes, I'll take my vibrant kale salad over oily, brownish meat any day, thank you very much.

YES I EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN

If you ever ask a vegan where they get their protein from, the only response you elicit will be an eye roll.

We're really sick of you insulting our food.

Please stop calling it "rabbit food." Please stop asking what I'm eating only to comment that it "looks weird and unappetizing." Please stop saying that you could never be vegan because you wouldn't be able to eat "good" food anymore.

Here's the thing about vegan food versus "regular" food: vegan food is the most normal food in the world. Why? Vegan food comes straight from plant-based sources, meaning that vegan food comes from what the earth naturally provides and goes through less processing than so-called "normal" food. If you're eating deep-fried, cheese-dipped meat on a stick and calling my veggie burrito "weird," you may want to re-evaluate your definition of "weird."

If you respect my ideologies, I'll respect yours.

I'm not here to fight you. If you disagree with veganism, I'm willing to have a civil discussion with you about the pros and cons of being an omnivore or a herbivore. However, if you start blatantly attacking my way of life, you can be sure that I will fight right back and not stand down.

Usually, I try to avoid the discussion all together because no one typically changes their mind anyways. I don't feel like sacrificing a good friendship over the argument of almond milk versus dairy milk. If you have a question about my choices, I will answer your question. If you leave my choices alone, I will leave your choices alone (aside from some playful banter here and there). It's as simple as that.

People don't want to listen to your vegan ideologies.

Vegans get a bad rep for being "preachy." Here's the thing about becoming vegan, though: when you become vegan, you are just overwhelmed with new knowledge about animals, health, and the environment that you never knew before, and all of this information just starts coming out like word vomit. You, as a new vegan, just can't help tell everyone you know about what seems to be the remedy for many of the world's problems.

However, the reality of such preachiness never matches up to your expectation as you find that people don't like being told what they're doing wrong. Sure, it gets disheartening (as I rarely talk about my being vegan unless I absolutely have to), but I encourage you to just keep going. Strike a balance between overbearing and underwhelming so that you choose to lead by example, not by sheer verbal brutality.

Being vegan isn't perfect.

As I said earlier, being vegan isn't as glamorous as many Instagram models might try and make it out to be. Not everybody can get that "beach bod" some vegans claim to be attainable just by going plant-based. You don't always have picture-perfect meals. You don't always feel like speaking up for animal rights. Sometimes you accidentally use makeup that has been tested on animals. Sometimes you waste a little too much paper or water. Sometimes you don't buy all organic.

Remember, Instagram is just a snippet (usually positive) of someone's life, like a portfolio only highlighting the moments that one looks or feels good. It is all right to not be this perfect Instagram vegan that media portrays veganism as. Just do your own version of veganism, and in that you will find your genuine happiness and balance.

Interested in becoming vegan or learning more about the lifestyle? I recommend binge-watching Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, Vegucated, and Farmageddon (which should all be on Netflix) to start to educating yourself about the world of veganism. Remember, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle!