Ever since I became vegan nearly three years ago, I've found myself in many uncomfortable situations at work potlucks and family gatherings that seem to mock my decision to live a vegan lifestyle. Sprinkled among the baffled exclamations of "so what do you EAT?" or the pseudo-concern of "you surely don't eat enough PROTEIN," there are the occasional remarks that really grind my gears.

Such remarks often sound like "OH, well you sure can't convince me to be a vegan, sorry!" or the classic "well you CHOSE to be vegan, so don't complain!"

It's often pretty clear that most omnivores think I'm just another obnoxious vegan who is just DYING to tell everyone around me about my veganism (as if I cannot express my dietary choices at a function that involves eating food, just as a person with a gluten intolerance or a Keto dieter would), or, even more outrageously, that my single and most important purpose on this planet is convincing everyone around me to become vegan.

My response to this usually results in me internally rolling my eyes into another dimension.

This unfortunate attitude towards vegans, however, is not particularly shocking to me because I feel like most omnivores have gotten a bad first impression of vegans.

The main culprit, in my opinion, is social media. Particularly extreme vegan YouTubers and Instagrammers such as Freelee the Banana Girl, whose philosophy of eating thirty bananas per day (mixed with her pompous, arrogant attitude) in order to be "healthy," have been the butt of many jokes and have made veganism out to be an unrealistic, unsustainable and even unhealthy lifestyle.

Furthermore, the outrageously arrogant attitudes of some vegan bloggers have really pushed those with standard American diets (and even other vegans) away from veganism simply because no one wants to be associated with such unpopular theories or be branded of the type of vegan who places his or herself on a moral pedestal.

The truth is, veganism is a completely sane lifestyle. It is healthy, it is sustainable, and it does not have to involve extreme ideologies. There are even professional athletes who have chosen the vegan lifestyle in recent years.

Despite the scientific evidence in favor of living a vegan lifestyle, the most beautiful thing about veganism is that it is a choice, a choice that requires thought, planning and a certain amount of selflessness to make.

But my choice to be vegan does not make me morally superior to anyone.

I completely understand that not everyone can be vegan. Every person has different nutritional needs due to activity levels, biological deficiencies or food allergies. Every person has a different financial circumstance that might restrict their dietary choices. Every person holds different religious beliefs, determining how they view the human-animal hierarchy.

My concern is not to turn everyone I know into a vegan or to convince them that they have a deteriorated moral compass because they choose to eat animal products or wear leather boots.

My concern is to be the best vegan I can be and to lead by my own example.

If those around me see me thriving, then maybe I can inspire them to make small choices that serve as baby steps towards making this planet a more vegan-friendly place. Maybe, just maybe, I can open someone's mind just enough to help them see veganism in a different light: as something normal, as something acceptable.

Personally, I would love to live in a world where people thought vegans were normal, just as I think every meat-eggs-and-cheese eater is normal. But the process of changing the world's attitude toward veganism is not an easy one. It will take years (maybe even decades) for society to normalize veganism enough that snarky remarks about my single-serving Tofurkey at Christmas dinner will go unsaid, and comments on my nonexistent protein deficiency will cease to exist.

Because when it comes down to it, the only choices we can make are our own.