The Top Five Reasons Why Vegans Stop Being Vegan

Source: wYnand!

I know many vegans….that have stopped being vegan. The reasons tend to differ, but the root causes are more similar. Being vegan is not easy, at least not at first. People who initially adopt a vegan way of life can find it difficult to maintain unless they do a lot of homework and have a ridiculously strong will.

I have been vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for pretty much my entire life (28 years) and vegan for the past 6 or so, with a 1 year break in there somewhere where I went back to eating some dairy and eggs. Despite being vegetarian for so long, going vegan was a challenge. The first month or two was easy, it was the rest of that first year that was hard….since then I occasionally get tempted….but every day those temptations are fewer and farther between.

Since re-committing to a vegan diet a few years ago, I’ve thought a lot about why I decided to go back to my lacto-ovo ways for a short while. If you are considering going vegan (or even vegetarian for that matter) you might want to try to address these in your own life to increase your chances of making the change stick.

Limited Variety
People who first discover veganism will identify a few foods that are easy to make and suitable for them, and eat them over an over. The mentality for a new vegan is often one of subtraction. In other words, it is about taking their existing diet, subtracting all animal products (e.g. cheese-less pizza), and eating more of what is left. This is not a sustainable or healthy approach. Without variety, you will feel like you are missing out and cravings will rear their heads on a regular basis. It is also common for someone who has been vegan for many months or a few years will slip into a routine of eating a very limited set of food.

Solution: Make it a point to explore a wide variety of ethnic cuisines. There are many, South Indian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern….that have a large amount of vegan (or easy to convert to vegan) food options. If you are lucky enough to live near a city, look for a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and check out their menu. You’ll surely run across a few dishes that you really enjoy and can replicate on your own. There are also a few good vegan cookbooks out there to check out.

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No Support Group
Our peer group has a profound impact on our actions. We all experienced peer pressure as a kid, and it works in adult life as well. If you are the sole vegan in your peer group, you can expect to have lots of pressure (overt or not) pushing against you. In my own experience, I found the majority of my friends to be supportive of my decision, but many would also take the occasional jab at my lifestyle choice. I am good at brushing off these little pokes, but over time they built up.

Solution: For me, I have used the online world to build a support group of folks that has been invaluable in motivating me to stay on the vegan track. I attend some events sponsored by the Seattle Vegan Meetup Group and also frequent the forums at Vegan Bodybuilding.com. For the latter, many of us also meet in person all over the country, at various bodybuilding, fitness or Vegan Vacation events. Don’t go it alone. Find a support group. Check out Meetup.com for a Vegan group in your city, ask your local Vegan Restaurant or Organic Market for pointers, search online for a user community/forum (Facebook or MySpace have many)…..or make up your own support group!

Lack of Compelling Reasons
I wrote an entire post about this, “The Why Matters More Than The How.” It amazes me how people will make radical changes to their life, without really thinking about why they are making the changes. This is not just dietary changes. I see this behavior for people who make changes to their relationships, careers or the places where they live….among other things. It is the reasons that will carry you through when times get tough. Do you know why you decided to go vegan? Was it about the treating animals the way you would want to be treated? Was it about health? Was it about nutrition? Was it because you thought it would be the trendy thing to do?

Solution: Sit down and write a full page about why you are vegan. Don’t write bullet points…write it as if you are a writing a letter to yourself to explain why you are Vegan and how you will feel, act, and live as a result of being a life-long vegan. Get clear about your compelling reasons, and you’ll be able to stand up to peer pressure or your own cravings without trouble.

Poor or No Role Models
We all want someone to look up to. No matter your reason for being Vegan, it will help if you can identify a few role models that have achieved a level of success that you admire. For me, many of my friends at Vegan Bodybuilding.com are role models when it comes to health and fitness. Several of these folks are successful amateur bodybuilders or endurance athletes. Their achievements motivate me and demonstrate that you can be vegan and still be a top athlete.

Solution: Figure out what you are motivated by. Is it health and fitness? Is it success in business? Is it having a loving and successful relationship? Once you’ve gotten clear about these motivations, start paying attention to people in your peer group (or seek them out proactively if you have to) that are vegan and have achieved some level of mastery over these aspects of their life.

Not Being Prepared
If you always had a never ending supply of your favorite gourmet organic vegan foods, it would be easy to stay vegan. If you felt like pizza, you could just eat a vegan pizza. If you wanted chicken, you could eat “mock-meat” chicken made out of veggie protein, etc. If you want ice cream…you could dig into a Soy-based pint of Rocky Road. The problem is, having the right vegan food takes time and preparation. The biggest pressures will come when you are really hungry…and there is no convenient (and tasty) vegan food available. You are going to have cravings…..accept that fact and prepare your kitchen, office, locker, car (wherever you spend time) with great vegan snacks so you don’t feel like you are going without.

Solution: I keep my home, car and office well-stocked with vegan food. In my car I have cashews, granola bars, protein bars, fruit and other things. At work I have trail mix, boxes of sprouts (in our fridge) and fruits. Our work cafeteria also has a lot of vegan options(I am lucky in this regard. At home I have a variety of vegan “junk foods” like veggie burgers, soy hot dogs, frozen vegan pizza, Indian spicy snack mixes and more. I never feel like I am going without or have to starve. It makes it a lot easier to stick with my diet when I have my favorite foods on hand.

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