margot lee.

And let me explain why…

This isn’t a blog post I want to put out, and in fact, I’ve been putting it off for about a month for that reason. I’m nervous for you all to read what I have to say and I’m even more nervous to hear what you have to say. But part of letting you all into my life is being honest and truthful and this is something I know I shouldn’t keep to myself for much longer.

I’m not vegan anymore.

I was vegan for a little over two years- no fish, dairy, eggs, meat, gelatin- you name it. I loved being vegan and I loved why I was vegan- I knew I was making the biggest difference I could for this planet. But it came to a point where it was unrealistic for me. Some people might call me selfish but first, let me explain myself.

When I first became vegan, I was all for it. I loved how I felt, how I looked, discovering new foods, challenging myself to altering recipes, etc… Even when I went to college my freshman year, I looked at finding vegan foods a fun challenge, not a hassle. My cousin even went vegan shortly after me so family gatherings weren’t stressful- we would always make a game plan for our own meals. (Two very successful vegan Thanksgivings in the BOOKS!)

I really don’t have many negative things to say about veganism and I’m not here to bash the lifestyle or diet. So why did I stop?

At the beginning of the month, I decided to start incorporating eggs and fish into my diet. I came to this decision for a few reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, I was getting tired of the constraints of being vegan for two years. It almost became a chore, and instead of looking forward to each meal I would become stressed out thinking about it. It started to feel like my options were limited, it was harder for me to enjoy the foods that would give me the nutrients I needed, and I was starting to become curious again about some of the foods that I hadn’t been eating.

Secondly- as a YouTuber, I have been invited to a number of events and trips where eating strictly vegan would put a strain on the hosts. Of course restaurants will always have alternatives which I was happy to find or create on my own time or budget, but when it came to being a difficult guest, being strictly vegan felt a little awkward and challenging for those around me.

Veganism is something I have loved and would definitely come back to at some point in my life. But if I continued to push myself into this lifestyle at a point in my life where it became something that didn’t make sense anymore, I could see myself starting to resent it.

I know that veganism is a mindset and a lifestyle- something more than just a diet. I respect that and admit that I might not fall into the same restraints that I did before, but I’m still doing everything I can in a way that works for me to be eco-friendly,  That’s why even though I may not be eating “vegan”, I still consider myself plant-based (90% or more of what I eat does not contain eggs, fish, or dairy) and I aim to be as responsibly sustainable as I can be.

THAT BEING SAID, I have absolutely nothing against veganism and would still go vegan again at some point in the future. Put simply, I just needed a break. Everything good comes in moderation, and knowing myself I would start to resent the lifestyle if I forced myself into it for too long. I’m inspired again to find new things in my life I can start to do to be more eco-friendly that I never considered. I am sourcing my eggs and fish sustainability, teaching myself more eco-friendly tricks I can incorporate, and continuing to spread the word of the incredible things veganism has done for my life and mindset. It has taught me discipline, creativity, openness to new flavors and food, and the goodness that fruits and vegetables can do for a body.

I have considered this for a while and decided this was the best option for my lifestyle at this time. That being said, though, if you are thinking about going vegan, TRY IT OUT!! I have never learned more about my body, food, or the effect animal agriculture has on the enviornment than I did while I was becoming vegan and the over two years I was vegan. If you have questions or want advice, feel free to ask me, I’m happy to talk about it.

Here are some of my favorite pro-vegan/ plant based movies:

Cowspiracy

Forks Over Knives

Vegucated

What The Health

And here are some of my favorite vegan blogs:

Sarah Lemkus love her vlogs!

Vegfeatures good “all in one spot”

Earthy Andy- family GOALS.

Dylan- friend of a friend and insanely talented!! college student in NYC and so creative with food.

 

With all my love,

Margot.

xo