a guest post from Stephanie Jane, author of Finally a Vegan: My Journey to Veganuary and Beyond
I celebrated my third vegan anniversary – my ‘veganniversary’ – on New Year’s Day so I have now completed three vegan years. I wrote Finally A Vegan: My Journey to Veganuary and Beyond towards the end of my second vegan year, focusing my book on how I personally had changed, however in that time there has also been an incredible shift in the way veganism is seen by other people too.
I think what is most amazing to me is how the commercial viability of vegan foods has skyrocketed over the past few years. So many companies are successfully leaping onto the plantbased bandwagon demonstrating that there is huge demand from consumers. I love being able to walk into pretty much any UK supermarket today and see equal shelf space given to plantbased milks as to dairy, for example, and for vegan products to be shelved alongside the non-vegan options rather than hidden away in the Free From aisle. Admittedly this does mean I now have to walk pretty much the whole shop again to find my groceries, instead of heading straight to browse my own niche corner, but I’m happier seeing vegan foods ‘out in the open’ so to speak. It’s becoming just as normal to pick a vegan option as an omnivore one. This mass change in perception during my three vegan years is wonderful to see.
Although I am not a huge fan of processed meat-alternatives myself, finding many of them too fatty and, well, ‘meaty’ for my taste, I do support such initiatives as a way for current omnivores to cut their dependence on eating animals and ease their transition into a more plantbased lifestyle. I was often grateful to buy the then-limited range of equivalents back in 2019 before I gained confidence in cooking vegan from scratch. I occasionally wonder now whether having so much choice when I started out would have changed the path of my own veganism. I sometimes struggled to find staples such as basic tofu and now I am regularly presented with a choice of products and brands. I can’t imagine how mindblowing it all must be for the really long-term vegans!
Stephanie took part in Veganuary, the month-long global challenge to try veganism, for January 2019. In Finally a Vegan she describes how her changing attitudes to animal welfare and exploitation led her from staunch omnivore to vegetarianism in the preceding years. She recalls her excitement at taking part in the challenge itself and shares her daily food diary, failures as well as triumphs.
Drawing on her post-Veganuary experiences, Stephanie then responds to the common questions But isn’t it expensive? But surely it isn’t healthy? and But what about my boots? before honestly asking herself How vegan do I want to be?
Ideal for vegan-curious readers, Finally a Vegan is an insightful memoir inspired by one life-changing month.
10% of Finally A Vegan profits will be donated to vegan projects and charities.
Buy the Book:
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Meet the Author
Reader, wanderer, vegan.
Stephanie Jane has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She loves discovering new authors from all around the world and is happiest when engrossed in a compelling novel with tea and cake to hand.
Raised in Sussex, England, Stephanie developed a wanderlust in her late twenties. She spends her time exploring the UK and Western Europe with her partner, setting out on foot or bicycle from their almost-vintage motorhome, and firmly believes everywhere has something worth seeing if we slow down enough to appreciate its smallest details.
Stephanie has been vegan since 2019 and strives to incorporate zero waste ideals into her life. She enjoys browsing vintage clothing shops and would collect antique kitchenware if she ever again lives in a house with enough space.
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Thank you so much for featuring Finally a Vegan today. I appreciate the opportunity to think more deeply about my veganism for your guest post.
I’m grateful to you for taking the time! A vegan diet is obviously better for animals, and most people know it’s healthier for humans. Sometimes we forget that it’s also a far more environmentally friendly way to live, too!
This sounds very interesting.