“No vegan diet? No vegan powers!” The Vegan Police say in the film ‘Scott Pilgrim Versus the World’, when they burst in and bust someone for eating non-vegan food.

Boy, do we love to label our diets. There are so many ‘levels’ of plant-based eating these days, from vegan to vegetarian to lacto-ovo vegetarian to macrobiotic. So much in fact that we started to scratch our heads at the definitions and question whether we really need them?

Sure, labels are helpful at restaurants and dinner parties and definitely necessary for those with allergies. But if you eat a specific way by choice, is it best NOT to take a militant approach?

What we mean is, don’t beat yourself up if you trying to adopt a vegan diet but you had a slice of your friend’s birthday cake last month. Or some pizza at the office party. 



That is not to say you should be lax about what’s in your food and stop reading labels nor are we saying you should not care if you inadvertently consume something you didn’t want to. Everyone has varying degrees of what they are comfortable with and you should only eat what you know is right for you.

What we are saying is it’s important to keep some perspective here, step back and look at the overall picture: we each eat around one thousand meals and hundreds of snacks a year.

Instead of focusing on what you can’t or shouldn’t eat you should focus on the positive changes you make in your life when you eat mindfully. When you take a macro instead of micro view of your way of eating, you see that a few instances will not ruin the good you are doing.

"If you are cutting back on the amount of meat that you eat, you're still doing something great for your health, for the planet and for the animal," Vegan Chef Tal Ronnen says in a recent LA Times article. Ronnen designed vegan dishes for the 22 restaurants at Steve Wynn’s casinos and was Oprah’s guide when she tried the vegan diet. 


The impact you’re making is exactly what you should remember if you’re experimenting with a vegan or vegetarian diet. There’s no law mandating that you stop eating meat overnight or even quit eating it entirely. Organizations like Meatless Monday have demonstrated how much just one or two nights of plant-based food can improve your health and the environment.

We propose that removing labels and instead eating what feels just right also takes some of the pressure off of us. Perhaps you want to go vegan but can’t stand the idea of not eating cheese. So eat a diet that is 98 percent vegan but have some cheese once in awhile.

And of course, if eating any sort of animal product is unacceptable to you, you are right in avoiding them all of the time. It’s all about what is right for you, your body and your morals and ethics. Not being hung up on a label.

We imagine you have some varying opinions on this and we are curious to hear your thoughts. Please share them in the comments section and don’t forget to share why you’re veg in 200 words or less for a chance to win an Earth Balance gift package.

I 100% agree with you! Instead of critisizing everyone and labeling why not see the good that is still happening! I know a vegan that eats dairy maybe twice a year, does that really mean that she shouldn't be a vegan? It should be based on preferance and we should all accept each others differences and try to learn to see the big picture! Im not saying that everyone should be laxed or give up our morals or ways of life. I am just simply saying to agree to dissagree we are all making some difference! I have been trying to make this point for a while now. It is nice to see that others feel the same! <3

This is just about eating though and for a lot of people, vegan is about not wearing animals products either. It's more all-encompassing. 

This is so true!  Thank you for posting this.  I think that anyone who is making an effort to reduce their animal consumption is doing something great.  I think that anyone who learns, tries, researches, and makes a general effort to simply be aware of how we exploit animals is really a true gem.  People that get so hung up on being perfect actually have the opposite effect.  They turn the curious people completely off, rather than support their efforts.  Lets celebrate everyone who tries.  If we all tried, even if we aren't perfect, what a better place the world would be for animals.  It is all about supply and demand. 

I agree with Ruby entirely (above) and I also agree with Erica -- we should make efforts with all products and not just shoes.

Cheers to anyone who is totally vegan AND those who partake in a few meatless meals a week alike.

I totally agree with this article, and the other posters too.  Making major diet changes is really hard and taking baby steps in the right direction is good too.  Be proud of that! 

I agree with the opnions on here. Taking a militant approach to anything can have bad results and drive people away. Being a vegan myself sure I would love to see everyone in the world living a vegan lifestyle but that's not possible. People who try to eat less meat and dairy should feel proud of that.  At least they are trying and are still making a difference. Most  people don't even want to try to make a difference. Why bash someone who is trying? When someone steps up to avoid meat for a day or two per week, awesome! For example my mother in law eats meat but she loves my vegan food. She's eats at our house 2-3 times a week. After a year of coming over she now cooks vegan food at least once a week at her own home. (For Christmas I handwrote a journal of her favorite vegan recipes.) Now she is looking more into a plant based diet for her health.  At least she was open to the change. Now she encourages other family members to eat plant based foods for health reasons. I'm so proud of her! Yes stand up for  your beliefs, morals and values. Don't alienate people through being militant and non understanding. No one is perfect and can't be because we live in a non perfect world. Truly when you try you are making a difference.

I totally agree with this post & other comments. I eat vegan 95% of the time and so do my kids. We eat vegan at home but when we're out or at other peoples homes I don't get bent out of shape over a little dairy or eggs. My husband eats vegan with us at home (and loves every meal!) but he still eats meat a few times a month. He used to eat meat at every meal so I think it's huge that he has cut back so much.

I also agree with Erica's comment, there is a difference between being vegan and eating a vegan diet. And I totally respect people who try to keep every aspect of there lives vegan 100% of the time. But I also think that either way it's important to encourage and support people. After all, every little bit helps to create positive change and that is something to be celebrated not teared down.

-VegWhoHatesTofu

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