What no one told me about Veganism
Mon, 22 Jan 2024
Lifestyle
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I became a pescetarian at age 11, following in the footsteps of
my older sister, who I though was rather cool for making the same
choice just a few months earlier. Years later, at age 22, I
followed in the footsteps of another rather cool woman and became
vegan.

Now, due to my long history of eating a somewhat
restricted diet, I do not have the problems most people report
when switching to veganism or vegetarianism. I do not struggle
with the desire to eat meat, nor do I consider vegan meals sad or
unsatisfying. Also, even while I was pescetarian, I enjoyed most
the flavours brought by the vegetables, though I did eat a
considerable amount of cheese and eggs.

Regardless, switching to veganism was not that difficult for me.
I couldn't really afford to buy fish, this entire country is
devoid of actually flavourful cheese, I use soy milk for its
longer shelf-life, and I can live without eggs. Some difficulties
arose when it came to eating out, or getting ready-made meals
from the supermarket, though these were minor gripes compared to
the thing I will complain about today: Vegan foods, are not
energy dense.

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Ever since I became vegan, my meal sized have doubled in size,
and that is not an exaggeration. I try my best to include many
energy dense items such as nuts, oils, and legumes, but I still
find myself chewing down mountains of food.

All of this food is rather exhausting to prepare. For instance, I
went from egg-cheese-tomato sandwiches and alike for lunch to
cooked meals, as the only lunch-appropriate sandwich
accoutrements are humus and vegetables. Furthermore, the sheer
volume means more time spent chopping, frying, boiling, and
roasting. Which does not even address the fact that vegetables
generally just have longer cook times (you can of course eat them
raw though).

Aside from energy spent preparing, the energy and time I spent
eating and digesting has also increased quite drastically. And I
frequently end up with a full stomach, whist also knowing
full-well that I am not nutritionally satisfied.

At this point I should mention a few confounding factors.
Firstly, I am trying to gain weight, which definitely exaggerates
the portion problems. Secondly, I work out rather frequently and
I work a rather intense manual labour job. All of this is on top
of university work, and the brain is a rather calorie intensive
organ.

However, when I bring these matters up to other vegans I receive
many similar stories. At the end of the day, non-vegan foods are
just more dense, and their general lack of fiber allows for
easier digestion (and fewer toilet breaks) for better and for
worse.

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I will not be returning to Pescetarianism, not will I go full
omnivore or vegetarian, I am happy with my choice, and I do
generally feel better. I do however wish I knew about this
problem before I made the switch. As such, for any prospective
vegans out there: Consider how much time you have to cook,
consider how much time you have to eat, consider how many
bathroom breaks you can afford. Above all though, consider how I
had to increase my time budget for all of these threefold and how
I am still content with my decision.

Lastly, I will mention that there is a period of adjustment. In
the first few weeks of vegan weight gain at maximum exercise and
work, my body was destroyed and I could barely get up after a
meal, even if I spread it out over several hours. Now though, my
body seems much better adjusted to this way of life. I can eat a
meal without needing to sleep right after. I have gotten better
at cooking and incorporating energy-dense ingredients (boil your
rice with yellow lentils and almonds *game changer*), and my
digestive system seems to have adapted to the massive increase in
fiber without a massive increase in flatulence.