Veganuary FAQ

For anyone who's interested in how Veganuary went for me or interested in incorporating more plant-based foods themselves, I thought I'd wrap up the month with a little FAQ post. Okay, Frequently Asked Questions is pushing it. Let's just call it AQ. All these Qs were A'd at some point during the month.

Aren't you starving?!

No, definitely not. I ate plenty of delicious food every day. I did change up my eating patterns a little to account for foods that are less calorie-dense though. For example, I ate breakfast more often, I ate snacks more often, and sometimes I just stayed at the table longer to power through a BIG bowl of food. (Yes, I know. I'm a martyr who has made many sacrifices for this good cause.) I also made sure to eat enough protein and fat so I wouldn't be a hungry again a few hours later. I think people are imagining that meals without animal products are just salad, but my deep, dark secret is that I don't really like salad, so I didn't eat it as an entree even once. 

Isn't vegan food really expensive?

It depends what you buy, but no, our grocery bill wasn't higher than usual. I know "expensive" is a relative term, so I decided to save receipts this month to tell you what I actually spent. The total for the month was $269.79 or $4.35 per person per day (excluding alcohol and two lunches/dinners out per week). It could have been less if I hadn't spend $23 at bakeries and $20 on coffee, but I assume the word YOLO was coined to justify unlimited caffeine and high-quality carbohydrates. 

I think the stereotype about expensive vegan food comes from processed vegan food, but staple foods like beans, rice, and root vegetables are super cheap. I like some vegan replacements more than others, so sometimes it's worth the price and sometimes it's not. I haven't found a suitable replacement for cheese, so I just skip it and find other ways to make food flavorful. Non-dairy milk, yogurt, ice cream and egg-free mayo are all totally worth it to me. Plus, you can get better deals the same way you would with any food -- watching for sales, coupons, and store brands. Ben & Jerry's non-dairy PB & Cookies is heaven, but it costs $5.49 a pint (just like regular Ben & Jerry's). The Kroger brand chocolate ice cream cost me $1.99 with a coupon, and it tastes delicious and nostalgic in a way I can't put my finger on, like something you'd get from a school cafeteria. I intend to keep eating it until I figure it out!

Are you going to keep doing it after January?

No, not 100%. Eating this way at home is fairly easy -- I can modify pretty much any meal I'm in the mood for, and I'm beyond lucky to have a husband who goes with the flow. Eating out is trickier though. Most of my favorite Athens restaurants have good vegan options, but what about when I don't pick the restaurant or when I'm home in Alabama with my family? And honestly, chicken tikka masala is still my favorite food on planet earth, and I'm just not ready to let it go. Black-and-white thinking would tell me to give up completely, but when you think of all the reasons people go vegan (for health, for animals, for the environment), it's better for everyone to cut down where they can than to have a few people go vegan and everyone else do nothing. Here's to small positive changes and lots of yummy plant-based meals!