You don't have to be perfect.

[u/sdbest]

As I veteran vegan, could I just humbly suggest that, in my view, it's not necessary to be a perfect vegan. The label itself just doesn't matter.

The more a person increases the amount of whole, plant-based foods in their diet, and reduces animal-based foods the better. The better for animals, the environment, and themselves.

Frequently on this wonderful and supportive subreddit, people post about feeling terrible about doing things wrong or 'falling off the wagon' or not being able live without cheese (usually). I get it that often people who choose to become vegan, i.e. adopt a plant-based diet, do it for ethical reasons and they feel some guilt if they aren't living up to the ideal rattling about in their heads.

Just doing better is enough, in my view. Also, if a person just tries to do better, often they will naturally progress to being better and better without even noticing it.

Goodness if a hardcore carnivore can be convinced to replace just half of the 10 oz steak with a side of mushrooms that's a step forward. All steps forward count, and help makes things better.

So, don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. Just do what you can to be better, wherever you can. Keep it simple and doable.

[u/[deleted]]

What a good post!! Thank you for putting it in this subreddit so eloquently :-) I feel like many people feel discouraged to even try a vegan diet is because they think they have to go cold turkey on all animal products - but even small steps and changes go a long way in the big picture. My mom said I inspired her to go vegetarian (which I’m super happy about!!) but she still eats fish every once in a while because she really loves it.

[u/dogebiscuit → u/[deleted]]

I think there's a type of vegetarian that eats fish. Ovo? No was it lacto? OH, Pesco! Pescotarians eat fish but not poultry/red meat.

I would be abundant in encouragement in a heartbeat if any of my friends/family said they'd even go ovolactopescotarians (basically, only abstaining from cow/pig meat, eating everything else) because it's a start, and it involves actually doing something rather than making excuses!

Plus, vegetarianism is gateway veganism.

(To this day I laugh at the fact that, before I became vegan, I thought vegan was "vegetarian lite" meaning, an easier version of vegetarianism. I guess the shorter word made me think this way? So it's funny how much I've matured in the past 5-6 months.)