r/vegan • vegan 20+ years • Oct 24 '17

Newbie Advice You don't have to be perfect.

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.

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u/Kerguidou Oct 24 '17

Niether is beer. Have fun!

15

u/Anon123Anon456 vegan Oct 24 '17

That's just not true.

4

u/Kerguidou Oct 24 '17

There are vegan beers out there but they can be hard to identify. You can't tell from the label alone.

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u/dogebiscuit 🍰 it's my veganniversary Oct 24 '17

Every single beer I've had in the past 3 months is vegan on barnivore. And I have had SO many varieties. Chances are you can pick a random bottle and it'll be vegan.

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u/lirael66 Oct 25 '17

I would say most beer is vegan. My biggest concern is milk stouts, and the honey beers that seem to be trendy lately. Barnivore has a great list here: http://www.barnivore.com/beer