Why I Would Never Become a Vegan (Personal Reasons)
As quirky and controversial food trends evolve and become increasingly mainstream, I find myself less willing to adopt or even try them. I want to be clear, this isn’t an attack on people’s dietary choices and chosen lifestyles. Of course, some diets are mandated by religions and cultures, and this isn’t about that either. I am not affected by these parameters and do not have any allergies which limit my food intake. My dabbling in various diets have mainly been motivated by losing weight and/or becoming health conscious.
After 20 years of experimenting with various food philosophies, I’ve decided I will not prescribe to any strict diets and my reasoning is purely a conscious choice that I’ve come to based on my reflections from these experiences.
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Let me start by stating the fact that I love food. My parent’s never had an issue trying to feed me as a child and I have been quite an adventurous eater for most of my life. As childhood evolved into teenagehood and eventually adulthood, some would say I developed an unhealthy focus on food. Being young means being naive and willing to compromise health to fit into an outfit. Throughout the years I tried a number of different dietary programs. These ranged from (but were not exclusive to) the Paleo, Atkins, High fibre, Dukan, Low carb, Vegan… The common thread with these and other diets that I tried, was the intense focus on all food that you can and importantly, cannot consume.
So here are my personal reasons of why I would never become a Vegan:
Food is a gateway to cultural exploration and connection.
Coming from a Korean immigrant family, the food that my parents cooked provides me with a direct connection to my ancestors and family overseas. The flavours, ingredients and methods of cooking transcend conversation, and share an imprint of what sustained our culture and history. During times, when I either wasn’t eating meat or cutting out certain foods (carbs or sodium), I was relegated to making my own sad bowl of salad with chickpeas and tahini based sauces, as my family shared a piping hot cauldron of spicy tofu stew with pork ribs. I was proudly sticking to my guns on my chosen diet, and yet I was unhappy and felt disconnected from the collective. The bottom line for me now, is that the shared experience and flavours of my culture fuel my soul and add to the quality of my life.
Beyond my own personal culture, when I travel, I find the greatest joy when trying a local delicacy that I’m not exposed to in my Australian home. Whatever the dish, however exotic or squeamish, I’m open to give it all a go for cultural exploration. Much like the fermented kimchi being a relic of a poor, often occupied and cold country, there are dishes from every culture that can tell you so much about its history and people. From the seafood grill plates of southern Italy to beef stews and flat rice noodles of Vietnam to the street tacos of Mexico, I will not let a superficial dietary philosophy stop me from experiencing the world’s cultures. The world is too beautiful and our time here is too short.
2. Health is feeding your body in abundance, not restriction.
This may be a personal take, but I feel the best when I choose an abundance mindset with food. This means I am not limiting my food intake and/or cutting out food groups. The start of a restrictive mindset can be a steep cliff, where suddenly more and more foods or even whole food groups become taboo. It makes your world small, and takes you away from the present. Instead of trying a little and being nourished, you blacklist the entire dish and become unable to intuitively eat what your body needs.
After having a brain tumour removed at the age of 32, health means something completely different to me. Even after attending over 1000 Barry’s Bootcamp classes and eating the right amount of protein to build muscle, the discovery of the tumour was a realisation that health was more than strict fitness regimes and food restrictions. It is the ability to thrive in my body and live in the moment without fear of sickness or injury preventing me from experiencing the moment. It is no longer aesthetically driven or influenced by trends. Eating food itself can influence how your body functions and how good you feel. Eating what your body needs is intuitive and healthy. Cutting out what you think you shouldn’t eat obsessively is not healthy.
3. Boycotting whole foods does not necessarily improve the supply chain. It creates an over-reliance on other foods.
I understand that many food ideologies have the good intentions of supporting certain production practices or aiming to improve animal welfare. I believe there are ways as a consumer that we can support the ethical suppliers and sustainable practices that will ensure that all future generations have access to what we take for granted. Shopping at Farmers Markets for example where you can directly interact with the growers, both makes the process sustainable and profoundly more meaningful for us, the consumer. Even in the larger supermarket chains, we can make conscious choices at the supermarket and vote for free range or locally produced products with our purchases. Even the act of minimising waste when it comes to each of our individual food and grocery purchases can go a long way in ensuring sustainability in the food economy.
Food trends that highlight the latest superfoods, can be degrading to ecosystems around the world. I think of the sudden popularity of Acai bowls, and how much demand there are on farmers in Brazil who are then having to risk their lives and welbeing to grow and export the berries globally all year round, with little investments. Moderation and awareness of the supply chain is a powerful tool for global consumers, instead of blind consumption or demand of particular foods influenced by food trends.
In a world obsessed with food trends, I've found my sweet spot – a diet that isn't really a diet. It's about moderation, curiosity and exploration of different foods. I’m making health conscious and ethical choices without the rigid rules. This is how I am able to enjoy nourishing my body without getting caught up in trends and restrictions.
