Going vegan, the Vancouver way

Credit: Hilary Henegar

Hilary Henegar

Worried about climate change? Animal cruelty? Workers’ rights? Dwindling freshwater supplies? Your health? Want to save the planet? Well, look no further than your dinner plate

November 1, 2009, marked the 14th annual World Vegan Day, a vegan holiday celebrated since 1994 and the start of World Vegan Month. The theme this year was “improving the quality and availability of vegan food,” which means educating ourselves about eating properly balanced meals that are cruelty free, easy on the environment and absolutely delicious.

I’ve been basically a vegan for three years now, ever since I moved in with my partner, who himself has been a vegan for about 10 years. For me, eating meat- and dairy-free is about taking care of my health and my conscience. I’ve always eaten healthy foods—and was a vegetarian for seven years when I was younger—and the decision to “commit” to a vegan diet was easier than most people imagine. (I say “commit” in quotes because I’m easy on myself and let my body tell me when I need a little fish, eggs or red meat—though in the case of the latter, I haven’t had a craving for more than a year.)

What makes veganism easy? For one, I’ve never known how to cook meat—not well, anyway—and cooking vegan is incredibly creative, so I’ve never felt like I was missing out. I think my aversion to learning to cook meat has a lot to do with the sanitation factor: meat contamination in our factory-farmed world is increasingly common and very scary.

Second, I can be very frugal with my money, and meat and dairy are more expensive (often by a lot) than lentils, beans, tofu and nuts, which comprise the main sources of protein in a vegan diet. And my wallet thanks me often about this.

Third, for those who don’t cook (it pains me to think of you poor vitamin-deficient non-cooking souls!), Vancouver offers a bevy of restaurants offering a variety of healthy and not-so-healthy vegan options.