meat/carnism
Background: I come from a bengali family so my diet basically consisted of curry with various different meats (lamb, chicken, beef, duck, pigeon and sometimes fish) with some sides like potatos, lentils, flatbread etc. My parents have mostly moved away from meat due to their health but I feel like I’m only getting worse. My university advertises meat and non-vegan foods a lot so it feels impossible for me to switch/don’t know how to switch.
I really want to stop eating meat and sometimes I’m able to not eat meat for a couple days but it doesn’t last because I just give up whenever my parents cook something really nice or I’m eating with friends.
So how do I start a vegan diet and actually stick to it? Mostly looking for starter vegan foods that I can use to wean myself off from my carnism while studying at university.
I started by finding recipes to replace things I was already eating, like scrambled eggs I’ve replaced with a tofu scramble. Sandwiches are super easy to modify and add more veggies instead of processed meat, and some of the vegan frozen stuff like meatballs and burgers make for easy meals instead of fast food. Using vegan cheese and butter, and switching to plant milk really made a difference for me. There’s so many options out there now, just gotta find what fits you best. It does help if you have access to a kitchen and whatnot, so these might not be valid options for some.