If you’re interested in a vegan lifestyle but are opposed to strict diets, being a flexi vegan is an ideal compromise. In this post we’ll talk about how becoming a flexi vegan may be the answer to your desire to be vegan but have a chicken wing every now and then.
Often, people make the mistake of thinking veganism has to be an all-or-nothing venture. This idea keeps a lot of us from making a decision that has the potential to be better for our health as well as the health of our planet. But every little bit counts!
While not a vegan myself, I’ve been on the frontlines when it comes to my friends’ choices to adopt a vegan lifestyle. And decisions, decisions, temptation, decisions, I’ll say that much
You’re far more likely to stick with veganism if you tailor the lifestyle to you rather than the other way around. While flexi vegans follow a mostly plant-based diet, they eat meat and dairy products on occasion.
This post is all about determining if a flexi vegan diet is the best option for you.
Top Reasons begin Flexi Vegan Might Be right For You
Table of Contents
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 1: You Can Still Enjoy Cultural Favorites
You may be hesitant to go vegan because you’re thinking of the cultural classics you may miss out on, be it oxtails and plantains or the pot roast your mom makes every Sunday. It’s okay to have non-vegan family recipes you still love. I can’t fathom saying no to grilled lamb on Eid. Holidays can be one of the trickiest times to stick to a vegan lifestyle, so you don’t have to!
These days we have to-furkey and an ever-growing list of vegan alternatives. There are many ways to veganize some holiday favorites if it’s something you’re open to. But if you crave your grandma’s Christmas roast all year, you can experiment with holidays and special occasions being the time when you stray from your mostly vegan diet. Much of our heritage is attached to food, and it’s completely understandable if you don’t want to make compromises around this aspect of your culture.
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Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 2: BEING a flexi vegan Makes Travel Easier
I’ve witnessed vegan and even vegetarian friends struggle to survive on French fries or baby carrots when we traveled through areas where veganism is uncommon. Being a strict vegan can complicate your ability to travel, as some cultures are meat and dairy-heavy, but people have different ways of working through this.
Some vegans switch to a vegetarian diet while traveling, while some vegetarians experiment with a flexitarian diet The flexitarian diet, which is sometimes also called a semi-vegetarian diet, means you’re a “flexible vegetarian”. Before traveling, it’s not a bad idea to determine your boundaries (perhaps you’re okay with seafood) and determine if those choices are realistic for the area you’re traveling to. After all, it’s difficult to have a fun vacation if you’re hangry the whole time.
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 3: Helps You Avoid Confrontations When You Don’t Feel Like Arguing
You may be at a point in your vegan journey where you’re tired of talking about it with people, especially if it leads to arguments with family and friends. You may prefer to avoid making special requests, like asking your food be cooked a certain way at a restaurant or requesting more vegan options at a family gathering. If you prefer to avoid confrontation, whether it’s with family members who are offended by your diet choices, or coworkers with unsolicited advice, it’s a lot more doable if you’re a flexi vegan.
Some vegans want to avoid contributing to negative perceptions of their diet, so they don’t want to have people thinking of them as being overly demanding. You may encounter family members serving you carrots glazed in honey or meat crumbles containing whey with the best of intentions. If you’d rather eat the carrots than point out they aren’t vegan, in the wise words of Tabitha Brown; that’s your business.
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Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 4: You Can Avoid Food Waste
While some vegans refuse to consume animal products under any circumstances, others adjust this rule based on context. Because there is so much confusion around vegan diets, you will inevitably be served a veggie burger with regular mayo. While some would rather throw the meal out, you can avoid food waste by making exceptions to your diet in situations like these.
You may mistakenly purchase non-vegan foods or may encounter waiters assuring you a meal is vegan and admiring their mistake later. Being a flexi vegan can save you a lot of headaches in situations like these.
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 5: It Can Keep You From Feeling Excluded
Not getting invited to a birthday dinner because it’s at a steakhouse, missing happy hour with coworkers because none of the options at their favorite spot are vegan. You may prefer not to miss out on certain experiences because of your veganism. There are many ways to work around this, like only purchasing drinks at a happy hour spot. But of course, as a flexi vegan, you can make happy hour the exception to your regular vegan diet.
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 6: It Can Work As A Transitory Period
If you’re trying to gradually reduce your meat and dairy consumption, a flexi vegan diet can work as a starting point you eventually transition out of. It can be hard in the beginning to make sure you’re still giving your body essential nutrients. Maybe you’re still trying to find some preparations for tofu or seitan that you’re a fan of. You may even choose to ease into a vegan diet by starting off as a flexitarian.
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 7: It Can Help You Avoid Unhealthy Meat Alternatives
Some vegans don’t crave meat at all. Others, especially those who grew up in meat-heavy cultures, often find themselves seeking replacements that are as similar to meat as possible. I’ve found that some of the latest meat replacements, although delicious, are very unhealthy. So perhaps instead of relying on ultra-processed meat alternatives, you’d rather incorporate grass-fed beef from a local, regenerative farm once a month.
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Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 8: It May Be Better For Your Health
One of the reasons there’s so much conflicting information about the best diet to follow is that all our bodies are different! Your health circumstances may require you have more flexibility in your diet than others do. For example, if you have a soy allergy, or have health issue that requires you to limit your carb intake, you may find that some vegan options are not suitable to you.
The vegan diet can be tied to disordered eating or trigger orthorexia for those who have a history of struggling with these issues. If you recognize that this is something you’re susceptible to, it may be better to have flexible rather than restrictive guidelines around your eating habits. This can make a vegan diet healthier and more sustainable for you.
Choosing Flexi Vegan Reason 9: It Can Simplify The Process
Strict vegans have to verify that nothing they consume has any trace of animal products, avoiding gelatin and other animal byproducts like carminic acid or casein. This can be a bit harder to navigate because you have to go beyond simply asking if a meal has meat or dairy.
If you are eating anything processed, you basically need a full ingredient list to ensure it’s vegan. There are hidden animal byproducts in many of our foods, cosmetic products, etc. If you prefer a simplified approach to veganism, you can just stick to avoiding the obvious things.
Sometimes it’s people who follow a similar diet to yours that try to convince you there is only one way to adhere to that diet. Though there are an ever-growing number of terms to describe the diverse range of diets that exist, they’ll never capture the whole spectrum.
Conclusion
Remember that you have every right to change your mind about what diet you want to follow and to tailor the rules for your convenience. Perhaps you cook vegan at home but sometimes eat meat or dairy at restaurants. Some people follow the 5:2 rule, where they follow a vegan diet Monday to Friday but are omnivores on the weekends. Perhaps you’re vegan except for when you’re visiting family outside of the US.
When you analyze the technicalities, you may discover you’re flexi vegan after all, and that’s ok! You may technically be a flexiterian, or an ovo-vegetarian, or a reducetarian, etc. I was a reduceterian until I found out I was pre-diabetic, at which point my reduction of carbs led to an increase in the amount of meat and dairy I consume. After experimenting with keto, I’m back to being an omnivore. Personally, finding the ideal diet for my body has taken a lot of trial and error.
If you want to increase how much of your calorie intake comes from vegetables or want to limit how much meat you consume, you can write out your goals so they’re clear. Perhaps you’ve decided being a flexi vegan is the best option for you, but if not, you may have to keep searching for your ideal diet. Try not to get too hung up on the labels as you go on your journey, as long as your choices make sense to you.
Have you ever considered being vegan but were scared of the commitment? Talk about it in the comments.
This post was all about deciding if being a Flexi Vegan is the right choice for you
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