Issue #5: Gummies, protein bars, and the vegan "rules" I break

Less dogmatic veganism plz

🐟 I’ve been on a candy kick. Maybe it’s because Valentine’s day is right around the corner. Most likely it’s because I was more or less off sugar for six weeks and now I’m not and…my sweet tooth is a liiitle out of control. I try to ride the waves of cravings because I’ve found denying myself doesn’t work and makes me just hate life. And anyway, these Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers are insanely delish and the perfect gushy gummy texture. And — accidentally vegan! Swedish Fish, who? 10/10.

🥨 I’ve tried just about every plant-based protein bar on the block. Ever since I started lifting and caring about protein in college, I’ve liked to keep them on hand for quick snacks when I’m running out of the house, a post workout refuel, a travel snack, etc. These are THE BEST ones, IMO. I have been religiously ordering and eating the pretzel ones, with a light crust of flaky sea salt and delicious dark chocolate, for years and years. They aren’t as protein packed as some options, but they also taste like candy, not chalk, so to me, they’re a winner. 9.5/10.

🥣 Much like my quest for the best protein bar, I absolutely have tried every plant-based yogurt out there, and most just don’t do it for me, tbh. I grew up eating homemade yogurt my mom made and cream-topped vanilla bean cups from the Brown Cow (I think that was the name?) brand, so my bar is high. I’ve been aware of this brand for a while but they just underwent a cutesy rebrand and must have changed their formula, because this vanilla yogurt is a true delight. It makes just the thing for a base in a morning yogurt bowl topped with some fruit, peanut butter, hemp hearts, and peanut butter. 8.5/10.

In college, I ate fried chicken for the first time. It was the first non-veg meal I chose to consume, after turning my back on my lifelong vegetarianism. Meat didn’t really appeal to me, but I had to admit the fried crispy bits had always looked good.

I’d been vegetarian since I was a toddler and old enough to make conscious food choices, but I was the dining intern at a prominent magazine, and becoming a bonafide gym bro weightlifter. I wanted, and was encouraged by my editor, to be able to eat all the foods I was writing about, and I was convinced I had to have tons of animal protein to bulk up (spoiler alert: that was false). It was the perfect storm of factors to make me start eating meat.

So I’m not one of those vegans no that has never tried meat. I’m also not one of those vegans who is grossed out or insulted when people eat animal products in front of me, or who cares if my burger was grilled next to a steak at a friend’s cookout, or if some cheese was accidently added to my fajitas at a Mexican restaurant — I’m just scraping it off and eating the rest. I’m glad I have this perspective, even as passionate of a vegan as I am now, because I think it’s helpful to understand how most people live. I think many of the loudest proudest vegans, especially the very online ones, can get so caught up in the pursuit vegan-er than thou, that they lost the plot. Not to mention, totally weird out and scare off other could be plant-eaters with their militant, dogmatic ways. Because let’s be real; veganism or eating more plant-based at all, can feel like a cult. It’s why I’m so passionate about being a non judgy vegan — and reminding folks that every little food choice adds up — screw the labels.

There is no vegan police, unless you get on Reddit and seek them out, and no one cares if you’re the perfect vegan, or if you “just” do Meatless Monday or no dairy or whatever you choose. The way you eat is super personal and no one’s business but yours. Do I think the world would be a healthier place in many ways if everyone ate plant-based? I absolutely do. But I also get how change happens, it’s not through guilt or shame or making veganism feel like an elitest eclusive club you can only be a part of if you throw out every bit of leather from your closet, etc.

So here are some rules I think everyone should have full permission to stop caring about — whether you consider yourself fully vegan, on the way to becoming that, not vegan at all but just eating more plants, or somewhere in between. Because really, this isn’t about perfection.

1. If you eat honey (I do!)

   Fun fact: the first time I shared with the internet that I ate honey, I got literal death threats in the thousands. That is precisely the kind of ridiculous behavior that turns people off to the vegan movement as a whole!! How ridiculous! The world doesn’t need billions of perfect vegans, and that will almost certainly never happen anyway — only around 1% of the population is fully vegan. We need lots of people making little changes, and not throwing the baby out with the bath water, so to speak, just because they can’t radically overhaul their entire way of eating.

   I choose to eat honey because it’s healthy, delicious, doesn’t hurt bees to produce, and in fact, supporting your local beekeeper is CRITICAL to the survival of bees as a whole, without, we are toast, FYI. I choose honey from small local beekeepers for a multitude of reasons, not least of which is because beekeepers fiercely care for and protect their bee populations. Don’t blindly believe the people online saying beekeepers burn their bees, clip their wings, or all sorts of other patently false misinfo flying around that almost all small, local beekeepers do not do. My mom was a beekeeper for a while, and it taught me how crucially important supporting the beekeepers is, who are by and large keeping the dwingly bee population alive. Also, for what it’s worth, many prominent vegans choose to eat honey. And many regular people vegans, like myself.

2. If you have a closet full of silk and leather (I do!)
   There are plenty of online vegans who want to argue semantics and who will tell you it’s not just a way of eating, it’s a lifestyle. While I hear and respect that, and appreciate that is indeed the technical definition, I happen to think it’s insane to toss or avoid high quality clothing in 2025 in favor of plastic pleather or cheaper alternatives that just end up in the landfill.

   I buy leather, silk, and wool, all of which come from animals who can certainly be harmed or killed in the process obviously, but I only buy it secondhand. That’s my personal choice and I feel great about it. If you’re trying to eat more plants, for goodness sake focus on that — not also overhauling your entire closet overnight. A well made leather pair of Birks will last so much longer than some cheap fake leather pair will, and is probably ultimately so much kinder on the planet anyway.

3. If you mess up sometimes (I do!)

   
   I consider myself 100% vegan, meaning I don’t eat milks, eggs, meat, etc, but sometimes I do, on accident, and I certainly don’t lose any sleep over it. Perfect example; the other day I excitedly proclaimed to all of Tiktok how awesome it is that the soy flavored Marchunan ramen was “accidentely vegan.” Except, as thousands of commenters told me, it isn’t lol. Whoops! I’ve also recently accidentally eaten cheese in a quesadilla before I realized, milk powder in some chips (why do they always have milk powder?) and probably countless other slip ups I didn’t even know about. It’s all good!

   I’ve heard from so many aspiring vegans who “mess up” and decide to totally throw in the towel and give up the whole thing because of one slip up. Make that make sense! It happens to all of us! The best piece of advice about veganism I ever heard was, it’s not a religion! I keep that in mind and try to do the most good and least harm possible, but the compassion has to extend to yourself, too. If you eat something you didn’t mean to, move on — tomorrow is a new day!

4. If you don’t care about cross contamination (I don’t!)

   Listen, this is a personal choice, but I don’t personally care, at all, if my Impossible Whopper was grilled on the same cook surface as the regular patties at Burger King. To me, being a sticler for perfection doesn’t help a single animal or the planet. Unless you have an allergy or sensativity to animal products, I personally don’t see the point in splitting hairs like this. It also makes it that much more challenging to eat out, or eat in general, if you’re avoiding anything that “may contain” milk or eggs.

   I personally keep my eye on the big picture, and freaking love an Impossible Whopper with fries and a diet Coke tooo much anyway to ruminate on these details. Again, it’s all about your personal boundaries and what you want to eat or not, but don’t feel like you’re any less of a plant-eater if you don’t sweat the small stuff.

5. If you’re not a full time vegan and don’t want to be

   My favorite type of person to write for and talk to is the non-vegan and not-even-vegetarian, who just wants to eat more plants. THAT is what we need lots and lots more of! It’s unrealistic to assume the entire population will go vegan, but if everyone chose to reach for non dairy coffee creamer, a few meatless meals a week, maybe commit to a plant-based breakfast, or make simple swaps when it makes sense would totally change the world.

   For example, according to the Blue Zones organization, if everyone ate plant based for just one meal a day, you’ll save almost 200,000 gallons of water (that’s 11,400 showers!) and the pollution equivalent to about 3,000 miles driven in your car (roughly LA to NYC). And, if everyone in the U.S. reduced their meat and dairy intake by just 50 percent, it would be equal to taking 26 million cars off the road.” So that’s kinda major.

6. If you don’t care about the labels at all (it’s not that deep!)

   
   I have long since lost count of the people who told me they keep it a secret that they want to eat more plants, or are afraid to ask a question about veganism, or something similar, because basically, vegans can be so extreme and judgy and they’re afraid of their wrath. That is SUCH a fail on veganisms’ part!

   This is the hill I will die on: I do not care about the semantics or labels. It’s not a competition and it’s not a religion. I say “vegan” just because it’s a recognizable term people know what I mean by, but you eat what and how you want to eat. You are welcome here, and in the plant-based world as a whole, whether you identify as fully vegan, vegetarian, non-dairy, OR NONE OF THE ABOVE. Again, more people need to vote with their dollars/meals, reduce their support of the very unsustainable, unethical, corrupt animal agriculture industry (awful for the animals of course, but the human being working there and in the vicinity of factory farming), and make small, sustainable choices they will stick to. So screw the labels in 2025, and don’t let the small loud group of mean vegans scare you off from an ancient, proven, verifiably healthy and more sustainable way of eating that most non-western cultures have embraced for millenia. No one owns eating plants. Let’s just focus on doing more of it, however and whenever we can. That’s the energy I hope we take into 2025.

Cheers!

<3 - Emmy