5 Steps to Not Become an Ex-Vegan

Aug 24, 2020

"Once a vegan, we are always so, because our motivation is not personal and self-oriented, but is based on concern for others and on our undeniable interconnectedness with other living beings."
-Dr. Will Tuttle,
The World Peace Diet

1. Understand what veganism is & isn't

There's only one way to truly be an ex-vegan: You have to be vegan in the first place. In order to actually become vegan, you must seek out and understand the definition of veganism. Even more, you must internalize its meaning. It has to become a part of who you are, so it's not just words you prescribe to out of some sense of obligation to do the right thing or to conform to a label you've arbitrarily given yourself. It's understanding that the definition sets parameters not for what you can't do, but for what you won't do and for everything else you should do.

"Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose."
Official definition of veganism from The Vegan Society

If I can make one thing particularly clear before moving on, you cannot be vegan for any reason except animal rights. There's nothing wrong with being concerned with your health, the environment, human rights, or any other issues, but they are only tangentially related to veganism. Therefore, just eating a healthy plant-based diet doesn't automatically make you vegan, which is where we often see confusion with influencers online calling themselves ex-vegans even though they never truly grasped the belief system of veganism in the first place.

2. Educate yourself

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Education is the single most important part of going and staying vegan. Sure, you can technically be vegan based on ethics alone, but that may not be sustainable. Carnists -- ranging from your family to colleagues to doctors -- will constantly try to make you question yourself and poke holes in your argument for veganism. By educating yourself on the different areas and benefits of veganism, you can answer the questions they have and rebut their excuses.

This step includes watching documentaries, reading books and magazines and pamphlets, listening to podcasts, watching videos online, and anything else. There are two important pieces of advice I'd like to share about this step. One, animal rights-related media should be at the forefront of your research; veganism is, after all, primarily an animal rights topic, and nonhuman animals are the single most exploited group on the planet. Second, don't limit yourself to only animal rights media. Though this may sound contradictory to the first tip, veganism is an all-inclusive social justice movement, and we are also concerned with other issues of discrimination and exploitation in our society because all suffering, all life, is connected. Education, like veganism itself, is about learning as much as possible about all related areas to become a better, more-informed individual.

3. Be vegan

Becoming an "ex-vegan" -- as in, not an "ex-plant-based-dieter" -- is significantly less likely if you're actually vegan to begin with. Once you've learned what it means to be vegan and why you should be vegan, you have to take that final step and actually become vegan. And when you have internalized the vegan philosophy and truly believe in the core values of veganism, it's nearly impossible to regress back to your old speciesist ways. For true vegans, the thought of ever becoming an ex-vegan is nearly impossible to imagine because our values have become so ingrained in us that it would be akin to waking up one morning and deciding to start killing humans or dogs. It just won't happen.

Another piece of advice I'd like to share is that, though there is one basic definition of veganism, the way each individual enacts that in their life will be different, as I mentioned in "5 Years Vegan: What I've Learned." Veganism influences your life in myriad ways, and you will learn a lot about yourself and the people around you.

4. Remind yourself

No matter how strong your ethics, they can be called into question when put under pressure. Sometimes, after feeling alone and isolated from loved ones who constantly berated you for being vegan or your doctor told you that the only way to cure your ailment is to incorporate animal products back into your diet, you may feel the urge to try carnism again. If you've felt that way before, there's no need to feel guilty -- many vegans (especially new vegans) have experienced this, as much as we hate to admit it. That's why it's essential to continually remind yourself why you initially went vegan. As I mentioned in "Should Vegans Watch Graphic Footage?," as much as we all hate to see images of animal abuse, it's a good reminder every so often as to why you're doing this. It helps to keep your fire blazing as you work for change.

However, there are also other ways to remind yourself. Through continuous education, you are always learning new things and keeping yourself in the vegan headspace. After that initial influx of information you acquire just before or after going vegan, you shouldn't stop there and assume there's nothing else to do. There is always more to learn, and you will become a better vegan -- a better person -- because of it. Plus, the more you know about veganism, the less likely it will be to stray away from it.

5. Get active

The thought of someone like Earthling Ed or Joey Carbstrong coming out with a "Why I'm No Longer Vegan" video is ludicrous. And that's because they're constantly active. By educating others, they fulfill steps three, four, and five because they are constantly learning about different arguments and information, reminding themselves daily through their work why they're vegan, and then relaying that information to other people. Most ex-vegans never do those things, and if they did, it was far enough in the past for them to forget how it made them feel.

Being active will be different for different kinds of people, and you shouldn't feel pressured to outreach like the activists you see online. If you're nervous about getting involved in animal rights activism, you can check out the tips I have in my four-part series on how to be an introverted activist. What's most important is to use the skills you already have to make an impact.

be conscious, be kind, be vegan