What I Wish I'd Known Before Starting My Vegan Journey

Thirteen years ago, I made the switch to veganism overnight. One minute I was eating steak, the next I wasn't.

Looking back, there are things I wish I'd known. Not about nutrition or recipes - that stuff's easy enough to figure out.

No, I wish I'd known that the hardest part wouldn't be giving up meat. It would be navigating the social dynamics. Dealing with family dinners. Handling other people's reactions.

I wish I'd known that being militant about it would only push people away. That quietly living your principles is more effective than preaching them.

I wish I'd known that missing the taste of meat doesn't make you a bad vegan. That it's okay to admit some vegan alternatives aren't great. That you don't have to pretend everything's perfect.

But mostly, I wish I'd known that things would change so much. That we'd be talking about growing real meat without slaughter. That the ethical dilemmas I was wrestling with might one day be solved by technology.

Then again, maybe it's better I didn't know. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.