Thanks for sharing. I think it may be important to note that while there are plant based alternatives, some people simply don’t have access to the foods and may not want to rely on processed alternatives since they are more often than not less healthy and/or more expensive.
Whenever I hear about vegans/plant based eaters who no longer eat that way, I sometimes wonder if it’s because:
- They were eating a very restrictive plant based diet that came off as borderline eating disorder behavior (e.g Raw Alignment and Rawvana)
- They didn’t eat a varied diet due to lack of options or by opting for the less nutrient dense foods based on preference.
It’s a privileged to have access to a bountiful diverse selection of plant based foods. When I was living in the US, I had access to a farmer’s market, Amish market, and local farms due to where I live. (My parents also grew some vegetables too.) Since I worked from home, I can easily visit these stores in the afternoon (since most of them are only open during daytime hours) and buy what I want to eat for the next few days. This reality isn’t as easy for most Americans especially those living in food deserts.
I’m all for promoting plant based eating (I eat plant based like 90% of the time), but I understand that it’s not doable for everyone due to geographic lifestyle and/or generic reasons. Eating vegetarian, or adjusting your diet seasonally (plant heavy in the warm/hot months when most things are in season and eating meat in the cold months) may be a more realistic option for most. To be honest this would be a better marketing approach because it’s more achievable than than the whole world eating vegan.
