When you become vegan (or even vegetarian), you can feel pretty alone. My earlier blogs in this journey even expressed that sentiment.
You'll be questioned.. over and over.. about your choices. You'll be expected to defend "why" you're doing it. You will be mocked and joked about.
It's hard, then, to not feel like you're the only vegan in the world.
The good news is, this movement is growing. Thanks in part to the easy access to information that was previously hard to come by.
You have vegan cookbooks that are becoming bestsellers.. such as The Kind Diet, Skinny Bitch, and a slew of others.
You have documentaries like Food Inc, Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, and Earthlings, that are gaining widespread audiences; and changing some people.. literally overnight.
You have celebrities, like Alicia Silverstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Clinton, and many others proudly talking about their vegan lifestyles.
Currently, it is estimated that 3.2% of Americans (7.3 million people) are vegetarian.. with 1 million of those being strictly vegan. Also, 25% of college students say that vegan options are important to them; implying that even if they aren't vegan, they are interested in reduced animal product intake.
In other words, you aren't alone.
Ten years ago, "organic" was almost a foreign term. Finding organic produce in a standard grocery store was unheard of. Now, it's everywhere. It's a generally accepted idea.
Many anticipate that "veg" based eating will be the next "organic."
Here's hoping!
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