The myths I swallowed whole nearly derailed my vegan journey before it even started.
Eight years ago, I sat in my corner office on the 34th floor, reading an article about factory farming on my lunch break. By the time I finished, I'd lost my appetite for the turkey sandwich sitting on my desk. That night, I declared myself vegan.
Within three weeks, I was ready to throw in the towel.
Looking back, I realize it wasn't the lifestyle that nearly broke me. It was the collection of myths I'd absorbed without questioning, the same analytical failure I would have caught instantly in a financial report.
These five lies almost cost me one of the most meaningful changes I've ever made.
1. You need to overhaul everything overnight
Day one, I purged my entire kitchen. Every container of Greek yogurt, every egg, the parmesan I loved on pasta. I spent $300 at Whole Foods on ingredients I didn't know how to use. Nutritional yeast sat unopened for months.
Here's what I wish someone had told me: transition is not failure. The all-or-nothing mentality that served me well in finance nearly sabotaged my health journey. Research on dietary behavior change consistently shows that gradual shifts lead to more sustainable outcomes than dramatic overhauls.
What if you started with one plant-based meal a day? Or committed to vegan weekdays? The goal isn't perfection on day one. The goal is still being here on day 3,000.
2. Plant-based eating is automatically healthy
My first month, I survived on Oreos, french fries, and pasta with marinara sauce. Technically vegan. Nutritionally, a disaster. I felt exhausted, foggy, and convinced that this lifestyle simply didn't work for my body.
The truth is that plant-based eating requires the same intentionality as any other way of eating. A diet built on processed vegan junk food will leave you depleted. I had to learn about complete proteins, B12 supplementation, and the importance of whole foods.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics confirms that well-planned vegan diets are nutritionally adequate, but that phrase "well-planned" is doing heavy lifting.
Once I started building meals around legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and healthy fats, the fog lifted. My energy returned. The lifestyle wasn't the problem. My execution was.
3. You'll never eat at restaurants again
I turned down dinner invitations for the first two months. I imagined sitting at tables with nothing to eat, making everyone uncomfortable, being "that person." The social isolation nearly pushed me back to my old habits.
What I discovered surprised me. Most restaurants can accommodate plant-based diners, especially if you call ahead or check menus online. Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean cuisines offer abundant options. Even steakhouses usually have sides that can become a meal.
More importantly, I learned that my presence matters more than my plate. Friends and family wanted my company, not my food choices. Have you been avoiding social situations because of what you eat? The discomfort you're imagining is often far worse than the reality.
4. Protein is nearly impossible to get
"But where do you get your protein?" I heard this question so often that I started doubting myself. I bought expensive protein powders and worried constantly about muscle loss, especially as someone who runs 20 to 30 miles weekly on trails.
The protein panic is largely unfounded. Legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, nuts, seeds, and whole grains all contribute protein. A varied plant-based diet that meets your caloric needs will almost certainly meet your protein needs. Studies show that plant-based athletes can thrive and perform at high levels.
I've maintained my running practice for eight years without animal protein. My recovery times are solid. My energy is consistent. The protein myth nearly convinced me I was doing something dangerous when I was actually doing something sustainable.
5. Slip-ups mean you've failed completely
Six months in, I ate a piece of birthday cake at my mother's house without thinking. It had eggs and butter. When I realized what I'd done, I spiraled. Clearly, I wasn't committed enough. Maybe I should just give up the whole thing.
This black-and-white thinking, the same pattern that contributed to my burnout in finance, almost ended my plant-based journey over a slice of cake. But here's what I've learned: one moment doesn't define a practice. Meditation teachers don't tell you to quit because your mind wandered. You notice, and you return.
Veganism, for me, is an ongoing practice, not a perfect record. If you slip, you haven't failed. You've just had a moment of being human. What matters is the next choice, and the one after that.
Final thoughts
Eight years later, I'm still here. Still plant-based. Still running trails and building meals around foods that align with my values. But I almost wasn't. I almost let a collection of myths convince me that this path was too hard, too restrictive, too socially isolating, too nutritionally risky.
If you're new to this journey, or if you've tried before and stepped away, I want you to know something: the lies are louder at the beginning. They quiet down with time and experience.
The question isn't whether you'll do this perfectly. The question is whether you'll stay curious long enough to find your own way through.
What myth almost stopped you?
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