Tips for vegan introverts out in the open

This is one for the vegan introverts and conflict-avoiding people. As a vegan you’ll constantly find yourself in social situations where you have to justify or defend your way of eating. Not everybody is up for that and even the most chatty and confrontational among us sometimes need a break from reiterating the same old explanations and personal motivations.

Vegan introverts: Be ready for the confrontation

“How do you know that someone is vegan? They’ll tell you.” Probably you’ve heard or read this incredibly clever and humorous remark before. In many cases however, it’s not the vegan person who starts a food or lifestyle related topic. In fact, if you belong to the category of vegan introverts, you’ll often actively try to avoid it.

But here’s the problem. Most social gatherings in our society circle around food and drink, be it a birthday party, a company gathering, a romantic date or just a casual hangout with friends. As a vegan you’ll be forced to come out of the closet and let the people around you know what you do and categorically do not eat.

Some people won’t care much and just let you do your thing. But we all know the other group of people, who just can’t let you get away with it. You’ll be bombarded with questions and sudden expert knowledge on how you couldn’t possibly survive without product X, you name it.

There you are, sitting in front of them, alive and healthy despite months or years being vegan. But this very fact won’t make them reconsider their opinion and assertions. So, what do you do? Depending on who is challenging you, your relationship with them and also the set up in which the conversation takes places, either you take the topic on or you nip it in the bud.

Reverence for your Doctor

If for whatever reason you do not want to get into the same old conversation of why you’re vegan or not eating certain things there is a relatively easy way out. Blame it all on your doctor and make it sound temporary or experimental. As soon as you say the words “My doctor told me to…”, most people won’t question whatever follows. Whether this often blind reverence is a good or bad thing is a different topic of course.

For vegan introverts or any vegan who in a specific moment wants to avoid confrontation this can work like a charm. To give you some concrete ideas:

• My doctor said I’m at risk of diabetes, so I have to avoid all animal products for a while.
• High cholesterol runs in my family, so my doctor said I should avoid eating meat and eggs.
• Apparently, my personal risk of heart disease is massively increased if I eat meat, dairy and eggs, so I’m currently skipping those.
• I’m suffering from condition X and my doctor suggested a strict experiment where I have to completely avoid meat, dairy and eggs for a while.
• I developed an allergy to dairy and eggs, so I’m in trouble if I have any.

Vegan introverts: Choose your doctor wisely

Does that mean you simply have to tell a little fib or even an outright lie? That all depends on who you have in mind when you mention “your doctor”. There are numerous well known whole food plant-based doctors out there who would advise you to do those exact things. Many of them would even be a lot stricter than that.

However, in social situations it can be a very good strategy to include the temporary aspect of your way of eating. That way the other person(s) won’t feel like you’re taking the moral high ground. You are neither stronger-willed nor more conscientious than them.

And as said initially, this is a strategy for the introvert and confrontation avoiding peeps. Many vegans won’t need or will strongly disagree with this approach. For sure, this is one of those “vegan problems” that everybody needs to find their personal solution to.

Food allergies and intolerances are no joke

One more aspect to get into with a little twist to perspective is the topic of food allergies. They can be very serious and certainly aren’t a joke. Therefore, should you use one as an excuse even though you’re not suffering from any?

The Vegan Intelligence brain thinks in all directions including worst-case scenarios. What if you claim to be allergic to dairy, then, under the beady eyes of others, you accidentally eat or drink a contaminated product and nothing at all happens to you? Will this prompt others to not take allergies serious anymore?

There is no sure answer to this question but most likely it won’t. Maybe it actually helps to raise awareness about the topic. It all depends on how you talk about it.

In such a scenario you can always say something along the lines of how lucky you are that your own allergy is comparatively mild. You might just get a bit gassy and uncomfortable later on. Allergies and intolerances come in all forms and intensities.

Luckily, most food business take them very serious these days. If you mention the word allergy the staff might just pay that little more attention when preparing your order. Maybe that gives you more peace of mind that your meal or drink is indeed completely plant-based.