CHICO — If I say the word ”vegan,” what image of a person automatically jumps to mind? Is it of a thin, fit person? Of someone who mostly lives on salads and beans?
Perhaps that is a dangerous, uncomfortable question to ask. However, I think such stereotypes about vegans and what they look like and how they eat persist, online and in person, among those to whom the lifestyle is a foreign, or at least unattainable, existence.
The stereotype most commonly circulated is that vegans are malnourished, or at least very likely to lose a lot of weight. Or perhaps they’re seen as obsessed with being lean and athletic. The underlying assumption is often that, whatever the reason, there is no such thing as a fat vegan.
What’s particularly troubling is when eating vegan actually gets marketed as a fat loss diet or a way to watch one’s weight. I hope to try to stop that type of thinking here. The idea, or, as veganism gains traction, idealized trend of the “fit vegan” is dangerous. It either implies that being vegan is not nutritionally safe, or even if it is known for some health benefits, it can get turned into just another diet. When it is transformed into just another diet, the notion of going vegan then ignores the fact that many people who go vegan aren’t doing so to lose weight, and in fact have plenty of other reasons to do so.
If you’re vegan for ethical, ecological or other reasons, there are many things you can still eat that are not healthy — I’ve gone over many delicious, questionably nutritious alternatives in the past. Choosing not to eat animal products is not about what you’re trying to look like. It’s about what you choose not to put in your body and what industries you don’t want to participate in, as a consumer.
What’s more, having a certain idea of what a vegan looks like marginalizes those who do not fit into that description. By telling people that veganism is the ultimate, trendy way to be trim and healthy, you’ll get people going vegan using it as a way to diet, not as a lifestyle choice. This is fundamentally different from choosing to exclude animal products for ethical reasons, although there are certainly some clear health benefits to doing so.
It also creates a nasty stereotype for which to judge oneself and others by, as if to know who is a “true” vegan — as if scarfing down the Beyond Burgers and another round of lovely greasy potato chips makes you a faker.
Body shaming through pushing veganism based on health benefits alone makes it an exclusionary lifestyle. Even if there are plenty of scientifically-backed health benefits, there doesn’t give anyone the right to share the message in a way that shames overweight folks.
Any type of advertising that uses overweight people to sell the idea of veganism as a dieting measure cannot be taken seriously — and anyone practicing eating
vegan needs to be careful not to vilify anyone is not eating the “healthy” vegan foods. You see it often in online vegan communities, whenever someone posts about vegan fast food.
How could I be taken seriously if I were to endorse going vegan just for looks, to stay Instagrammable and heavily groomed? Moreover, how authentic can I consider myself to be if I were to write about being vegan as if it were just another diet, or a more restrictive version of going paleo? There is no need to try to be a role model or body inspiration simply by choosing to be vegan. Nor should one be considered obligated to be healthy as possible, as if to justify the lifestyle for the skeptics.
In my opinion, it’s important to pay close attention to how going vegan is marketed nowadays and demand authenticity on behalf of why it matters. Being healthy and eating more plant-based foods is being good to your body, but it should never be about losing weight or chasing an ideal body type, full stop.
More new vegan delights around town
Speaking of finding non-healthy vegan delights, Chico”s grocery stores have had more and more to offer lately if you check around town weekly. There have been increasingly more and more sales on vegan items at the Safeway and Raley’s locations. These include some fantastic frozen items from Follow Your Heart and Daiya as well as more and more dairy alternatives.
Daiya pizzas have also been popping up at Grocery Outlet again lately, some of which use Beyond Meat. I’ve even found some great options by scouring the aisles at Food Maxx lately – you just have to know what you’re looking for and have patience.
Trader Joe’s started offering big soft pretzels last week, at four pretzels in one bag offered at $2.50. They taste divine warm, especially with some spicy brown or dijon mustard and Himalayan salt. Just a note — although they are marketed as technically vegan, the ingredient list notes that because the processing facility they are made in, they may have traces of milk powder.
Finally, when it comes to alternative milks, around Chico you may finally feel as if you have too many choices to pick just one. Forget the past when it was either the carton of soy milk or the random tub of Daiya “sour cream.” Even Target has been carrying Ripple pea milk, different varieties of Califia and So Delicious and more, though of course you’ll still find the most selection at New Earth Market and Chico Natural Foods Cooperative. The future is bright for going vegan and it now has so many dairy alternatives.
Keep checking back to find out about more vegan finds from local sources!
Natalie Hanson was inspired to write this biweekly column after meeting more vegans in Chico and seeing the need for representation in the north valley. Send vegan-friendly restaurant or business recommendations her way to nhanson@chicoer.com.