{"id":82970,"date":"2018-01-18T11:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=82970"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:55","slug":"what-i-am-allowed-to-do-and-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/01\/18\/what-i-am-allowed-to-do-and-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"What I am allowed to do (and eat)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For the last few months I have been a vegan. I wanted to find out for myself whether the picture painted by certain documentaries \u2013 that being a vegan is truly better for me and my environment \u2013 is true. So far, my experiment has mainly resulted in all sorts of interesting comments and situations. For instance, my five-year-old nephew now knows that I am a vegan, and he does not exactly mince words when listing all the delicious products I am no longer allowed to eat.<\/p>\n

I have noticed that my nephew is not the only person who has a lot to say on the things I\u2019m no longer allowed to eat now that I\u2019m a vegan. Adults, too, have plenty to say on the subject \u2013 generally in the form of unsolicited remarks. All those comments are making me feel like being a vegan is some sort of punishment! Apparently, not many people realise that I actually want<\/em> to be a vegan. For this reason, I think it\u2019s kind of funny that people are concerned about all the things I\u2019m not allowed to eat, which really should not matter to them in the slightest.<\/p>\n

A little while ago, someone proudly sent me a message stating he was eating a salad. I myself never eat salads, nor have I ever eaten them. Clearly, this person feels that being a vegan equals eating salads. Furthermore, I am often asked where I get my protein. Well, I can easily answer that question: many products I now eat contain more protein than the yoghurt or cheese I used to eat.<\/p>\n

Another question I\u2019ll get every once in a while is whether I now have an Instagram account to which I will post pictures of avocados and quinoa. In other words, now that I\u2019m a vegan, I\u2019m expected to be an odd kind of person. The people around me act as if I\u2019m doing something strange, even though not a great deal has changed for me. I just eat slightly different products than I used to. Apparently, this encourages the people around me to pigeonhole vegans.<\/p>\n

Most questions I get are about what I am<\/em> allowed to do, which is quite a bit, I have found. I am allowed to eat healthy. I am allowed to consider what is good for humans and the environment. I am allowed to look beyond my need for meat and cheese. And sometimes my choice will open a door for people who also want to make a better-informed decision on what to eat.<\/p>\n

And, alright, every once in a while I just have to suck it up for a bit.<\/p>\n

Marnix \u2018t Hart studies Philosophy at the EUR<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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