Fear & food: facing vegaphobia
Dishing up the reality behind veganism and changing your diet.
Ellie Coberly eating at The Wild Oat Bakery & Cafe in Bellingham, Wash., on July 20, 2022. The mixture of flavor and delicious ingredients is evident after taking the first bite // Photo by Lily Webster
Written by Ellie Coberly
For many of us, food can be scary. Some might describe the act of eating as comforting, enjoyable or exciting; while others might use words like intimidating, precarious or limiting. Whether someone is an omnivore or vegan, we eat to live and live to eat.
During my first year of college, I found myself struggling to figure out what kind of foods I preferred. I was so accustomed to home-cooked meals, or having my snack options picked out for me, that eating became somewhat intimidating. Since then, I’ve gone back and forth between cooking in my college house and gravitating toward familiar, more comfortable meals. However, there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to try and have been too scared to test out: eating vegan.
People make the transition to a vegan diet for numerous reasons, some of the most common being animal cruelty and the meat and dairy industry. Documentaries such as “Cowspiracy,” “Forks Over Knives” and “What The Health” are just a few films that shed light on the realities within animal agriculture. On the other hand, someone may transition to veganism because of dietary issues or to help with inflammation.
However, there are still those who have their doubts about the vegan world. A piece by Faunalytics touches on a study conducted by the authors of “Appetite,” Kelly Markowski and Susan Roxburgh, who surveyed college students about stigmas surrounding veganism.
The study found that many people view vegans as more “pretentious” or even “aggressive.” Non-vegans distance themselves from those who are vegan — physically or verbally — and some students who didn’t identify as vegan shared that they chose not to transition to veganism based on fear of being judged or “socially excluded.”
“I think that some people think that veganism is restrictive and can cause disordered eating, but I have actually found the opposite,” said Kyla Hokulani Graham, co-owner of both SconeGrown and Quantum Leaf in Bellingham. “Veganism is not restrictive at all once you don’t think of animal products as food and you allow yourself to eat whatever you want within the vegan realm.”
SconeGrown and Quantum Leaf are two of six fully-vegan restaurants in Bellingham. Graham, who transitioned to veganism five years ago, said her businesses play a big part in town; they serve not only vegans, but individuals with allergies as well. Her and her partner’s mission is to serve the community through “classic comfort foods” that are timeless, healthy and taste good.
I decided to try only eating vegan meals for a week, curious to see how it would impact me both physically and mentally. It was daunting to think about how trying veganism would impact my regular food habits and social circles, but I was up for the challenge.
The Chia pudding parfait (left) and Umami bowl (right) offered by SconeGrown in Bellingham, Wash., on July 20, 2022 // Photos by Lily Webster
SconeGrown was one of the places I chose during my week of trying out veganism. I didn’t find their menu restrictive whatsoever. From loaded nuggets to scones galore, every item called my name. However, after getting first-hand advice from a staff member, I ordered the umami bowl and chia pudding parfait.
Neither item felt limiting, and both were delicious. They introduced my taste buds to an exciting culmination of flavors. In my eyes, the umami bowl was comparable to good sushi. As for the chia pudding parfait? It had fresh peaches, coconut milk whip, house-made granola and ginger candy. As the culmination of flavors melted in my mouth, my palate was at a loss for words.
The second place I visited during the week was The Wild Oat Bakery & Cafe. Their selection also included a vast range of options. Once again, I had to rely on the employees’ advice to pick my meal from a list of breakfast and lunch items.
Both The Wild Oat Cafe and SconeGrown pride themselves on sourcing locally and using organic ingredients. It felt good ordering with the knowledge that their kitchen works to prevent waste and support local farmers.
At The Wild Oat Cafe, I ended up with an open-face burrito. I could not have been happier. This meal actually reminded me of items I had made at home — prepared with ingredients like soy chorizo, spinach, beans, dairy-free cheese and salsa. I was excited to enjoy another flavorful meal and leave feeling good about what I had eaten.
An open face burrito from The Wild Oat Bakery & Cafe in Bellingham, Wash., on July 20, 2022. Layered with “soyrizo,” salsa, beans, dairy-free cheese, spinach and more // Photo by Lily Webster
I thoroughly enjoyed trying two local, vegan restaurants, and look forward to exploring what else the vegan community has to offer. That being said, the rest of my week eating vegan at home was not quite the same. Trying to cut out animal products entirely proved to be more difficult than I had hoped.
Something I wish I had known before starting this challenge is that meal prepping is a key part of making a big change such as transitioning to veganism. Thankfully, there is a wide variety of places to shop vegan here in Bellingham. For this purpose, my favorite places are Trader Joe’s, V Go’s and Quantum Leaf.
During and after my food experiment, I observed some changes in my mood and energy levels. With some increased fatigue and anxiety, I noticed my body feeling some of the effects that come with a diet change.
Ceylon Keeslar, a holistic nutritionist, Western Washington University alumna and owner of InBody by Ceylon, didn’t make any dietary changes until after college.
She advises a wide variety of age groups — anywhere from early teens to older adults — on holistic weight loss with her degree in psychology and experience working with dietary supplements. She said a lot of people go into dietary changes thinking ‘I’m just going to change my food’ and expect all of the other aspects of their life to remain the same, but that’s usually not the case.
Keeslar recommends being prepared before making a drastic life and dietary change. It’s important to talk with a doctor before jumping into something that can have an extreme impact on one’s physical and mental health.
“Humans love comfort,” Keeslar said. “It’s comfortable eating the same thing. So trying to change is not just about changing a food choice, it’s about changing their mood and their lifestyle.”
Transitioning into a new diet takes time, and it can be done gradually in small steps. Some might think it should happen all at once, but Keeslar disagrees.
“It’s so overwhelming, and you end up creating a lot of mistrust in yourself,” she said.
Keeslar said an example of a small step might look like including something green in the dinner for 30 days. After building self-discipline, one can upgrade to 50% of meals being plant-based. Eventually, this can build confidence and can lead to consistency.
Western students have resources at their disposal such as the Viking Food application, which connects users to several vegan places and options downtown, or Western’s Viking Supported Agriculture, which strives to provide fresh vegetables and produce to students looking to venture beyond the dining hall.
Don’t be afraid to try vegan foods. Instead, be afraid of all the flavors you’ll miss if you don’t.