Being a first-time vegan would be an easy and adaptable lifestyle choice but when Covid-19 happened, it became a bit of a struggle.  

I and my family started a vegan diet when my brother decided to go vegan, we adapted to his choices on a part-time basis. We would normally go out to the shops together to find ingredients and vegan products to create hearty and tasty family meals. There would never be a problem, no matter what supermarket we went to, we could always find food to give us sustenance.

Now that we are all experiencing lockdown, being a vegan has been a challenge. We have been unable to go to the supermarket, instead, we are shopping online which means we have to adapt to our usual shop. There have been items that we are unable to buy online, so we have had to resort to finding replacements like Mushrooms or Tofu. 

The major supermarkets’ aren’t the be-all and end-all, we have found local stores both on the high streets and online that support people with vegan diets. 

Not all of the food items that we do have, provide the right nutrients that we need to provide us with energy and to protect our skin and bones. So we may need to take vitamins to give us that energy boost that we need. There are times when I feel deflated and tired as I just don’t have the energy that I would usually have. 

(Check out Dr Shireen Kassam’s article on COVID-19: Maintaining a healthy immune system through diet and lifestyle in our Article section)

Being vegan during the coronavirus pandemic is hard, don’t get me wrong we are grateful for the food that we do get, but there are times when we still feel hungry at the end of the day. I know I find myself snacking on fruit more during the day rather than vegan chocolate as it is important to stay healthy during these strange times.  And in the evenings after all three meals have been had, I am sometimes still a little hungry, so I snack on toast or cereal.

Being a vegan during covid-19 is all about adapting to the situation. As long as we can find the right products to provide us with a healthy lifestyle then that is all that matters. 

By Gemma Hirst. 

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