Hello from Germany

[naed]

I quickly wanted to introduce myself: My name is Nadja and I am a MA student from Germany. I've been a vegetarian for several years now and am trying to become vegan - but to be honest I'm having a bit of a hard time with that. I also try to somehow combine my love for animals with my chosen study subject, which is sustainable fashion and innovative textile options. More about this in another post though!

[brimstoneSalad]

Welcome Nadja!
It's great that you've been vegetarian for some time, it makes a big difference, and awesome that you're trying to go vegan. What are some of the challenges you're facing? Maybe we can give you some advice.

[naed]

Thank you In the past months I've tried to reduce the amount of dairy and eggs that I'm eating and it works perfectly fine when I'm at home. But then I went completely vegan for one week and I was facing so many difficulties when I tried to get some lunch out or a snack "on the go". To be honest I was mostly just unprepared and should have maybe brought my own packed lunch, but most mornings I was simply too busy to think of that and then - SURPRISE - it was lunch break and I ended up having to eat a dry pretzel from the bakery because there was absolutely no other option...

[Jebus]

Hi Nadja, welcome to our forum. As you noted, successful veganism has a lot to do with planning. Are you from a big city or small town? I find it very easy to be vegan in the German cities, particularly Berlin which is heaven for a vegan, but the options are very limited in the small towns.

[brimstoneSalad]

Going vegan at home is a good first step.

You are right about taking food with you for lunch. Do you have any lunch ideas?
The simplest ones are packing some snack mixes made from things like dry fruit, nuts, and crunchy baked chickpeas.
Sandwiches and wraps are also good options. Some people also take plastic containers so they can bring leftovers from dinner for lunch.

[naed]

You're totally right, it's really just down to good preparation. It's just so easy to find vegetarian options that I didn't quite expect it to be such a struggle when changing to a vegan diet. Next time I'll certainly plan in some time to prepare my own packed lunches so I don't have to starve during my lunch break, fingers crossed

[brimstoneSalad]

Good luck! Let us know if you have any trouble coming up with good lunch ideas.