I had a momentary ethical quandary this morning. To eat or not to eat. I was about to have a quick snack of almond yogurt (yeah I know, that sounds weird) when, alas, upon reading the ingredient list I noticed a “may contain milk” disclaimer. Arghhhh. What would a respectable moral vegan do?? Do I proclaim this food as contaminated and hence not edible? Do I eat it, just this once? Or am I over thinking all of this.

So then I thought, I bet there is varying degrees of veganism out there. I bet there are those who abide by an ultra-strict, definitely-no-part-of an-animal-or-animal-product-shall-ever-touch-my-lips code and those who take a slightly more relaxed approach. Perhaps those who wouldn’t bat an eye at a “may contain” label (I mean it’s not like I’m talking about an occasional cheeseburger here!).

I’m thinking I’m going to join the latter cohort, if they exist. I want this whole experience to demonstrate that plant-based diets are accessible and flexible and doable. They have to fit your life, your beliefs, your rules. So I am certainly going to continue leaving out animals and animal products off my list of edibles but I’m not going to sweat the “may contains”.

As for the almond yogurt. Well yogurt it is not. But as an acceptable addition to my snack options, I guess it will do…in a pinch.

So what do you, more seasoned vegans, do in such moments? Leave a reply with your food-based dilemmas. I’m sure they’re out there.

ilona

*may contain _______ (insert witty comment here)