SOAPBOX: Veganism not as scary as it sounds to us omnivores

My world was sent into a temporary spin when a visitor disclosed their culinary inclinations.

Eating Vegan is not as scary as it sounds to us omnivores. Picture: Tanya Easterby

I RECENTLY had the pleasure of having my sister travel up from Adelaide to spend time with us.

It has been roughly a year since we'd seen her in the flesh and although we had enjoyed some Skype chats in between, there was one huge thing that has changed since she last came to stay.

She had become a vegan.

She broke the news to me like you would telling someone one of your deepest secrets - as if she was waiting for the backlash.

And it was just as well, because I went into a cold sweat thinking about how I would sustain a vegan in a house full of meat, ice-cream and baked goods filled with eggs.

While we try to be healthy and eat lots of fruit and vegetables, my husband and kids are definitely partial to a leg of chicken or a juicy steak.

I tried serving up a vegetarian lasagne once and was met with "where's the meat?".

So the thought of catering for a vegan was a little unsettling.

But the reality is, it's not as hard as it sounds and we were able to slightly tweak each meal to make it free from animal products for my sister.

It also turned on a light when I realised how easily animal products can be replaced with other ingredients that are actually a lot better for you in the health department.

I'm not going to say that I have been converted, but if I ever did decide to give it a go, I now know that I wouldn't have to sacrifice my beloved caramel slice in the process.

Originally published as SOAPBOX: Veganism not as scary as it sounds to us omnivores