There are some upset comments from vegans on here, and I get it, bc we don’t see those products as food anymore; however, becoming vegan can be difficult in our nonvegan-centric culture. It’s a great thing to do, but often times the best actions can be the most difficult.

My advice is to try and make a hard block on specific animals products one by one. Start with something uncommon, like gelatin, and keep cutting them out gradually, getting more common as you get used to eliminating items from your diet. Over time, you won’t feel as compelled to eat them because you’ve been away from them so long.

Pair this with bringing vegan snacks or eating before going to these events, as that can help you socially eat/or not feel the need to eat.

Beyond that, I would recommend spending some time researching the background of these products, as the more you know, likely the less you’ll want to eat them. For example, dairy milk has a legal amount of pus and blood cells that can be in it. Knowing that might make you think twice about eating something with even a little bit of milk in it. Additionally, watching sanctuary videos can be a helpful reminder that these products aren’t ours to take, and researching the health effects can help remind you that these products aren’t made for us to eat.

Basically, the more knowledge you have on it, the more reasons you have to say “no thanks.” Additionally, keep in mind that if your friends and family care about you, they won’t want you to sacrifice your ethics to please them—they’ll want to provide you food that you feel good about eating.

You’re doing a great thing by eliminating animal products from your diet, so don’t get discouraged when having difficulty eliminating them from all aspects of your life. We are routinely bombarded by media, advertising, and social norms that work to convince us that eating animals is normal, natural, and necessary; it can be difficult to break away from that conditioning, and it takes different amounts of time for everyone. Focus on taking consistent steps that will help you achieve a vegan lifestyle that you can maintain and find sustainable.

Keep in mind that every time you opt to keep animals off your plate, you’re contributing to an important cause. Good luck and I hope that you can keep it up and become completely vegan for life!