5 Reasons that are Keeping me From Being Vegan?

I have been vegetarian since 2006 and for the last few months I have been analyzing  and thinking of becoming Vegan. Living here on the island and being extremely busy sometimes has kept me away from being vegan. I am going to list the main reasons that have me from becoming vegan and I want your thoughts on it:

1. Limited Supply of Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

I live on an Island that its agriculture is torned to bits. The dependence of Puerto Rico on external food sources in the agriculture field especially for fruits and vegetables gives me very few options of fresh and good fruits. I have to say that in many occasions I buy vegetables or fruit at Costco and if I am not careful enough they are already going bad. Not only are they more expensive because everything is brought in by boat but I waste of my money.

2. Limited Variety of Vegetables and Fruits

There are fruit carts in many places but most of the time they are carrying the same fruits and vegetables which can make preparing different meals a bit difficult. Most of them are more inclined towards having what most of the people buy and I don’t blame them because they have to make a living and not as many people around me are as big fans of vegetables as I am.

3. I love Ice Cream

One of the main reasons I have not gone vegan is because I am in love with Ice Cream. I love Ice cream so much it is probably one of the less healthier items that I consume very often. Given the fact of the high diabetes in my family I think this is the easiest one to overcome as much as I will miss it at the beginning.

4. No Options when on the Road

On some occasions we feel like eating out. Sadly Puerto Rico has no Vegan options in most of the restaurants and fast food places. Even restaurants claiming to be vegetarian might not have a vegan option. I have been to restaurants claiming to be vegetarian to find out that they ran out of vegetarian options for the day (clearly these restaurants are more focused on making money than serving there key customers).

5. Many of the Vegetarian Proteins Contain Egg or Dairy

Given the lack of previous options many vegetarian proteins contain egg and milk which once again cuts down on the only other options we have to create meals.

So those are my 5 reasons why I am not vegan. Can you think of reasonable and practical solutions to helping me move to becoming vegan?

What recommendations do you have?

photo credit by norwichnuts