How To Be A Confident Vegan - Tips For Being The Only Vegan In Your Family

Being the only vegan in your family can be an overwhelming experience. It took me about two years to transition to being a committed vegan because of my fear of how others would judge me.

This is a common challenge for many new vegans. Your heart wants something different than the people around you. You are tired of supporting animal suffering and feel discouraged by how it's normalized, justified, and acceptable.

You discover how much better your body feels after not eating animal products and learn that the nutritional information taught to us is actually incorrect and outdated. Many of it being funded by various industries that profit off of this misinformation and the diseases caused by consuming animal products.

You feel horrified by the truth about animal agriculture. The horrendous conditions animals are kept in before slaughter and the impact this has on the environment. Not to mention the trauma and exploitation experienced by those who work in the slaughterhouses. The more you learn, the more disgusted you feel. You try to share this information with your loved ones, only to be mocked and dismissed.

Being different from the people around you can feel sad, lonely, and overwhelming

This is why I created The Confident Vegan. April 29, 2026 will be my 9 year vegan anniversary. I am so grateful I made this commitment! It took me two years to fully get there, but I did it and I have no regrets!

You can learn more about my journey to veganism and why I created The Confident Vegan here in this previous blog post.

So what helped me become a confident vegan?

Time

Time to explore and understand. It all started for me as an experiment to eliminate dairy. This lead me to discover vegan recipes and a world of food that was more exciting than how I cooked as a non-vegan. I checked out blogs, recipe books, and documentaries. This awakened a call in my soul. That call first started out as a whisper that said " I wish I could go vegan." When I asked myself "why I couldn't?" It all came to the fear of how others would judge me. Time allowed me to learn more about veganism and develop my connection to it.

Understanding My "Why"

Taking the time to follow my heart and learn more about veganism took me on a journey of self-discovery. I gained clarity of my values and realized how unaligned I felt as a non-vegan. My journey started out for health reasons and developed as a stance against animal exploitation. When ignoring my values became overwhelmingly painful, I was ready to take action and commit. When we are connected to our "why" we are able to fully commit to what is important to us, when things feel challenging.

Finding Support

I didn't have vegan friends until about two years ago. Joining some Facebook groups, watching vegan YouTubers, and reading blogs were my support in those early years. I have since found other vegan communities out there. MeetUp is a great resource too. Surrounding yourself with others who understand you is empowering!

Communicating My Needs

When I first went vegan, I still cooked non-vegan food for my family. I knew my family wouldn't embrace this lifestyle, so I focused on myself. As time went on and we became empty nesters, my boundaries changed. I told my husband that I no longer would be cooking animal products. That if he wanted them, he would need to prepare it. My husband has been supportive and respectful of my needs. My veganism hasn't been easy for him at times, but we make it work through respectful communication.

Communicating my needs in advance for other social situations has helped me eliminate or reduce awkwardness. If we go to someone's house, and they don't know I'm vegan, we let them know prior and I offer to bring something. If I am meeting up with anyone at a restaurant, who doesn't know that I'm vegan, I mention it to them beforehand. This way we can meet somewhere that will have something I can eat as well.

The majority of the time, people I have encountered have been very respectful of my veganism. I realized that people who genuinely care about you will support you, even if it's something they can't fully understand. If someone ends a relationship over your vegan choices, then that says more about them and that relationship.

Communicating my needs as a vegan felt uncomfortable at first. Like any new skill it took me some time to develop it. The more I did it, the more confident I became.

Are you feeling an inner calling to go vegan?

That Vegan Morning Show (the show I co-host with Kimberly Winters) is hosting a special Veganuary experience for beginners in January.

This Experience Is For You If:

• You feel called to veganism but don’t know where to start

  
  

• You’re emotionally moved by animal suffering but feel overwhelmed

  
  

• You’re worried about family reactions or social pressure

  
  

• You feel intimidated by vegan cooking

  
  

• You want guidance that feels kind, not extreme

Veganuary isn’t about being perfect—it’s about exploring what’s possible. Sign up here and join us for our first live Zoom call on 1/06/26 from 8-9:30pm ET.

What questions do you have about veganism? Let me know in the comments below and I will answer them in a future blog post.

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Jennifer Shlomovich is a Plant-Powered Lifestyle-Educator on a mission to help others improve their health by eating more plants.. As the only vegan in her household, she knows firsthand how challenging it can be to stay true to your values when the people around you aren’t on the same path. For years, she put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own, but through her journey, she discovered the power of setting boundaries, living by her values, and confidently prioritizing her well-being. On her YouTube channel, The Confident Vegan, she shares inspiring interviews, practical tips, and empowering conversations about what it really means to live in alignment with your values. She is also the co-host of That Vegan Morning Show with Kimberly Winters of the Did You Bring The Hummus podcast.