Despite my efforts to curate a happy, positive vegan bubble, I have not been able to escape the massive increase in content promoting dairy that seems to have taken over social media over the past few years. Perhaps it was there all along and only recently felt emboldened to come out of the woodwork. The faces behind this content are primarily white millennials who tout and praise trends that fit into the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) worldview such as raw cow’s milk, the use of “beef” tallow in everything, avoiding seed oils, and even following a carnivore diet. Sometimes subtle and sometimes glaringly obvious, this content has seeped into social media and society.

When I became vegan five years ago, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and choices that I faced. Social media had filled my head with ideas about what being vegan “should” look like and what products I needed to buy. I was determined to stick with my commitment to be vegan, even if I didn’t have it all figured out. Along the way, I ended up finding affirmation of my choice in an unexpected place.

One hundred and twenty years ago, The Jungle was published. This book would have a profound impact on food safety, but it didn’t have the intent the author, Upton Sinclair, had hoped for. He is quoted as saying, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”

When I became vegan five years ago, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and choices that I faced. Social media had filled my head with ideas about what being vegan “should” look like and what products I needed to buy. I was determined to stick with my commitment to be vegan, even if I didn’t have it all figured out. Along the way, I ended up finding affirmation of my choice in an unexpected place.