A day in the life of a vegan

Most people don't think about what it means to be vegan beyond the food we eat. While some may give up meat for health or dietary reasons, ethical vegans abolish all ingredients, materials, products and processes that come from or harm animals.

I usually start off the day with almond milk and coconut sugar in my instant coffee and some ancient grains toast. I like Live Clean shampoo and conditioner when I wash my hair, which are affordable and easy to find in stores like Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart. The company's hand soap, skincare and baby products are also great.

Buck Naked Soap Company is owned by one of my former colleagues and I happen to love the different kinds of over-sized bars like Drunken Soap, Warm Cocoa Butter, and Shea Butter. Nowadays, I use products like Desert Essence facial cleanser and Kiss My Face for toner, as well as Jason Powersmile for toothpaste. Everything is easy to find in Loblaw's organic aisles, health food stores, or online.

Vegan products are actually very accessible if you make the effort, and they are increasingly easier to find. I use Meow Meow Tweet deodorant cream (a bit pricey but works great) and make-up from 100% Pure and Pure Ananda. I like moisturizer from Arbonne for my face during the day and coconut oil at night, plus hand cream from Yes to Carrots or Arbonne. Some additional products include Lacc nail polish (at Shoppers), Almost Natural nail polish remover, and Rescue Cream instead of products like Polysporin.

Most of my clothes are made of cotton, polyester, rayon, linen or acrylic. My shoes are fabric or polyurethane with rubber soles and "man-made" insoles. I don't wear leather, suede, wool, cashmere or angora, and I have stopped buying anything new that contains silk. I even stick to vegan perfume now, which is either Stella McCartney most of the time, or Pacifica scents that are nice and light.

When I'm at home, I sit on mostly fabric or wood furniture (no leather) with cushions and pillows made of polyfill (not down feathers). My dishes are earthenware, not bone china. I do laundry with products from Eco Max and Echo Clean, and clean the bathroom and kitchen with Method and Mrs. Meyers.

At the grocery store, I stick to as much organic produce as possible. Some of my staples are avocados, leafy greens, mushrooms, bell peppers, bananas, clementine oranges, and frozen raspberries. My regular purchases also include Silverhills ancient grains bread and buns, Silk almond milk, Gardein meat substitutes, Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast, Earth Balance butter, Yves canned chickpeas and black beans, and Earth Island vegan mayo.

For additional foods, I like Sabra hummus, Sunflower Kitchen soups, Neal Brothers tortilla chips and salsa, Casbah quinoa and freekeh, Rizopia brown rice pasta, PC Organic brown rice, and Eden Organic lentils. My latest favourite item is Bee Free Honee.

Check out your local stores and websites like V Word Market and Well.ca to find these and other great vegan-friendly products.