People assume that being vegan means eating tree bark or grass, having a wardrobe consisting solely of recycled shirts that read “Eat More Kale,” and constantly shaming non-vegans through aggressive blog posts. While certainly humorous, these misconceptions and others that surround the vegan lifestyle are in most cases false. Despite not eating any animal products, more specifically dairy and meat, my diet hardly differs from that of the average Joe, and you may be shocked to learn that some of your favorite snacks are dairy and meat free.

Let me walk you through a day in the life of a vegan. For breakfast, like most of you, I’ll normally go for a bowl of cereal or toast with peanut butter and a banana. For lunch I’ll pack an apple and some leftovers from dinner the night before– usually some kind of stew, rice, or pasta dish. My dinners are normally grain-based (either pasta or rice) with tons of veggies.

So what’s different about the above meals than what most of you are use to? For breakfast, I don’t use normal cow milk, but one of the many types of non-dairy milk. You’d be surprised about how many are out there: Rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, coconut milk– the list goes on. They’re not as gross as they sound, although admittedly I haven’t tried them all. The cereal I choose is usually common enough to be found in Safeway. My favorite  kind is just plain granola. For lunch I bring an apple, a cereal bar or other little snacks. I’m also a huge fan of the hot bar and sushi at Whole Foods. Evenings are my trickiest meal. My entire family eats meat and dairy, so I’ll either cook my own dinner or pick the meat off of my plate. My parents are pretty good at finding vegetarian recipes or altering them so I can have them. If my family is making a meat-centric dish, I’ll try to make a dinner that is closest to what they’re eating, only substituting out items that are not vegan.

I have been vegan since May 2015, after deciding to adopt the lifestyle for its health and environmental benefits. After first transitioning, I was never tempted to eat meat or dairy, but I did struggle to find a “new normal.” I spent about a month trying different milk alternatives, different brands of veggie burgers, and getting used to finding vegan options on menus.

This past weekend I went to DC Veg Fest, a food festival centered around vegan and vegetarian food, exercise, and music. There were about 50 food vendors there, and even more commercial and animal rights booths. It was really cool to be able to order anything I wanted, without having to worry about first skimming the ingredients. In fact, my friend and I shared three courses for lunch, and one dessert. Being vegan has ultimately had positive effects on both my health and happiness, and while at first it was hard to get used to, it’s now almost part of my identity.