With (made-up, irrelevant holiday) Valentine’s Day coming up we figured it be a good time to do a dating tips episode! The Warrior Princesses give their top 5 tips for dating as a vegan in this non-vegan world. Plus, a rant about sexism – so romantic!

In This Episode

After ranting about the horrific news over the last week for women/feminism, including pro-rape rallies, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) creating a victim-blame-y infographic, and the resurgence of “heganism” (that’s veganism, now for men!), the girls launch into their favorite dating tips for vegans on the prowl:

#5 Know What and Who You Want, Communicate Accordingly

Figure out what you need and want as a vegan when it comes to relationships and dating: are you ok with animal products in your house? On a date? Would you pay for a non-vegan meal? Eat at a non-vegan restaurant? Date a non-vegan?

Once you know where you lines are, communicate them clearly. Online dating makes this easy – put what you’re looking for in your profile! If you are not online dating, make sure to bring these things up as they are relevant but early on. Let the other person choose what is ok for them, too. The right person will meet you where you’re at.

It’s ok for these needs to change over time. It may take actually experiencing some things before you realize you’re not ok with them, or as you get further along your vegan journey, you might notice shifts in your limits. Always be checking in with yourself, and then communicate any changes that come up.

If you decide you’ll only date vegans, it’s a great idea to take things offline and go try to meet people in real life. Go to vegan Meetups and events in your city/area, get to know people in your local community. Not all vegans will be online dating, so it’s nice to go physically see who’s out there. Plus, you might have fun and make some friends! Even if you are open to dating omnis, vegan events are a great place to meet vegan-friendly/curious omnis. The L.A. Vegan Street Festival last year was packed with ten of thousands of people, many of which were not vegan but were totally down for trying vegan food. If this is not an option for you, see if there are online vegan events you can join or participate in. Go on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, read blogs. Find vegan people you admire and then start interacting with their community. You never know when you’ll make a new friend, and the more people you know, the better!

#4 Figure out the Logistics to Suit Your Needs

Once you know what your limits are, figure out some safe dates that you can suggest or plan that meet your needs. If you feel obligated to pay for the date, be the one to suggest where to go. Pick out favorite vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants that are popular with omnivores. If you are a gluten-free vegan, make sure to know where you can eat and ask to go there. Plan juice, smoothie, or acai bowl dates in the morning or early afternoon, so that everything is naturally vegan and you don’t have to worry about what to order.

Also be open to planning/suggesting non-food dates for the first few. Hikes, movies, museums, local events can all be great ways to get to know someone without the pressure of food (or in some cases, even money!). Figure out what you like to do, what you would want to do with a potential partner, and plan dates around those things. That will give you easy insight into your compatibility as well as making sure you’re in a safe space while you two get to know each other.

#3 Be Confident!

Let your little vegan light shine, babies! Bask your dates in your glow – no, not that elusive “vegan” glow that everyone does juice cleanses ...