The word “vegan” can trigger eyerolls and disgusted huffs from grandmas and death metal rockers, alike. There’s quite a stigma attached to the label. Are all of the assumptions wrong? Nope. There are assholes in any group. But there are some generalizations that are just all wrong.

I was once a serious omnivore who loved to try new food. Goat, sashimi, lamb, raw shellfish, octopus, ostrich, alligator… I ate with adventure. Then came my dairy allergy. Next, an inability to properly digest most meat after my gallbladder removal, followed by an ethical awakening. Then a gluten intolerance. Now — a dairy-allergic, gluten-free vegan — I eat with conscience and consciousness.

MYTH 1: VEGANS EAT SALAD. Vegans eat all kinds of fare — from veggie-based casseroles to soups, stews, curries, and loads of veganized comfort food, pasta to nachos, ice cream to pie, tofu or chickpea scrambles to veggie burgers and mock-meat indulgences — vegan food is delicious and varied. Anyone who thinks vegans just eat salad has never met a vegan. If anything vegans consider what omnivores accept as vegetable dishes sad. Produce can taste and be and do so much more than just sit huddled in a steamed-and-salted pile on the side of a plate.

MYTH 2: VEGANS ARE MILITANT. Are there some vegans who are out to forcibly shame and shock everyone into joining their ranks? Yes. But the same can be said for various sects of society. Portions of groups as wide-ranging as La Leche League to Evangelical Christians have members who are abrasive and vocal in their beliefs, but that doesn’t mean all are so brutish. Many vegans are just living and eating in a way that suits them. They won’t try to convert you and they don’t judge you. Heck, many ate and lived just like you for decades before something in their life — whether it be an awakening of the conscience, a medical condition, an aversion, an environmental awareness, or something else entirely — took hold and shifted their lives. Sure, they would love if you chose to join their herbivore ranks, but they honor that that’s something for you to choose (or not.)

MYTH 3: VEGANS ARE DIRTY HIPPIES. Now, I generally prefer a good love-and-peace hippie over a hyper-competitive elitist corporate type, but that’s personal preference. Either way, vegans come from all walks of life. From Ellen DeGeneres to UFC champion, Mac Danzing; from singer and songwriter, Bryan Adams to housewives (like me); from author, philosopher, and neuroscientist, Sam Harris to college students and teens. Raising children not just vegetarian but vegan is becoming increasingly common, so if vegans are becoming increasingly common now (having doubled their numbers in the US since 1994),  they’ll be everywhere in a solid decade.

MYTH 4: VEGANS ARE SICKLY. It’s true that most vegans could benefit from a b12 and possibly an iron supplement, but omnivores are notoriously malnourished and would be advised to take nutritional supplements as well. Despite omnivores being able to eat everything served to them, they rarely consume all of the right nutrients in the right balance in order to live a supplement-free life. However, unlike an omnivorous diet, vegan eating can offer such benefits as reduced arthritis pain, lowered risk of certain cancers, lessened risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. So, all of that said, vegan diets don’t necessitate poor health, just as omnivore diets don’t guarantee good health.

MYTH 5: EATING VEGAN IS EXPENSIVE. A bag of dried beans will be cheaper than store-bought meat any day. Sure, some vegans can have a pricier grocery bill than others if they rely on mock-meats, dairy substitutes, convenience food, and out-of-season produce. However, I have yet to experience an equivalent monthly grocery bill as a vegan to what we had as a 5-person family of omnivores. We slashed $50-$100 off of our weekly grocery bill (despite our third child eating more solid food than before) as soon as we ditched meat. And the more whole, in-season foods we buy, the deeper the discount. Now, I am aware that veganism isn’t accessible for everyone as vegan options can be hard to find in food deserts, but for those who live with reasonable grocery options, going meat-free is a money saver.

What other myths have you encountered about vegans?