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The Short Version: Karine Lang is a vegan dating expert and the founder of FindVegLove, which connects vegan and vegetarian singles across the U.S. and Canada. She talked to us about her service and how vegans can find joy and companionship through dating.
I’ve been vegan for four years and have worked with various animal rights organizations in cities across the South. Out of all those vegans and activists I’ve met, I know two single vegan men—one is my brother, and the other is my former boss.
Sometimes, it feels like my vegan dating pool is virtually non-existent.
I’ve never dated another vegan and have only been in committed relationships with non-vegans. These dating experiences have come with varying levels of frustration around my diet, beliefs, and veganism as a whole.
I remember being a couple of months into a relationship, and things started to feel more serious. We were on a walk one night, and he asked me why I was vegan. We had chatted about it before—he knew I was vegan, and I thought I had adequately explained why. The question caught me off guard.
I repeated the usual spiel: I went vegan when I was 19 years old after watching a video online that documented what the average dairy cow goes through from birth to their eventual slaughter. The decision to go vegan changed my diet and the kinds of products I bought, but more than anything, it changed how I saw the world.
His response? “But I was thinking, what if we’re at a restaurant with no other options? It’s not very convenient.”
Instead of seeing and appreciating me for one of the most meaningful decisions I’ve made, my boyfriend seemed to be waiting for the day I dropped being vegan. We didn’t date too much longer.
Dating as a vegan isn’t simple, especially if you’re looking for a vegan or veg partner. Karine Lang is a vegan dating expert and coach who helps her clients meet their veg matches. She talked to us about her service, FindVegLove, and explored why dating can be a challenge for vegans and vegetarians.
“Vegans are a very small percentage of the population, but it’s growing every day,” Karine said. “And that really narrows things. Just the two of you being vegan doesn’t ensure you’ll be a great match. There has to be compatibility elsewhere, too.”
For many people, veganism is about more than the food they eat. Adopting a vegan lifestyle comes with other changes, including the kind of clothing, household items, and cosmetics you buy. Veganism touches many lifestyle aspects that non-vegans may not be privy to.
Finding restaurants with options that suit everyone can be challenging in the early stages of dating. Additionally, vegans are often asked about their beliefs early in the dating process and aren’t always met with understanding.
It’s not uncommon for vegans to have to explore and dismantle someone’s stereotypes or misconceptions about them on a first date. Trust me– it’s not fun at all.
When this pattern repeats itself again and again, dating can become exhausting. It shouldn’t be hard to find a partner who respects the decisions you make, but for vegans, it can be.
Dating as a vegan requires patience and understanding. Food isn’t just sustenance—it’s deeply tied to cultural identity, tradition, social connections, and symbolic meaning. Everyone, vegan and non-vegan, brings beliefs and sensitivities around food to the table. These can be exacerbated when there are disagreements.
Vegans and non-vegans can navigate their differences to have wonderful and fulfilling relationships—I’ve had a few! However, many vegans seek long-term partnerships with people who understand and empathize with their positioning.
Dating other vegans can help avoid unnecessary criticism, judgment, and the emotional labor of explaining one’s beliefs over and over again that could come with dating a non-vegan. Most calculations put the number of vegans in the United States at just over 1.5 million people.
If you’re looking for a vegan partner, your dating pool is already at less than 1% of the nation’s population. It can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. That’s why Karine founded FindVegLove– to help vegans find each other for fulfilling relationships.
In 2008, Karine had been vegan for years and was living in California. “I had a bunch of vegan friends who were always saying they couldn’t find any vegan men,” she said. “And I thought to myself– they have to be out here. I mean, this is California, there’s so many!”
Karine had a vegan event planning business at the time, where she planned and created vegan weddings, trade shows, and product launches. She realized her event-planning expertise could be invaluable to her single friends.
“I decided to help my friends out and host a speed dating event just for vegans and vegetarians,” Karine said. “The very first one was in Berkeley, and then I found out a few years later that a couple met there, got married, and had kids. When I discovered the first event’s success, I knew what to do.”
Karine expanded and started adding events across California. When she moved back home to Canada, she continued hosting events and her business grew across Canada. “It was a huge undertaking,” she said. “I just saw a need, and I was the only one at the time doing events just for vegans and vegetarians.”
The vegan speed dating events were popular and cultivated real connections. Karine said people formed romantic relationships, friendships, and professional connections and created strong communities of vegans and vegetarians.
When the COVID-19 pandemic placed the world on lockdown, Karine realized she had to change her approach to continue to meet the needs of vegan singles. Before focusing on coaching, she worked as a matchmaker and coach for vegan and vegetarian singles.
“My true passion is coaching because I know that’s what works with people ready to find relationships on their own,” Karine said. “It’s just so powerful and works better in the long run, because you’re giving them the skills they need to do it on their own.”
FindVegLove is a robust resource for vegan singles, whether they’re looking for hands-on help from a pro or just a few extra resources. Karine offers one-on-one coaching and group coaching programs that can make a big difference in their love lives.
Vegan Cupid’s Corner is an online program designed exclusively for veg daters. Karine offers each coaching client hands-on and personalized coaching– she gets to know each of her clients and learns about their unique backgrounds.
Karine’s program does more than give tips and advice for vegan dating. She helps her clients reflect on their past dating experiences and create a blueprint for the future. Karine’s coaching approach attends to her client’s emotional and social well-being.
Each client receives a personal customized Veg Love Plan developed by Karine. She also offers resources for everything you need to know about dating, from rules and expectations to red flags and communication skills.
Because of Karine’s background as a matchmaker and event planner, the Vegan Cupid’s Corner program comes with opportunities for meeting and connecting with other veg singles virtually.
If you’re vegan, dating other vegans will simplify your love life in a lot of ways. But it’s not a cure-all.
“It’s about being open-minded and realizing you can meet someone who is also vegetarian or vegan in everyday life,” Karine said. “But it’s never about changing someone. But it is possible that when someone meets you and you expose them to veganism, you never know what might happen.”
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