*Adult content warning*

Picking somewhere to go on a date can be hard enough, but when you're dating a vegan you might have to think a bit harder. You'll probably want to check the menu options, leave the leather jacket at home and skip the zoo visit.

The Hook Up decided to take a look at some of the issues that come up for vegans dating in a non-vegan world.

Bonny Rebecca is a YouTuber and Insta-famous vegan who's now all wrapped up in the vegan lifestyle, but it wasn't always that way – she was introduced to veganism by her boyfriend!

"I was not vegan at all. I barely even knew what that meant, and he was vegan and so encouraging and open about it," she told The Hook Up.

"We debated about it for a while, but eventually he gave me all this awesome information and I just got so interested in it and started doing the research for myself."

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While Bonnie acknowledges she wasn't totally open to becoming a vegan at the beginning of her relationship, she realised it wasn't that hard after all.

"I think you just have to approach it with an open mind and be empathetic because I was not that at all. I thought I knew everything and was ignorant to other people's ways of eating," she said.

You should focus on the person for who they are and whether or not you like them, not whether they're vegan or not - Bonny Rebecca

The journey to veganism for 25-year-old Melbourne guy Shane was a bit different...

"It happened at 5am in the morning [after a night of partying]. I plucked a cherry tomato off this bush I was growing and had a really hippy moment and thought, "Oh my God. That came from the soil! What if I just ate everything from the soil?!," he told The Hook Up.

He's been vegan ever since, and admits that in an ideal world, he would only date vegans as it's just a lot easier.

Shane takes his veganism so seriously that he's developed a few rules:

Brushing your teeth – "I think it's always nice to kiss a fresh mouth, but if they've had some meat on the date, then let's get that stuff out of there"

Showering – "we've come home, people have been dancing and drinking, let’s hit the showers – let's get that meaty sweat out of there"

No rimming: "I would not rim an omni – meat stays in your stomach for quite a while, so I try to draw the line at omnis"

(AUTHOR NOTE: We got a LOT of texts and calls about whether vegans can swallow semen, and from what I can work out, because humans can give consent for this to happen [unlike animals], cum is vegan friendly!)

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Understanding each other

Clare Mann is a vegan psychologist and works with people who might be struggling being vegan in a non-vegan world.

"When someone comes across the use of animals or they see the sentient nature of animals beyond their own cat or dog, they start to ask more questions and they realise they can't eat them, wear them, watch them in cages at the zoo or go to a rodeo. All the things that many people might like to take them on a date to," Clare told The Hook Up.

So while it might sound like a challenge for vegans to date non-vegans, Clare explained that at the end of the day, it's all about understanding and compassion.

If vegans want good relationships, they need to be based on values - Clare Mann

"The reality is, good relationships are based on an openness and getting to know someone with a reciprocal respect for the other person's values. So a lot of people don't communicate, they hide these things to themselves, they're afraid to have a conversation and self-conscious if someone is going to criticise or jump to conclusions.

"A vegan is someone that is not just someone about their own values, it's actually about compassion - when did compassion become something that's not desirable?"