I have been vegan almost 3 years now and was vegetarian for 5 years prior to.
It is interesting because as a young child I always loved animals and had a compassionate heart, never wanting to eat them or cause harm, but I was told that it was unhealthy to be vegetarian and that I’d become very sick. I was a super picky eater and my parents didn’t stress me eating vegetables. Given that meat is high in sodium and fat (2 addictive substances) I basically only ate meat and bread. I remember pulling out a Christmas ornament from when I was 5 and under the “favorite things” section I wrote “BACON” with a whole ton of stars. On a class trip the only thing I’d eat at a breakfast buffet was an oversized plate of bacon and the only thing I knew how to cook was steak-umms.
My older sister went vegan and I remember stumbling across a GoVegan! Magazine from PETA. Once I learned the truth about meat, found that it’s healthier to not consume it-that I would in fact not die from malnutrition, and viewed the pictures that will still haunt me today; I immediately went vegetarian.
I fully embraced vegetarianism as a part of who I was and would protest the circus, but had trouble making the connection with dairy. I have to be honest in saying that I had no idea about the dairy industry and how inhumane and destructive it is. 5 years later, I incidentally ate vegan for a week and figured “why not keep going on it for as long as I can” completely believing I wouldn’t stick by it and didn’t embrace myself as vegan. 2 months in I started educating myself more. Almost 3 years in and I am now a vegan activist whose life revolves around the education of the industry and the liberation of animals. Education truly works: now my boyfriend, 3 best friends, and cousin are all vegan, as well as a close call on my mom. Influence is key! Be sure to be kind and gentle in your approach given that it takes a while to click and make the connection. It took me 5 years!
Veganism has given me true purpose to my life and I will continue day in and day out to fight for the purest and most innocent of beings: animals. Being vegan has caused me to care about the food I’m eating, be less lazy in my approach to food such as “convenience” and learn how to be an amazing cook when I used to burn toast and grilled cheeses. Speaking of: in this day and age it is so easy to be vegan! You can still indulge in grilled cheeses, cinnamon buns, fried chicken and almost anything else. Anything can be made vegan and knowing no suffering was involved in a meal makes it taste so much better!
