I have been vegan since May 2015. Before that, I had been a vegetarian since 2003.
At age 12, inspired by Lisa Simpson, I thought vegetarianism was the best thing I could do to keep animals alive; I committed. Sadly, I didn’t bother to do the research I needed to be doing until I was into my 20s.
But, as I learned more about the production of dairy and eggs, it became impossible to think I was doing my best as a vegetarian. When I moved to a new, and vegan-friendly city, Toronto, I fully committed to veganism. Any and every reason there is to be a vegan is a good enough reason for me, but ultimately I do it for the animals.
I connect deeply and empathetically with animals; I wish I had been helping them sooner, and I only want to do more for them now. A benefit I never expected from being vegan is how it completely changed my relationship with food, which probably sounds like a no-brainer. I thought I loved food when I loved cheese. I was so wrong.
Now, I love food, and it loves me back. I’ve learned so much about food that comes from the earth, about cooking, planting, growing, fermenting, etc since going vegan – there is so much to learn and I love learning about a subject so abundant and full of life. It isn’t always easy being vegan, being so aware of the cruelty in the world, but, I think it’s worth it to be on the side of right, the side of logic, of fair, of justice, peace, growth, health, and love.
