Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

June 30th was our three year Veganiversary.

The initial challenge was to try going vegan for thirty days.  Even as I told myself, “It’s only thirty days and I can do anything for thirty days,” I felt, somewhere in the recesses of my mind that I would never go back.  I knew that  once I opened my eyes to the reality of where my food comes from and the suffering that it causes, that I would not return to what I had always eaten.

Until then, I hadn’t really given it much thought. I was confident in my vegetarianism and thought it was okay to consume milk and eggs because the animals weren’t killed for them. I didn’t know how the animals were treated and I did not seek out the information because who actually does that?? Most of us just do the best we can with the information we have. We don’t go looking for trouble and we certainly don’t look for horrifying information about where our food comes from.

You have to want to know. There will always be things going on around us that we choose to not see or to simply live with. We don’t ignore these things because we are uncaring people, we simply choose what we can and can’t let in.  If we took on every single atrocity happening around us then we would not be able to function. We would be too paralyzed to focus on changing any thing at all.

So three years ago I let it in…the information, the opportunity and the option that maybe there was a better way for me to eat and live. Since then I have been bombarded with reasons to continue on as a vegan wannabe.

Here are just four reasons to go vegan.

First reason, I now know that farm animals are subject to cruel,  inhumane and painful practices to produce milk, eggs and meat. Knowing that to be true,  I have decided to stop putting those things in my mouth. It isn’t about bearing the title of “vegan” as much as it is about realizing that I no longer want to participate in a system that creates and perpetuates incredibly cruel practices.  The world is full of delicious food. Why bother to consume foods that include the breast milk of cows or of things that are dead?

We are mass producing animals the way we mass produce tennis shoes or cars.  Just because we can, does not mean that we should.  I now realize that I have a choice, so I choose with my fork and with my wallet. I don’t have to do what I have always done or eat what I ate growing up.  It is more interesting to try new foods anyway. The easiest way to make a difference on a grand scale is to begin on a small scale. You don’t need to make a protest sign or start wearing “vegan” t-shirts, simply start one meal at a time.  Now that I know I have the opportunity to live in a way that does not cause harm or suffering to other living things…it  feels easy, exciting and important. Who wouldn’t want that?

Second reason.  Plant based foods will help your body feel amazing and naturally eliminate diseases like asthma, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. Since becoming vegan I have gone off all of my medications, including three migraine medications that I had been on for over ten years. My fibroid tumors vanished and Sandy’s lifelong battle with childhood asthma/upper respiratory infections left without even saying goodbye.

I have also released my toxic need to count calories/fat/fiber and have spent the past three years rebuilding my damaged relationship with food. I continue to learn how to fuel my body with real food instead of low fat/calorie non food and that feels like a miracle to me.  I have settled in to and have maintained a healthy weight and this plant strong body has run two half marathons. I am now proudly training for my third.

It has been the absence of disease that has been most noticeable and a new ability to love food with reckless abandon. There is not a cheeseburger or cheesecake in the world worth trading that in for.

Third reason.  The food. Plant based foods are the most exciting, scintillating and unique foods I have ever had. From vegan lava cakes to kale chips to tempeh. Eating has never been more of an adventure. I realized that being vegan meant adding things into my life as opposed to eliminating them. There is too much food out there to eat to think of veganism in such a limiting way. Add them in and eat it up because plant based foods are so good.

Fourth reason.  The friends. Being vegan for three years has also meant that I have written Exploits for three years and I thank you for your friendship. Thank you for reading, sharing and  for always being my companions on this journey. You have kept me searching and exploring. You have helped me stay focused, honest and inspired and I am grateful.

Have a delicious day.

Vegan t-shirt image courtesy of CafePress

Pill bottle image courtesy of interfaithwf.org

Tags: benefits of being vegan, exploits of a vegan wannabe, reasons to go vegan, vegan for animals, vegan for health, vegan for the planet, vegan wannabe, WHy vegan