I decided to become vegan about a week ago.
I never expected so many intense reactions to a personal diet change, but suddenly all of my friends and family became “experts” on protein.
Being a vegan means that I do not consume any animal products—so no meat or dairy. This diet choice is completely about non-violence, yet people react like I’m doing something horrible or crazy.
A lot of people had very strong responses when I told them I was going to transition from vegetarian to vegan.
The reaction I got the most is “but how do you live without bacon?” Like, calm down, it’s a strip of pig fat, not oxygen.
Most people were just curious, some thought I was crazy, others were actually angry. That confused me the most. It’s not like I told them that they have to stop eating dairy. I already cut out meat, so this was just one more step.
I became a vegetarian in September of 2012, knowing that I would one day also stop eating eggs and dairy. Being a vegetarian, for me, was more of a transition period until I was ready to go completely cruelty-free.
The day I decided I was ready was when I visited the Sanctuary and Safe Haven for Animals Farm in Manchester, Michigan for the third time. I looked into the eyes of these cows and I knew that I never wanted to do anything to hurt them ever again. They were so innocent and trusting.
It was also a lot easier to make the transition than I thought it would be. I assumed it was going to be much more expensive and that my eating out options would be severely limited.
But I’m spending the same amount of money at the grocery store as I did pre-vegan days and there are still plenty of places I can eat. Chipotle, Pita Pit and Subway are just some restaurants with vegan options, but there are many more in the Bowling Green area. Lola’s even has some dairy-free frozen yogurt options.
It’s easy for me to give up these foods because of my reason for going vegan. It’s worth not eating meat or dairy because I know that no animal needs to die for me to eat.
It’s like when I tell people that it’s estimated around 30,000 dogs are killed every day in China for their meat and fur. That amounts to more than 10 million per year. People get upset and disgusted.
Well, that’s how I feel about all animals. I love cats and dogs, but I love cows, chickens, pigs and goats just as much. That disgust you feel when you think about a dog being murdered and eaten is how I feel when I think about factory farms.
That is why I chose to be vegan. Not to make you feel uncomfortable, but for me to help as many animals as I can.
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