Here's my vegan story:
On February 10th 2013 I became a pescatarian. That was something I always wanted when I was younger but had trouble actually making it happen. After years of debating it I finally pulled the plug and gave up meat. Once I was pescatarian I immediately wanted to be vegan, I felt better but wanted to feel great. A lot of things held me back from going vegan, like everyone telling me "you won't get enough protein", "you'll get sick", "what about eggs?!" etc. Along with what everyone said, there was the issue with what do I eat and what can I buy at the grocery stores around me that's vegan?
Little did I know, I was already eating a lot of vegan food on top of all my fruits and veggies. A year of being pescatarian had past and I was tired of the excuses. On February 23rd 2014 I made my wish come true and went vegan! That day I went to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, a local farmers market, and Giant and purchased all the vegan goodies I could dream of. I was so happy to have made the switch and I've never felt healthier, and happier and it's only been a few weeks.
I have always had such a strong love and connection to animals. Surprising, largely a love for marine animals, (even when I was pescatarian). Going pescatarian made me feel even more connected to animals, I started to feel more and more for them. I was researching and reading all about the vegan lifestyle and it sounded so perfect for me. I wanted to feel healthy, have a healthy glow, and just feel balanced. After contemplating it for a while I finally made the plunge. When I changed my diet over to vegan I also changed my lifestyle. That meant getting rid of any animal products and any products that were NOT cruelty free. Along with going vegan I finally forced myself to watch videos of what happens to the animals in farms, factories, and testing centers...
I could not believe what I saw. I could not believe it took me so long to watch those videos. I can not believe that in my life time I was supporting these farms and companies. The tears were streaming down my face and I was gasping and screaming louder then I have before. This was the first time I had ever felt such pain, hurt, disgust, and anger.
After watching the videos for the first time I went around my room and bathroom and wrote a list of all my animal products and cruelty products. Thankfully the list was short, but it immediately had to change. I ridded myself of those products and started fresh.
This was no longer just for my health. This is for them, the animals who don't have a choice, who's screams we don't hear, who's lives are lost for society's "wants".
This is now about making a difference and helping the innocent.
I am 100% vegan and never going back.
A video that really inspires me is "101 Reasons to Go Vegan".
Please give this video a chance and let it enlighten you on a plant based life:
I present a challenge for you if you're not vegan...
Go vegan for a day!
See how much better you feel just from giving up meat for a day.
If you have any questions, comments, vegan advice, or just want to chat you can email me at helloveganinfo@gmail.com or tweet me at @hello_vegan