What made you go vegan?
ladyzherra
Posts: 438 Member
We each come to veganism through a unique path, and I am curious to learn about yours! What brought you to veganism?
Jenn
Jenn
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My vegan and Animal Rights Advocate Daughter. I was a plant-dominant omnivore who ate local meats raised humanely--but I never considered that the butchering industry largely remains industrialized.
I had been pescatarian for about a year--now this summer she has an internship studying the sentient and social capacity of fish. So that makes me an ovo-dairy vegetarian. Yes, I know my dairy farm. They grow their own grass adn grain for their small herd and they delivery milk in glass bottles. Eggs come from one the many backyard farmers using organic plant-only feed and kitchen scraps.
Yet, I am restricting saturated fat to 9g/day, so that means 1-2 eggs/week and cheese as a light condiment.
So I am not a vegan....yet.2 -
I became vegetarian over 25 years ago. I grew up on a farm and loved the animals. I had a pet chicken as well as a horse, of course dogs and cats. I fell in love with a young calf and was heartbroken when my Dad sold him. All those animals had personalities and showed me love. My family was a typical southern meat eating family.
I added fish back to my diet for a few years and now I’m transitioning to a vegan diet because it’s healthy and I love animals.
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I became vegan after watching Earthlings and a few other documentaries on the ethical impact of animal agriculture. Best choice ever.
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After years of battling health issues and finally trusting my body and not the doctors. I have felt strong enough to go vegan. I've known the benefits of natural and plant based products to heal my body but I, think I needed my doctor to be wowed by my health or by my improvement.
She has been, and I'm transitioning right from keto to vegan. Which is interesting. My body typically loves to eat less meat during the spring and summer months anyway I naturally seem to go pescatarian during these months so I think that, if anything would be my struggle.
I know that my body and the earth will LOVE me so much more for eating vegan. I've already started feeling better and I've only been eating this way for 2 weeks.
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I am tooFrecklesAndLocs wrote: »I'm transitioning right from keto to vegan.
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My decision was based on a desire for optimum health. I went vegan based on coaching from my martial arts master instructor. I have especially paid attention to the work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Eat to Live), and his coaching on focusing on foods dense in micronutrients. It has made a huge difference in my health and athletic performance.4
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I was vegetarian for two years before recently (3 months ago maybe?) switching over to complete veganism. After doing a research project at school i realized how much more i could be doing for the environment.Overall I've been so happy with the change and altough i mess up sometimes, i feel like i'm doing my part.4
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I have spent a majority of my life adhering to a Nourishing Traditions lifestyle, investing in meat-heavy diet from local, humanely-raised animals. I was into lacto-fermenting and soaking grains, as well, which is part of the lifestyle. However, I decided to make a drastic switch to veganism when I began to probe into the intelligence of animals and their emotions. Then I watched a film about aliens and the aliens were torturing humans without intent to harm -- they just didn't realize that humans could feel and had families, etc. This made me reflect on our own limited understanding of other animals (or even of the human animal). I think that animals are sentient beings with an understanding. They feel something. And with that in mind, I could never harm one intentionally again unless I was without food out in the wild in a survival situation and not in this first world country of abundance in which I have lots of other choices rather than taking a life.
Jenn7 -
I was working in a country that imports almost everything. I wanted to reduce my environmental footprint and as a 10+ year vegetarian being vegan made sense.1
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Vegan 🌱 FTA! 🐑🐮🐷🐔🐥🐰🐹🐭🐝🦆🐠🦐🦞🦀🐳🐋🐄🐓🦌🐇🐁🦡 Don’t want to be complicit in any animal cruelty.4
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I finally took the leap over the past week. What sent me over the top was a random video I saw on how chickens were being treated and injected with all kind of chemicals. I already hadn't eaten red meat or pork in over 13 years with fish around 3 to 4 times yearly for some of the same reasons. Outside of cheese, dairy was removed from my diet last year as well.
When I started doing research on what way of eating I closest aligned with I realized I was so close to being vegan that it wouldn't take much to make it official. The video I saw made it happen. The final step was as easy as buying tofu instead of chicken and plant based cheese substitute instead of regular cheese on my last shopping trip to complete the change I was that close for a while now.
Happy for any new friends that can help me along as most of the folks I have are from my keto/low carb days.4 -
I finally took the leap over the past week. What sent me over the top was a random video I saw on how chickens were being treated and injected with all kind of chemicals. I already hadn't eaten red meat or pork in over 13 years with fish around 3 to 4 times yearly for some of the same reasons. Outside of cheese, dairy was removed from my diet last year as well.
When I started doing research on what way of eating I closest aligned with I realized I was so close to being vegan that it wouldn't take much to make it official. The video I saw made it happen. The final step was as easy as buying tofu instead of chicken and plant based cheese substitute instead of regular cheese on my last shopping trip to complete the change I was that close for a while now.
Happy for any new friends that can help me along as most of the folks I have are from my keto/low carb days.
This is so great! Well done for making the switch for your health, the animals and the planet! There are some inspiring vegan fitness guys on YouTube / insta that are worth a follow e.g Nimai Delgado (vegan bodybuilder whose never eaten meat), Derek Simnett (@simnettnutrition), hench herbivore (and many more). @healthylivingjames does loads of quick vegan nutritious recipes plus there’s mainstreamers like the guys from ‘Bosh’! If you’re interested in finding out more about the ethical side of veganism, Ed Winters (@earthlinged) and James Aspey are great activists 🌱🐷🐓🐮🐥🐟🦀🐝1 -
@deClaire Thanks for the references! I'll take a look. I've been watching a lot of the Amazon Prime/Netflix Vegan documentaries for a while now which helped improve my understanding of the BS being done to the animals. I kind of turned a blind eye to poultry but couldn't do it anymore. Life is life and now that I know I can keep some lean mass with plant foods there is no reason to go back to that way.
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Yes there are some great documentaries out there (www.landofhopeandglory.com is a really good one for U.K. standard farming practice and was produced by @earthlinged and his partner who both studied film. Footage from 110 U.K. farms and abbatoirs. Use this film a lot in street activism (anonymous for the voiceless ‘cube of truth’ etc)as it’s split into sections - pigs/chicks/cows/eggs/dairy and only 45 mins long.
I sat through the 2.5+hrs of the U.K. premier of Dominion (Focuses on Australian farming and lots of HD and drone footage) and that was a gruelling but informative watch. I’ve not been able to watch Earthlings (ten years old now and focused on USA) but all my vegan friends say not to put yourself through it if already vegan - so many people turned vegan overnight watching it but I know many people who couldnt watch past the first ten mins.
So sad all the brainwashing and media falsehoods we’re fed everyday. The truth is shocking but thanks to social media and Netflix is getting a good and much needed platform for change 💚🌱✊ Well Done for becoming a free thinker! 3 -
Thank you! Will check it out. I think I've watched everything on Prime and Netflix at this point. More knowledge the better. I felt great before with Keto-Low Carb fixing my health this past year but these last few days of plant based are even on another level while even being able to maintain a low carb level. The ultimate combo I guess. Satisfying meals knowing I didn't have to murder anything to eat.1
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Wow Dominion and Earthlings in one day. That’s a lot of suffering to absorb. My heart breaks for every single animal whose had their liberty and life taken from them. We live in such a cruel world but I’m hopeful big changes are coming - they may come more due to environment or people’s own health rather than ethical reasons but if it means less slaughter then it’s all good 🌱💚3
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My journey started back in 2009 when I read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I come from a family with a history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes on both sides of my family, and when I read that book it immediately resonated. However, my transition was very gradual and I didn't become fully WFPB until July 2014. Hey, I just realized that I passed my 5-year vegan-versary a few days ago! Yay me! Anyhow, along the way I've been inspired by many books and podcasts. Some of my all-time favorites are Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman (and his other books), How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, and the Engine 2 books by Rip Esselstyn. Some of my favorite podcasts are The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee, The Ian Cramer Podcast, Jami Delaney MD Plant Based Wellness podcast, Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger, Nutrition Rounds Podcast, Plant Yourself - Embracing a Plant-Based Lifestyle, Plant-Strong (by Rip Esselstyn), and The Rich Roll Podcast.
After maintaining a steady weight for the past couple years, in the last few months I've noticed that my weight has started to rise very gradually. I get plenty of exercise. My problem is a tendency to snack, even when I'm not hungry. I've been away from MyFitnessPal for several years, but recently started logging my food intake again to help keep myself accountable. This has helped a lot, and I already feel like I'm getting back on track.
Happy for any new friends to help us both stay accountable and inspired!2 -
Hello I'm trying to go vegan because I'm reading How Not to Die by Dr. Greger. My wife isn't on board but she's a pretty stubborn person but very supportive so I know she will come around eventually. My cholesterol has skyrocketed and my Doctor hasn't seemed that concerned. I'm looking for the best tips on how to eat and get all the vitamins and stuff I need. I don't eat junk food as is, I have started to cut out pretty much everything other than chicken and fish, but I'm looking for easy vegan breakfast options. I'm just excited to be healthier. 0
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BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »Hello I'm trying to go vegan because I'm reading How Not to Die by Dr. Greger. My wife isn't on board but she's a pretty stubborn person but very supportive so I know she will come around eventually. My cholesterol has skyrocketed and my Doctor hasn't seemed that concerned. I'm looking for the best tips on how to eat and get all the vitamins and stuff I need. I don't eat junk food as is, I have started to cut out pretty much everything other than chicken and fish, but I'm looking for easy vegan breakfast options. I'm just excited to be healthier.
The best tip I can give is to try to complete Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Challenge that he describes in How Not To Die, every day if possible. There is an app for both the IPhone and Android, that will help you track your Daily Dozen. It’s a lot to eat in a day, and it will help you to crowd out some of the things you’re trying to eliminate, like the chicken and fish. It also pretty much guarantees that you are meeting your daily nutritional needs.
For super easy breakfast options, look on the web for overnight oatmeal recipes. They are really easy to throw together the night before, and they “cook” in the fridge! Use the recipes just for ideas, and use your imagination when you put your overnight oats together. Use old fashioned oats, not quick oats, and a plant-based milk of your choice for the best and healthiest results. Throw in whatever other healthy things sound good and it will be ready in the morning! And if you pick the right set of ingredients, you’ll also be off to a really good start on your Daily Dozen for the day!
Hope this helps!
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I was vegetarian for about 9 years before I finally went vegan - the cheese was the hardest part for me. When I went vegetarian, all I had to do was see a video of a cow being led to slaughter, and he/she fought for their life, and something in me snapped. I went vegetarian overnight. Something similar happened when I went vegan, I found a video of baby boy calves being shot in the head because they weren't profitable, and that was it. I gave up. 3 and a half years later, I don't even miss cheese!4
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I'm now doing the daily dozen and loving it! Thanks!2
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ladyzherra wrote: »I have spent a majority of my life adhering to a Nourishing Traditions lifestyle, investing in meat-heavy diet from local, humanely-raised animals. I was into lacto-fermenting and soaking grains, as well, which is part of the lifestyle.
Jenn
I have the book too. It shaped the meals I made for my family for a decade+. It is still on the shelf. The lesson in the first 90pages is still pertinent if read as a treatise against modern processed food. Going back to whole foods just needs a different companion volume.1 -
@lpina2mi I hear you. The Nourishing Traditions book is very insightful and I keep it in mind with a vegan mindset because it emphasizes living from the land in *some* ways, and I found that using traditional approaches to preparing foods is useful, although I do not advocate their emphasis on meat.0
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I live in China, and I became concerned about food safety. I felt like there were a lot of sanitation and health issues. Then I watched a documentary on PETA s website about animal treatment. Life changing! I couldn't look back. I'm doing it for my health and compassion for animals abused by factory farms.3
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Hi @daciasil. I hear you about food safety. It is a big concern here in America, absolutely, and I can imagine that it is surely a concern in China. Production meat is suspect. Most Americans consume production meat rather than local, humanely-raised meat from farmers that they know.
When I did eat meat, I would go directly to local farms and see the animals myself. This was a huge undertaking, requiring lots of driving to buy meat, which I tried to do every month. It would take a whole day just to drive from farm to farm.
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I watched a documentary called Game Changers about vegan athletes, I decided to try veganism to see if it would increase my athletic ability as I am a triathlete3
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@krissenior
How long have you been vegan? Have you experienced any marked changes in your training and performance as a triathlete?0 -
I became a vegetarian after getting involved with a rescue group who saves dogs in Asia from the dog meat farms, when it became clear to me that dogs were absolutely no different to cows, pigs, chicken, fish etc. Took me about a few months to realize I could no longer justify eating dairy and eggs. One week vegan and I feel great! I've actually lost close to 8lbs this week alone, which makes it even better.
Everything we were taught as kids was a lie, and slowly but surely every single day we are getting closer to a world where eating animal meat and proteins will be frowned upon. I'm just sorry I didn't do this sooner.
Looking forward to amazing new recipes, substitutes, and culinary magic from all the vegan chefs out there.
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That is a good story, and I see your points about realizing that all animals are like dogs in some ways, or even the human animal.
I never lost weight being vegan. In fact, I have gained weight. I do not eat junky vegan food. Being vegan has been great for my health, though. I have not been sick in two years, and had been extremly sickly since I was a child.0
