What made you go vegan?

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Replies

  • javaking9
    javaking9 Posts: 12 Member
    My wife has been vegan since age 10 and I only recently have converted after watching some documentaries and reading The Starch Solution by John McDougall. For me, it started out being for health reasons but now I understand more about the compassion for animals aspect and think that's wonderful... the book and documentaries have shed light in areas about the food industry I had just never really thought about before unfortunately.
  • khristiana
    khristiana Posts: 131 Member
    I've never been a big animal product/meat eater, ever since I was 3 years old and refused to eat a hamburger. All through my life, from child to teen and adult, I rarely ate meat, but would have processed lunch meat and cheese sandwiches and egg products with no issues. I sat down in August 2015 and watched a documentary we all know called Forks over Knives, and I made the plunge that day. Having grown sick of how I was feeling after turning vegan, due to having my diet being based on "replacement" type of foods, I'm not WFPB commited (Dr Fuhrman/ETL) and after only two months I have abounding energy, less joint pain and I've slowly lost 8 pounds. I'm very much so looking forward to all the health benefits this lifestyle will give me in the coming months and years.

    Please feel free to add me, I'd love to have more Vegan/WFPB friends to keep me going! :wink:
  • khristiana
    khristiana Posts: 131 Member
    krissenior wrote: »
    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 triathlete

    That documentary - WOW! Reinvigorating, if you ask me! Even my meat-eating hubby has decided to dramatically reduce his animal intake and increase wonderful fruits, vegetables, beans and seeds! Exciting documentary, more like it. Bravo to you as well!
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
    krissenior wrote: »
    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 triathlete

    My husband and I watched this documentary also and now we are trying to switch over to a vegan lifestyle. We are triathletes also and thought if we could make the switch during the winter (our off season) then maybe we will have the knowledge come spring on how to fuel for training. I love changes and hope this helps with my Cholesterol.

  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Because I fight for those who have no voice to fight for themselves. The animals!
  • methodman78
    methodman78 Posts: 126 Member
    I joined the vegan community 3 weeks ago today, went pescatarian for a month first to try and scale back my meat intake, I ate a lot of beef, chicken and fish
    The main reason was my health, I had a problem in August and still not sure what the problem is, i think it's stomach related, so food is the fuel we use, I change the fuel

    I do also support animal welfare but am still pretty ignorant to the cruelty, which i apologise for and maybe one day will be more vocal on that, for now though, taking each week at a time with meal planning and ensuring i read the labels
    This is quite difficult as i live in Denmark and the labels are never in English :(

    The Danes are getting better at veganism but the choices are expensive and slim, so going wholefoods where possible and grabbing suppliments from the UK when i go back

    I salute you all and am glad to be part of the vegangstas here doing their part for whatever reason they have, alll noble causes
  • Nery_Tay
    Nery_Tay Posts: 81 Member
    Health and Environmental Reasons. I watched What the Health and realized how corrupt society has led me to be deceived. I’ve been reading How Not To Die by Michael Greger and I’m really surprised by the science. I’m a Biology Major and I recently took Botany so I know plants have phenotypes and components which can benefit humans. I’ve grown up obese my whole life, surrounded by big food companies, and lied to by paid doctors / researchers for skewed science. As an adult, I will not allow myself to be lied so this is why I switched. I’ve grown up with overweight family members my whole life and it clicked that it has to be the diet we are all eating creating this. That instance occurred when a distant family member had a child (normal weight) who quickly gained weight to the point I was in shock. It was just culturally accepted at this point “kids just get fat because of our genes and will be fat as adults” but when I look at my ancestors, they are all normal weight so that was the biggest lie I had to overcome. In terms for the animals, I tell myself “If I was handed a gun and told to kill someone or an animal will you?” I personally can’t do that. When my dog died recently after an accident and she died in my arms I knew that animals truly do feel pain like humans. I do purchase Animal Free Tested products like toothpaste, deodorant, makeup.
  • annie5904
    annie5904 Posts: 84 Member
    Initially because of the animal cruelty. This is still most important to me.
    After a while I realised all the health benefits there are.
  • rashadlc
    rashadlc Posts: 15 Member
    I had severe gout, and was looking for anecdotal evidence to reverse this pain. I swear, it's the worse pain ever. Most of the results came from plant based diet, and at the time, I thought it was impossible. So I went vegan for 2 years, but going in uneducated, I ate poorly. Mostly gardein products and gained weight. Out of the two years, I maybe had 4 gout attacks, (a couple were from running or jogging, which I later found out could trigger gout if dehydrated, and the other were from drinking beer).

    I then went keto for about 6 months, and lost tons of weight, shredded and high energy, but the gout attacks were almost every other week and/or every month. I didn't care about the high cholesterol.

    So i finally quit the keto and ate junk food, becuase of the disappointed in diets. I finally went back to the drawing board, Read, How not to die, Dr. Nearl Barnard books, Subscribed to all the plant base gurus, and I felt encouraged again. I'm going with the the recommend way, (which i never done) and that is a low fat plant based diet. So here i am.
  • lotsoplants
    lotsoplants Posts: 2 Member
    A parent with diabetes and several family members and friends with cancer - their struggles and courage inspired my husband and me to make changes before we received a diagnosis. We've eaten a whole-foods, plant based diet for eight years now, and are moving towards a fully vegan lifestyle.
  • aliciaaroberts88
    aliciaaroberts88 Posts: 1 Member
    oh veganism, i was veg for about 3 years before depression hit around 2017 and i have been slowly removing the eggs, fish, and dairy. I go back and forth with wanting to be plant based again. my body loves being plant based with limited faux foods, which cause major bloating for me, and i was veg for so long i still eat majority plant based. recently very recently cut the fish and cheese cold *tofu* lol. and i had my last set of eggs today. so here we are! its mostly for my health, animal cruelty, and the environment!
  • Pennylite
    Pennylite Posts: 66 Member
    I became vegan initially because of a high blood pressure scare. Once I saw Forks Over Knives & What The Health I realised how many other benefits there were too,
  • mermaidnj
    mermaidnj Posts: 161 Member
    think I was just born one.. as a child meat just made me sick as did most dairy products..tough going in a meat and taters house.. by sixteen I just stoped eating meat inclding fish and eggs.. now of course being more educated on animal crulety and the health beifits it is also a choice..
  • I went vegan 11 years ago after being lacto-ovo vegetarian for a bit over a year. I went vegan after realising the cruelty in the egg and dairy industries. It made more sense to me to do it at the time as I felt that all these animal industries are all connected. This also includes for non food issues too, e.g. animal testing, leather, fur etc. Health, environmental and humanitarian reasons are a major benefit. I'm a nutritionist in training so I'm obviously loving to lear ways to educate the public on why living a vegan, cruelty free life is healthy and that you don't have to sacrifice anything. ⚘✌☀️
  • clariceqtaylor
    clariceqtaylor Posts: 1 Member
    The reason I went vegan was because I was a super low point in my life and needed a change that was drastic, June 1, 2014 I looked in the mirror and said to myself, "Wow, you look terrible" and I went vegan immediately, 6 years strong and never looking back.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    For animal welfare!
    Also, as a nutritionist I try every diet trend (and fad) that comes out. It helps me to personally understand my clients and their different diet needs. Initially I moved to a plant based diet so that I could properly set nutritional goals and be able to recommend meal plans, etc.

    I have been Vegan for well over a year - first in an effort to prevent animal cruelty and the environmental impact on our planet. Second, for my overall health and wellness. Third, so that I can properly advise and guide clients who are interested in a Vegan lifestyle :)
  • louthlass
    louthlass Posts: 10 Member
    I was vegetarian for about 33 years. I listened to Earthling Ed. His calm way of intereacting with people made me really listen..... I started to look at milk and dairy in a different way and decided I would feel much better about myself if I gave them up.... I’m happy to say that after 18 months I wish I’d made that decision earlier.... but hindsight is a wonderful thing 😜
  • Hoolool
    Hoolool Posts: 1 Member
    Veganism is and should be for the animals, people who choose vegan as “diet” for only personal benefit, we call them “plant based”. As respect for the incredible human who created the word “vegan” let’s not turn it into a diet. To be able to stay vegan for life, you have to be a true animal lover in your heart or else that becomes like just another diet that you jump around. Veganism is an ethical choice not to hurt animals, period.