Step 1: Vegetarianism

            I love meat. Yeah, I said it. I really do love the taste of meat. I love it so much that it used to be my absolute favorite food. It was probably the one thing I craved the most on the typical diet – besides cheese of course. I remember many times wondering what I wanted to eat for my next meal, and thinking to myself, “I don’t know, I just want something with meat.” I loved going to a steakhouse and ordering a nice, big, juicy steak or even some barbecue ribs. Whenever I would go to a buffet I would literally go and fill my plate with about 5 different meats that they had sitting out. I loved burgers, hot wings, teriyaki chicken, and pepperoni pizza. So why don’t I eat any of that stuff anymore?

            It all began around March 2013 when I came across a YouTube video by Freelee the Banana Girl, explaining that the best way to lose weight is by being vegan. This interested me. I then proceeded to view many of her other videos in which she described all of the benefits of being a raw vegan. Now, it’s not always the best idea to rely on information from just one person and I did do further research after that, but I was already convinced that the raw vegan lifestyle is the healthiest there is. She was the one who first inspired me to be vegan, and she managed to do so by simply talking about one benefit of veganism.

            Throughout the rest of the year my (now ex) boyfriend and I wanted to become vegan but we found it to be very challenging. We made small, gradual changes such as switching to almond milk for most of our milk needs. We had every intention of discontinuing our meat purchasing but it was harder than we thought. We just weren’t motivated enough.

            In the fall, along with our other college classes we enrolled in a botany class entitled “Environment Appreciation”, in which we learned about environmental issues such as global warming. This showed us that climate change is a real issue that must be addressed immediately in any and every way possible. Along with charts, graphs, and videos proving that the earth is heating up, I distinctly remember a documentary the professor showed us called Forks Over Knives. This documentary also highlights the benefits of minimizing the animal products in one’s diet and shows just how damaging those foods actually are to the human body.

            Since I was now more interested in the environment than I had been before, I did some research of my own. What I discovered was that meat and dairy production is the worst thing for the environment. It is indeed worse than CO₂ emitted by cars, worse than wasting electricity, and worse than forgetting to recycle. If that seems hard to believe, please refer to this article:  www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/global-warming-not-about-powerplants-merely-about-plantpower/

            So now I had even more of a reason to be vegan, but it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until November 30^th, 2013 that I was able to swear off meat.

What had suddenly given me this strength?

The night before, I had been thinking a lot about veganism and came across another documentary. This one was called Vegucated. This documentary certainly showed that being vegan is much healthier – which I already knew – but it also showed the true horror that the animals go through in the process of making these products. This was something that I personally had not given much thought to before. I was apparently very ignorant about this side of the issue, as I would venture to guess most people are. The footage of what goes on inside factory farms is incredibly disturbing, disgusting, and depressing. It made me feel terrible and selfish for wanting meat so much. I realized that the temporary enjoyment I received from eating meat was not worth causing the constant suffering that farm animals endure.

So then I was vegetarian for 6 months (I am now vegan). During this time I experienced weight loss, increased energy, and improved digestion. It dropped my waist size from 29 inches to 26 inches and gave me a more consistently flat stomach. Of course my family was surprised and hasn’t yet learned how to cater to my diet at family gatherings, but the important part is that they still accept me. The bottom line is that although it’s challenging at times, it is worth it.

And although you will benefit from this type of change in your diet, it shouldn’t be a selfish act. It is far better to gain motivation from knowing that you are causing the least amount of suffering to others, and that you are doing your part for the environment.