You go to the grocery store after a long day at work. You’re genuinely tired and just want to grab something for dinner; something fast and easy to cook. You’ve been in the mood for a good burger since last Friday when you went out to lunch with your friend but decided upon getting a turkey club instead. You want that burger now, so you pick it up—all wrapped in a little bundle of clear plastic packaging—and you look down at it for a moment before putting it in your cart and proceeding with your shopping. You’d rather not think about where that meat came from, or the process that took place in order to get it on the shelves in front of you.
I’m not here to shame you or lecture you for liking meat. My intention upon writing this isn’t to show you graphic pictures to make you feel grossed out by animal products. But what I DO want is for people to stop being so quick to judge. To be honest with you, I’m not even fully vegan myself. I’m still transitioning, which for me means I eat vegan for breakfast and lunch, yet not completely vegan for dinner. I can’t just drop animal products cold-turkey (actually, no turkey at all. See what I did there?). But I’m on the track to changing my eating habits for good. I used to think that veganism was just a fad and everyone was doing it for the trend. But one day on my way to my internship, I witnessed the car in front of me hit a fawn. We stopped our cars, while a man in a truck on the opposite side of the road got out and picked up the baby as it howled and screeched in pain. It was a sound I hadn’t heard before. I never knew an animal could cry. The man laid the fawn in the grass on the side of the street and gently snapped its neck to cease its suffering.
I bawled my eyes out for the rest of my car ride.
Right when I got home, I began to look up as much as I could about what it means to be vegan. What I witnessed happen to the baby deer made me question the treatment of animals in depth. I examined the treatment of helpless animals that die at the hands of humans. I asked my cousin, a devout vegan, countless questions about her diet and made her watch the vegan documentaries she had already seen on Netflix with me so that I could better understand what it was all about. I knew I didn’t want to turn my head and act blind to it any longer.
So once I began to educate myself on the subject and really took the proper time to learn about it, my prejudice and stubborn viewpoints began to change. It was MY own decision to follow the plant-based diet. Going vegan must be a personal choice, and I’m here to share some of the benefits that come with it.
Here are 17 reasons why you should consider going vegan:
17. You’ll feel healthier!
Since I’ve started eating mainly vegan (mixed in with exercise), I’ve felt better and healthier than ever before! I didn’t believe others when they told me, but I began feel it for myself once I started! Feeling healthier has also given me a much more positive and fresh perspective in my daily life!
16. It’s not just a “hipster trend.”
I was incredibly guilty of this. When two of my cousins told me they were going vegan, I laughed it off and thought they were doing it for the "hype" and to make them sound high and mighty for being able to say no to meat, fish, and animal products. But now I know there is NO trend behind it; just like any other diet, people do it to better themselves and by their own personal choice.
15. You’ll get to try yummy recipes that you once thought sounded gross.
I used to cringe when I heard people talk about healthy food…especially vegan food. I hardcore judged the whole “veganism” thing, without even trying the food. But I must admit that the vegan food sold in stores like Fairway, Whole Foods, and Back to Earth have been perfected and taste absolutely delicious! It doesn't taste like "cardboard" like I once thought it did.
14. You’ll learn the real secret behind protein.
13. So You’ll speak fluent Veganimease.
Finally, you’ll be able to learn all the big words in the lingo of vegans. And I promise it’ll make you feel just as fancy as it sounds.
12. You love animals!
You’re already a hardcore animal lover. So why not help them out by not eating them or the things that come from them? If you only thought about how dairy products are made or how cute piggies and cows are before you took that forkful…
11. It’ll help you appreciate the environment a little bit more.
Now that I’ve changed my eating habits, I find myself loving nature even more than I did before. We have a beautiful earth, and humans need to stop screwing it up. *Sigh.*
10. You can officially experiment with awesome vegan smoothies.
I have perfected my morning smoothies, and they are bomb. Spinach, rice milk, fresh blueberries, strawberries, bananas, peanut butter protein powder, and a little bit of agave nectar. UM, YUM.
9. Vanilla flavored Almond Milk. Enough said.
I was totally weirded out by it at first because I was expecting it to have the same texture as regular milk, but I realized soon after that it wasn't supposed to mimic actual milk. It’s a little thick, and it has an amazing flavor. I’m drinking some as I write this.
8. So you can binge-buy vegan cookbooks and spam-share recipes on social media.
Once you start, it’s hard to stop. You get hooked in the best way possible!
7. It’ll reduce your risks of getting heart disease and cancer.
A lot of people will probably disagree and give me the same look this pug is giving the broccoli... but I promise if you educate yourself on the matter, then you may change your mind. I suggest watching the documentary “Forks Over Knives” on Netflix so you can hear the professionals dish out the details.
6. You’ll be safe from the Vegan Police.
We all know there are THOSE people out there who want to shame you for eating anything that has come within a one-mile radius of an animal. But if you do go vegan, you’ll be off their radar and safe from their lectures.
5. Avocados are vegan!
Avocados give me life. And if you don’t like avocados, well then I’m not so certain we can be friends.
4. So you can get a good laugh from the lovely, supportive, and carefully-crafted comment sections on social media that verbally bash vegans.
Haha, just kidding. People will always troll and hate on the internet. They’ll force their viewpoints and opinions on you because they’re always right. See, the difference here is that I’m not forcing you to go vegan. I’m just informing you of benefits I’ve experienced for myself in a positive manner!
3. You get to explore the world of vegan restaurants.
Since I'm new and transitioning, I haven't gotten to try many vegan restaurants yet; but I have plans, and my list of places is growing. If you have any suggestions of good vegan restaurants to try, feel free to add it to the comments section below!
2. You’ll be surprised at how much more energized you are!
I wake up with a spring in my step! And if you know me, then you know that I typically used to lay in bed, staring at my ceiling for a full ten minutes while contemplating how much I didn’t want to get up before actually forcing myself to. But that sluggishness is long gone and I have a newfound sense of motivation!
1. Because to me, this face is cute.
I’d rather see this animal and all others live long and happy lives than see them sitting as a meal on my plate. Wouldn't you, too?
