The last two weeks of September I discovered a specific diet which in short called for eliminating any animal or animal products. I liked the idea because I wanted to try new recipes and was quickly growing tired of trying to invent new meals with food like turkey and chicken. I played around with the idea for a couple weeks and finally made the choice to go completely vegan for the month of October. It’s only the second week, but I already know I made the right choice, the consequences of which will stay with me for life.

I decided to do my own 30 day Vegan pledge not because I watched some graphic documentary on animal abuse on Netflix or because I don’t believe humans are omnivores, but simply because I thought it would be best for my health. I’ve never been a picky eater and only recently after a few months of diet and exercise(and losing twenty pounds) have I really been conscious about what I put into my body. I figured going vegan would force me to eat more nutrient dense, whole foods that would nourish my body as well as make me more aware of all the things that are hiding in my foods (given going vegan requires a lot of label reading at grocery stores).

I wish I had done a little more research before going vegan because just this week I "cheated" by having some cereal that has honey in it. I honestly didn’t know honey wasn’t vegan and when I found out it wasn’t, I quickly became annoyed. I mean, bees aren’t animals and you’re not hurting them by taking honey. They don't need al that extra honey and they like making honey!

I was wrong, but

I read up on the matter and discovered that bees eat their own honey and make it for themselves, not humans. Gasp! I never knew that. I also learned when farmers remove honey from a hive, they replace it with a sugar substitute which is significantly worse for the bees’ health since it lacks the essential nutrients, fats and vitamins of honey. The bees then exhaust themselves by working to replace the missing honey.

I didn’t understand how one could abuse an insect like a chicken or cow, but then I read about beekeepers clipping the queen bee’s wings so she can’t fly away to produce a new colony else where (which would decrease productivity and lessen the profit of honey.) So, I will obviously be staying away from honey for the remainder of the month, as well as any other non vegan foods, but that’s okay because in just these past two weeks I’ve learned so much about veganism and all sorts of fun, healthy and delicious vegan recipes.

I’m not one of those people that force my beliefs or ideas on others. I like to think that by living my life the way I do and being confident in my choices, I can influence people to be just as confident in their choices or even consider mine if they agree with them. With that being said, this article is not attempting to force you to try veganism. My entire family still eats everything I can’t and somehow we don’t hate each other. I don’t judge them and they don’t judge me. Most likely because what I put into my body does not affect them and vice versa.

I, instead, hope after reading this article that you will try veganism if you’ve been considering it and/or you’ll try SOMETHING new that is completely out of your comfort zone. You may not stick with it, but you’ll learn tons of new things that will stick with you.