My journey, which at this moment has led me to practicing veganism is a nice one. But first, let’s start with basics.

Vegan: a person who neither consumes nor utilizes animal products (such as wool, meat, eggs, and dairy).

So now that we have that covered, let’s talk about my story. I first became a vegetarian when I was 11 and continued until my senior year of high school at age 17. Now, nobody in my family practices veganism or vegetarianism for that matter. And the first time I even met a vegetarian was when I was 15. They’re pretty hard to come by. At least for me. It wasn't really until I came to Baltimore, Maryland that I felt free and better about my decision. So here are some of the reasons I chose to change my lifestyle:

• I’d found PETA for kids and became involved in the community. I watched videos, read blog posts, and participated in the challenges and games.
• I found that it was healthier than the diet I was currently consuming. My family has a history of high cholesterol which vegetarianism helped reduce. I recently found out that it’s completely genetic because I’m a vegan now but I still have high cholesterol.
• You live longer. I wanted to get the most out of my time on Earth and to experience everything from skydiving to growing old. This was a feasible way.
• It’s unique. Not everyone lives this way and those who do are pretty rad people to know.
• For the environment. Not eating meat = less demand = less animals in need of feed which can otherwise go to feed people = smaller carbon footprint
• To be a good person. Doing this was just a part of it.

While there are plenty of other reasons why people go vegetarian, these are simply mine. Flash forward a few years to the end of my senior year. I had always thought I wasn’t strong enough or that veganism would be far too difficult. I mean, my mom already had to go out of her way to buy me special foods and all. But really I just made excuses. Then I decided I could do it and that I did have what it took to do something so powerful. And then I just did it. With a lot of research and a strong will I’ve proudly been going at it for over a year and I really can’t imagine why I ever thought this would be hard. It’s actually quite enjoyable. Did you know there are vegan donuts? Check out Harmony's in Hampden. Insane.

For more information on veganism and reasons to go vegan click below:

Definition of Veganism

What is Veganism?

Why go Vegan?

Why Going Vegan isn’t Crazy!