About 6 months ago, I made the decision to go vegan. Everyone I tell responds with, “Why do you hate yourself?”, or “Oh my gosh, that's so hard”. Well, 1. I don’t hate myself, and 2. It’s not hard, you’re just afraid. Here’s a list of reasons I went vegan, and why I actually love it.
1. You feel lighter.
One great thing about being a vegan, is that you never have meat gut. Ya know, that feeling you get when you’ve eaten too much beef or chicken, and it just sits in your stomach for a while, rotting and waiting to be digested. Well let me tell you as a vegan, things pass through you very quickly, so you’re in a constant state of being happy and healthy.
2. You respect your food, and your health more.
A problem I had, and one of the main reasons I went vegan, was because I had the bad habit of eating EVERYTHING. Literally anything anyone set in front of me I would eat. Being a vegan I am forced to read the labels on everything, and make way more conscious decisions about the food I am putting in my body. I definitely had an unhealthy obsession with food and eating. I did not care where the food I was putting in my body came from, or all the nasty sh*t that food companies put in food to make it more ~tasty~.
3. Vegan food is amazing.
Let me just tell you, you can feel sorry for me all you want for the fact that I don’t eat meat, or cheese, or milk, but I’m not over here sitting in a corner crying. Oh no, especially living in Austin, Texas. I am eating extremely well, probably way too well. The thing about good vegan food is that it is always so much more throughout, and inventive than non-vegan food, because, ya know, we have to show the world that our food can be good too. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about vegan food and all of its lushness. Another amazing thing about vegan chef’s and vegan food, is that you always know the ingredients they are using are wholesome and good, and believe me, any vegan will be willing to start up a conversation with you about how their food is made, and what the quality of their ingredients are. All you have to do is ask.
4. You feel like you are part of something more.
Whatever reason you have for going vegan, whether it be for the animals, or for the environment, or for world hunger, being vegan gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you go vegan you are standing for something. I will not lie and say that sometimes a huge bowl of mac n' cheese, a hotdog, or a hamburger sometimes sound amazing to me, but being a vegan isn't just about me, it’s about something way larger than the individual. It’s about starting a movement to be more conscious. More conscious about what food is being put in your body, what effect that food has on not only you, but on the environment, and animals as well.
Yes, veganism can seem like an impossible feat. Giving up all my loved ones? Meat? Cheese? Dairy? I could NEVER do that. This is the excuse I’ve heard millions of times, and at one point it is the excuse I even used myself. Once you free yourself of these obsessive ties you carry to food, and step back and look at the big picture of what your food is doing to you, you will be shocked. I am not at all saying that after reading this article everyone has to go out and immediately become a vegan. All I ask is that you do your research, look into the foods you put in your body, research farms and the ways they treat the animals, research the effect veganism has on the planet, and most of all, read food labels. Make yourself aware, don’t look back 20 or 30 years from now and say I wish I could/would have eaten healthier, because all the information, and everything you need is within your grasp. Stop with the excuses, stop with the bullsh*t, go out, get healthy, and make yourself a better you.
