My Road To Being A Vegetarian
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Lifestyle

My Road To Being A Vegetarian

Why I'm a vegetarian and the stigma around the word

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My Road To Being A Vegetarian
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When I was 12 years old, in what I thought was the prime of my digital age, I became exposed to the horrors of the meat industry via YouTube. As a Latina, it is without a doubt that I was raised to eat meat like my family, and never even gave the idea of being a vegetarian the time of day. Then, one day, I came across the not-so-lighthearted part of YouTube, and stumbled upon the famous “Meet Your Meat” video and never looked back.

Within those short 12 and half minutes, I was sold. I had decided that I no longer wanted to incorporate meat into my diet and felt strongly that if I could make at least a small difference and curate a diet without the need for meat, I would do so. My family was outraged they didn’t understand and continued to cook meat dishes in hopes that it would sway my opinion. To say that the transition was hard is an understatement. Not only was I a child trying to navigate around a new lifestyle, but I was surrounded by a culture that did not know life without this component.

I am now 20, and 8 years ago I was the only vegetarian around in a 10-mile radius. As the years have passed, more and more people have crossed over to becoming vegetarians/vegans and I can thank them for the expanding veggie options at restaurants (although chains like McDonald's and Burger King could use a little work.) When you’ve followed this lifestyle for this long, I cannot even begin to tell you how often people tell me that I don’t make a difference, that animals are here for human consumption, arguments that these animals are going to die anyway, or that I am putting my health at risk. After all this time I have learned to brush off these comments, and for anyone thinking of going vegetarian, you should ignore them as well.

Not everyone is going to agree with this and I understand that. My only hope is that people will respect my choice as much as I am willing to respect theirs. To sum up, in social situations, it’s easy to become discouraged when everyone around you doesn’t see the point. To any reader out there: whatever you choose to do in life, do it with passion, whether this is a fitness activity, a career, or a health decision. If the welfare of animals is something you feel passionate it, defend that passion at all costs.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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