Veganism is the lifestyle in which one doesn't eat animals or animal products, and sometimes doesn't use animal products in things such as shampoo and soap. It is undoubtedly a terrific way to live with so many benefits to the body and the earth in general, but I've come to the realization that it might not be for everyone, including myself. I praise veganism and all of its assets as well as the people who endeavor into this lifestyle, but I'm here to explain how it affected me in such a negative way that I should have caught on to way before I did.

I went vegan initially April of eighth grade (I am now in tenth), and I loved everything it did for me. For me, it was an attempt to begin a healthy lifestyle and cleanse myself, but it took a nasty turn come tenth grade. At first, it really did wonders for my body; I lost 15 pounds rapidly, I felt clean and energized and I was significantly happier and more appreciative. I kept off the weight easily remaining vegan, but as soon as I hit ninth grade I began to become pretty selective with things such as cookies, bread, etc., but I never ate pure dairy or meat. Then in tenth grade, I became even more selective, and I went on and off with raw vegan and selective vegan. So, now it is April of tenth grade, and I made a terrific decision with my mom's guidance.

I began to realize some things about my body that I honestly should have caught much earlier. Every single day around 10 am, I had a headache, a searing, harrowing, deep headache. I had no idea why I was suffering like this, considering I drink an average of 60 to 90 ounces of water a day thanks to my beloved CamelBak. Also, I was ridiculously hungry before 9:30, when my inconvenient lunch time is 1, and it was absolutely agonizing; even though I ate lunch (which consisted of nothing usually but vegetables and hummus, fruit, and nuts) I was absolutely starving when I got home around 6 after sports, which I was expected to play with that hunger and headache. On top of all of that I was extremely tired every day, all throughout the day no matter what time it was, and I was impossible to wake in the morning. I felt sluggish and I was gaining weight at a rapid pace and I had no idea why, considering I obviously a relatively healthy, plant-based diet, and worked out for a total of anywhere from two to four hours almost every day. So I approached my mom about this because it started to make me feel really bad about myself and I was sick of feeling like the world was moving at double speed and I just couldn't keep up.

I made a significant change. I hadn't eaten meat since 2008, and I was really nervous to start, but I knew for a long time that it was necessary. I made a compromise since I was so nervous, and I only agreed to white meat. Once I began, I started to realize that I was no longer starving, and I could easily make it through the day feeling wide awake. I have noticed that I now have muscle definition, even without weight training, and much more energy. I have been running every morning for two weeks now and I feel significant improvements to my well-being as a whole. I appreciate the advice my mom gave me because I know she was looking for what would work best for me, I was just too caught up with the restrictions to make this change before.

So, this is by no means a jab at veganism. Veganism is a terrific lifestyle for the body and the planet, but over time, the human body does get used to the way you feed it, and it might not necessarily keep up the results. Everyone's body is drastically different in terms of metabolism, genetics, etc., and veganism just did not agree with my body after a while. Yes, I was taking supplements and vitamins, and I did my best to keep myself balanced in terms of the food pyramid, but with the amount of stored energy my body uses in a day as an athlete, I just needed more. I was told for years that high protein, low carb was the best way to treat a body like mine, but I refused to realize that beans and nuts just wouldn't cut it. I'm glad I came to this realization and I feel terrific, and it's amazing what a slight change can do for one's body.