Why I Am Vegan
People ask me all the time why I am vegan, or questions like ‘how do you get protein’ (eye roll) ‘what do you even eat’ ‘don’t you miss cheese or meat’.
So I thought I would write a short blog post to let you know why I am vegan and why you should seriously look at reducing your intake of meat and dairy.
Why I went vegan
I actually went vegetarian for a year before I went vegan and it was only because I was in a rough place with Crohn’s disease and my stomach hurt every time I ate, so I decided to cut out meat and see what happened. Within one week I was bloat free (after around 3 years of it being constant) and I just felt so much more energised and alive. Meat is a lot harder to be broken down by your digestive system, your body has to send more energy to help break it down. And if you have any stomach issues, inflammation or disease, you need as much energy as you can get to just get you out of bed in the morning, so removing an energy heavy process from my body gave me such a boost. I stuck at being vegetarian for 3 solid months, then I went out to one of our favourite restaurants and decided to ‘just try the steak’ because maybe I would be able to eat it now. Worst.Decision.Ever! Within an hour I was crippled over in pain and had bloating and low energy for days. Since that day I have never ate meat.
One year later after watching some documentaries and reading about the horrific treatment the animals who are raised for meat and dairy endure I went completely vegan. I am such an animal lover and it struck me on such a deep level that our demand for this industry was causing so many beautiful creatures to live in the worst conditions, living the most horrific life, before then being killed for us to eat. It just started to make no sense to me. As part of our culture we grow up without even thinking about it. We get fed meat as children and just eat it. I am kind of shocked I never questioned this before but I am so glad my poor health lead me to find all this out.
People think being vegan is extreme, but the way I see it now, is eating animals is extreme. Eating something that has been tortured and murdered is extreme. And if we had grown up in the opposite way, we would be horrified at people who began eating meat if all we had ever known was to eat plant based. If we started eating humans people would loose their minds, but I see it as the same. We are all one. Humans and animals co exist on this planet together, we all breathe the same air, we all have emotions, feelings, languages, families. So why is it acceptable to treat them like this? I think if meat eaters actually had to go and kill an animal and prepare it for their dinner that way, they would probably not want to do it. But we are in such an unconscious way of life, just buying processed meats and foods and eating it without thinking about the consequences and suffering behind it.
That is my number 1 reason for being vegan, but a close second is the planet.
Our planet is in crisis, global warming is real and the meat industry is one of the biggest contributors. Here are some facts about the industry and why you should at least consider cutting down on your consumption. Especially if you want there to be a world for your children or future generations to enjoy.
IT TAKES 15,415 LITRES OF WATER TO PRODUCE 1KG OF BEEF, BUT ONLY 322 LITRES TO MAKE 1KG VEGGIES
REDUCING MEAT AND DAIRY FROM YOUR DIET CAN REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT FROM FOOD BY UP TO 73 PER CENT
RAISING ANIMALS FOR FOOD USES MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF LAND, FOOD, ENERGY AND WATER
ANIMAL AGRICULTURE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE GREENHOUSE GASSES THAN ALL THE WORLDS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS COMBINED
GOING VEGAN IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST WAY TO REDUCE YOUR IMPACT ON PLANET EARTH, OUR HOME, YOUR CHILDREN’S HOME, YOUR GRANDCHILDREN’S HOME.
If your children ask you what you done to help the Earth’s decline could you say you tried?
So before you judge the next person who tells you they are vegan, maybe, just maybe, they are trying to save the planet and the lives of millions of suffering animals. Doesn’t sound too crazy to me.
P.s. Yes I get plenty of protein, nuts, lentils, beans, veggies, protein powders, tofu, chickpeas. It’s easy.
Have a beautiful day,
Sam xo