Growing up, I always considered myself an animal activist. I remember making picket signs reading “Save the Whales,” and marching around my neighborhood after watching “Free Willy,” and constantly begging my mom to take me to volunteer at the local animal shelter. As I got older, I realized that eating animals went against my ethical beliefs. I also became more educated on the detrimental effects that animal agriculture has on the environment. The more I learned, the more I was sure that including meat in my diet was contrastive with my beliefs. Through middle school and high school, I tried (and failed) to become a vegetarian on many occasions. Most of my attempts lasted less than a week; Let’s face it, most of my attempts lasted less than a day. This was largely because in my family, meat was a staple in every meal. At home, becoming vegetarian, much less vegan, was synonymous with starvation.
When I came to college, however, I suddenly had full control over my food choices! This time before completely altering my diet, I wanted to be prepared and educated on how to make smart choices and where I could find options. As I researched, I found that many new vegans struggle to get an adequate amount of protein and various vitamins such as B12 and Iron. To protect myself against vitamin deficiencies, I first started by getting a vegan-friendly multi-vitamin. This is something I would recommend to all new vegans because B12 is very difficult to find outside of animal products, and iron deficiencies (anemia) is very common in vegans. I also found some easy plant-based sources that contain high amounts of protein.
When I started my plant-based diet, I realized how much easier it was than I thought it would be! There are vegan options in almost every restaurant (even if you have to pick and choose side items to make a plate). It even became easier for me to make healthy choices, because so many vegan options are healthy! Additionally, as someone who has had a problematic relationship with food and my body, veganism helped me to heal this relationship because it helped me to feel like my choices weren’t just for me, but for the planet as well. Now that I’ve been vegan for over a year, I’ve noticed little to no change in the way my body moves, looks, and feels. This may seem problematic, but for someone who’s struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, this feels like a victory.
Eventually, I learned that food wasn’t the only aspect of veganism, but that many other industries use animals unethically as well. I quickly decided to boycott all company’s that use cruelty as a means of advancement. This was also an easy transition, considering all of the ground work that animal activists have laid. To find cruelty-free products, I simply look for the cute bunny on things like shampoos and makeup (you know the one), and look for shoes and clothes without leather and wool (these options are usually cheaper even if they’re the same quality- cha-ching!).
Today, I feel more confident than ever that becoming vegan was the right choice for me, morally and physically; I hope to continue making food and clothing choices that make a difference.