Why I Am Vegan

For the first 18 years of my life, I was a normal girl, eating what I thought was a normal diet. I had always had an interest in cooking but only as a meat and dairy eater; I only knew how to cook beef bolognese, tuna pasta bake and cheesy pasta. It was only when I moved out to go to University and was cooking for myself that I began to pay attention to the foods I was eating and became more aware of how I was fuelling my body.

It all started when I was scrolling through social media on my phone one day and happened to watch a video about the dairy industry and the production of dairy milk. I’d had a vegan friend through my teenage years and knew that I liked soy milk from drinking it with her so began to buy that instead of dairy milk. It’s such an easy swap and it mimics dairy milk in nearly every way, other than it curdling in boiling water to make milky coffee. So I simply began to drink black coffee or ask for Soy milk when I bought a coffee from a coffee shop. (Now I have tried nearly every plant milk available: soy, almond, oat, hazelnut, cashew, hemp, coconut etc, and my go-to for non-curdled white coffee is coconut milk!)

Linda McCartney pie with mash potato, broccoli & gravy - all Vegan!

Then as time passed, I thought more and more about the animal products I was consuming, and as a result I began to eat less and less meat. I used to make a chicken salad for lunch but I’d eat the salad around the chicken and then throw it away. It was just common sense for me to stop eating meat at this stage. I don’t support the meat industry so why was I putting my money towards it in the supermarkets when I was wasting the products anyway?

I was still eating fish at this point in time, so my diet was technically pescatarian, still not drinking dairy milk, and that is what I ate for the majority of the two years before I went vegan. I worked in a fish and chip shop at this time, constantly surrounded by fish, and people telling me that I needed to eat fish for protein, healthy fats, omega 3 and B12 etc, all nutrition myths I’ll talk about another day.

Then at the start of 2017, I had done way more research into diet and nutrition and become really interested in fitness. But I had also learnt a lot more about the meat and dairy industries, the animal cruelty it consisted of and grounded my moral beliefs and what I supported.

All that it boils down to is that animals were not put on this planet to serve us. They do not owe us anything and they do not deserve to be mistreated. I simply do not support the industries who cause harm to animals and as long as I was buying and consuming animal products, I was contributing to the need for the products to continually be produced.

If you’re thinking that how does 1 person make a difference to an industry as massive as the meat and dairy ones, know that veganism has risen by 360% in the past year. The brand Alpro has begun to massively expand its range of non-dairy products available, as has Sainsbury’s brought out a variety of non-dairy cheese replacements. Most recently, nearly every coffee shop has options for more than one type of plant-based milk and even vegan food choices. Supermarkets have their own vegan ranges and even Ben & Jerry’s brought out a vegan range in 2017. This clearly proves that each individual person who has chosen to be vegan clearly have made a difference.

Vegan salad made with lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes & roasted sweet potato with balsamic vinegar as dressing

When I was vegetarian, my family would cook vegetarian food for everyone at dinner, or make me a vegetarian equivalent to what they were eating. We all had different busy schedules so dinner time was a nice half an hour where we could spend time together and catch up.

When I did Veganuary in 2017, my first try at vegansim, which means committing to the vegan diet for the 31 days of January, I actually hated it and stopped 6 days early. This was simply because I was inexperienced with what I could and couldn’t eat, struggling constantly to find my next meal, and as it was a large step away from vegetarianism, my family could no longer provide a vegan option at every meal. I cooked for myself every day but had to do it before my family got in the kitchen to make their dinner, so I’d eat earlier and miss the family dinner time. So I felt excluded because of my diet.

I assumed that if I went back to vegetarian, I would start to eat with my family again. But it never went back to how it was before. I became busier with work so kept forgetting to let my parents know when I was going to be in for dinner, and then ended up cooking for myself anyway.

A few months later, and I hadn’t gone back to drinking dairy milk, but I was so much more aware of what products I hadn’t been able to eat as a vegan, and was still avoiding them out of choice. My sister then moved back home and she is vegan. I was still not eating with my parents at dinner time so I began eating meals with my sister and ultimately the social aspect I had missed out on by being vegan before was now void.

Many people view the vegan diet as restrictive and therefore would find it hard to stick to it. A few years ago, I myself struggled to cater for my only vegan friend as I had no idea what you could do with plants, but I only gets easier and you soon learn. I know many people who have unhealthy relationships with food and I’d never want to create a problem with my diet with myself so I have my own coping methods. If I fancy something non-vegan, in order to not feel like I’m depriving myself or missing out, I either find an alternative option which is vegan or I allow myself to eat the non-vegan item. However what I find I never enjoy eating the non-vegan item, so I remember for the next time that I probably won’t enjoy it. I’m not one for allowing myself to feel guilty for eating naughty food as I believe a healthy diet should be balanced and varied, but I do feel guilty for eating animal products and never feel like it was worth it. So when I crave it again the next time, I remind myself of the lack of satiation brought by non-vegan food and endeavour to create a vegan alternative.

Compassion over convenience.

There has also been studies that link meat consumption to many diseases and illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and alzheimer's, so in a way, I view my diet as preventative methods for future illnesses.

Me and my sister after we found Ben & Jerry's ice cream when it was first released - 2017

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am vegan because I care for animals, so much so that I don’t want to eat anything that has caused harm to them, everything else that comes with it is a bonus. I have more energy, clearer skin, a healthier diet and immune system, more compassion and self-love. I eat a more varied diet than the majority of my friends as a vegan, which some people may find confusing as they view it as restrictive. I eat pancakes, roast dinners, soup, brownies, curry and ice cream, anything and everything I want to. So if you’re a new vegan or interested in trying a vegan diet and would like some help, ask me any questions you have in the comments below and I’d be more than happy to give you a hand.