Reasons to Go Vegan

Well, it's been over a month since I went vegan and I am so happy about the decision that I really can't shut up about it! I think I might be becoming the most annoying person to hang out with because I'm trying to convince everyone around me to give it a try...

Over the weekend, I went to a kids' birthday party and when the other moms asked me how I was doing since they hadn't seen me in a while (an open-ended, innocent-enough question), of course I started blathering about how awesome I feel since I went vegan. And, of course, I started to try and convince them to give it a try, too. "Try it for just 2 weeks...you'll never go back!" I was saying. Luckily, one of the guests at the party was also vegan, so I was able to ramble on and on with her about it and I stopped harassing everyone else.

I know I should probably not go on and on about the veganism because people might think I'm being preachy or holier-than-thou, but I swear to you, that is not my intent! Lord knows I've eaten my fair share of meat and dairy products over the years...I have just been feeling so great doing this that I just can't help but share with the hope of getting some people to give it a try.

One of the biggest joys of my life is to help people. I love it when patients come back to me and tell me that I inspired them to lose weight or to quit smoking. And I love it when friends come back to me and tell me that my tips (writing, or cooking, or make-up or what-have-you) have helped them in some small way. Recently, a friend of mine told me she won a poetry contest that she entered, and she said that I had inspired her! So, the veganism is no different. How could I keep something so amazing as this a secret?

Here is the testimonial portion of this post: I know it's only been a little over a month, but I don't think I've felt or looked this good in many years. My skin is glowing, my waistline has shrunk (I unintentionally lost 5 pounds!), and my insides are working better than they have ever worked before. I feel great, have lots of energy, and just feel so HEALTHY. I have also gotten more compliments this past month than I have had in the entire past year. (It's not just me noticing the difference!)

You know, I didn't decide to do this for my looks. I didn't think I was horrible-looking to start. Nor did I think I needed to lose any weight (but I guess maybe I did...?) Really, I decided to do this because I have always loved animals and always contemplated going veg and have a mom who has always been vegetarian and then after I read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Froer, it just finally convinced me that not only was eating meat and dairy not the way I wanted to live, but it also wasn't the healthiest way to live. It's just bonus that I'm now a little thinner and healthier than I was a month ago. It's a win-win...

Anyway, I would just LOVE for all of you to feel as healthy and fabulous as I'm feeling lately and I hope that maybe I can convince even one of you to give it a try. I don't know what reasons will inspire you to give it a try, but please consider some of the following:

REASONS TO GO VEGAN:

1. It's kinder to animals. (Sure, you could adopt a puppy from a shelter, but did you know you that you could save hundreds of animals a year by eating vegan?)

2. It's better for the environment (Animal waste from the meat and dairy industries is a HUGE cause of pollution of water, air, and land. Going vegan is the most impactful way to benefit the environment...better than buying a Prius, recycling, traveling less, or using less water or electricity.)

3. The meat often comes from disease-ridden animals that are fed tons of antibiotics (gross!)

4. Antibiotic use in the meat industry is contributing to the emergence of deadly diseases such as the swine flu and avian flu.

5. The animals have been genetically altered to produce the maximal amount of meat or milk (These are not your grandma's chickens you're eating...)

6. The animals are given hormones to produce the maximal amount of meat or milk.

7. The animals are raised in disgusting environments (caged in confined spaces in a muck of their own feces and urine).

8. Most food recalls often involve polluted or diseased animal products.

9. It can help end world hunger/starvation. (There is more than enough food to feed the entire world's population...the problem is that most of it is used to feed livestock! Plus the air and water pollution that comes from raising livestock ruins land that could be used to grow crops.)

10. Vegans have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer.

11. Vegans are a healthy thin. No need to count calories or starve yourself or over-excercise.

12. Vegetarians and vegans live on average 6 to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.

I hope this list convinces you that it's worth a try! And even if it doesn't, I hope you will consider at least cutting down on your consumption of meat and dairy. You will be helping yourself, the environment, world hunger, preventing disease, and helping animals...quite a lot of things just by thinking about what you eat!