Why Vegan?

As a child, I have never been a healthy eater. I HATED veggies with a passion and potatoes were about the only "vegetable" I tolerated. I was never a fan of milk or milk based products but was constantly pressured to eat dairy and drink milk daily because dont we all know that drinking milk is key for growing kids; otherwise how will be get our calcium for strong bones?!

I was a very skinny child but everything changed when CHEESE happened. After I started eating cheese, I got... PLUMPY(for a lack of a better word). My mother couldn't be more thrilled. Finally, there was a piece of food her daughter was willing to consume so she wont always be a bag of bones.

I started putting on a ton of weight, got quite of bit of acne and always seem to have lingering sinus congestion(so not sexy) which followed me well into my twenties. I also got sick quite a lot throughout the year. I still always battled all of those symptoms in my adult life but could never in a million years narrow down my problems to my poor nutrition.

To be very honest, I started to clean up my diet slightly for vanity reasons- meaning I wanted clear skin and a skinny bod cos who doesn't? And every now and then while researching food and nutrition, I would always come across studies and articles that boasted the benefits of whole-food plant based diet. I was already a vegetarian but giving up diary in particular ice cream and cheese felt like an overkill because deprivation was not sustainable to me and I always needed to indulge every now and then to continue eating a healthy diet.

So even though I spent a large number of hours on my free lance research learning the benefits of a vegan diet, I still couldn't bring myself to adapt it because the WHY wasn't strong enough. I wish I could say I was totally committed and motivated to a healthy body and lifestyle and so I went vegan but its just not true.

It does however make me very concerned when people tend to believe that I might not be getting proper nutrition in general or ask questions like "where do you get your protein" when they learn that I am vegan.

It is shocking that a large number of people still have those concerns because it is a clear reflection of the extent of false advertising and brainwashing from the meat and dairy industry that has been done over the last few decades that it is literally engraved in the brains of people that you must include these items in your daily diet to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

It is in the freaking balanced diet chart put together by government and its in my office kitchen, schools, hospitals, - You name it. No wonder people don't know any better.

I wont get into how this is further from the truth and how a plant based diet can be the best thing that you can ever do for your body as its not really my skillet or my place to explain it but I will link some very credible and useful resources below that you can use to educate yourself if you are curious about learning the effects of the food you consume daily.

My WHY came into picture when I came across a 5 min video (Dairy is scary) and something completely shifted. I obviously didn't become vegan after watching that but it triggered something that was just unsettling. I had to know more. I had to understand what my actions impacted. I as the consumer, had the right to know what practices are used to produce the milk and cheese I love so much. I went into an autopilot reaserach mode over the entire weekend where I watched a number of videos and documentries, read multiple artciles and ordered the book Skinny Bitch(which has great information about diet and vegansim btw). I spent the next few days completed immersed in trying to get to the bottom of it and what exactly goes into producing that carton of milk that I pay $3 for?

The answer was not pretty. Every bite of animal prodcut we consume causes horrendous animal suffering, slowly depletes and kills our planet, promotes world hunger and negatively impacts our health and well being. I, in good consciousness could not bring myself to ever justify buying meat or dairy and consuming it like everything is ok. I just couldnt. I knew what my WHY was.

I have always felt very strongly about animal rights. I was completed guttted and appled how much torture, abuse and unenthical practice goes into the meat and dairy industry. I already knew that eating it wasnt benefiting my body, but knowing that every time I consume it actually supports the industry that makes animals go through unimaginable amount of suffering, I just couldnt carry on.

I told myself I would transition into veganism, slowly and gradually. I had some non-vegan food in my fridge which I tried eating after this, but I literally got a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat when I tried. I could not bring myself to eat it.

I knew what had to do be done. I knew it wasnt going to be easy. It is a draining, emotional process; especially the first few weeks. When you look at all the the meat and dairy being consumed day in and day out, it makes you very very angry and might turn you into an emotional mess. But, you got to remember your WHY and just power through.

I know people like to think that one person isn't enough to change the world, but it is truly about being the change to wish to see. Veganism is one of the fastest growing revolutions in the world. I went Vegan in Feb this year. Since then, I have eaten out twice a week on an average and I have never once found that I have nothing to eat. I know its not fun being the person who has to ask some questions about the dishes on the menu and make alterations, but I still cannot justify just eating meat/dairy because I didn't want to bother removing an item from my dish or didn't want to sound difficult or rude. Its EASY, if its important to you. People who truly love you and care about you will understand this and all my friends are truly wonderful because every time I have to eat out, they will always pick a place that has something catered for me.

For anyone who is considering adapting this lifestyle, ask yourself- What is your WHY? Because you may start off on the bandwagon, but its easy to fall off if you don't know your why. Every time I get frustrated or might want to just take a bite of that pizza, I remind myself WHY I choose to live this way.

Lastly, this blog is just an open and honest post about my beliefs and my thought process behind going vegan. I am not a nutritionist, but just a very passionate foodie and an animal lover(it says so in my blog header you guys) and they both tie very closely to my choice of being a vegan. It is in no way trying to push what I think is right as we all have the freedom to make the choices we want.

So take my words with a grain of salt and hope it somehow positively impacts your life.

Luck and Love!
Niki