How I Went From Meat-Enthusiast To Vegan

I’ll admit, I used to be one of those people who looked at vegans and vegetarians as being among the most annoying people on the planet. They’re always preaching about how much better they are than everyone else and they just won’t shut up about being vegan, right? And there’s no possible way they could ever get the nutrients they need to thrive as human beings - we need protein after all!  

But gradually, I stepped back and recognized the hypocrisy of my thinking. I had always been a self-proclaimed animal lover. Ever since I was young, I never dreamed of harming the smallest animal - even a bug. I was petrified of spiders but always made sure to put them outside rather than squish them.

But getting to that realization took many years.

My brother and I begged our mom for a puppy when we were kids. She eventually gave in and we found Buddy, a handsome six-month-old German shepherd-collie mix at the animal shelter. It was love at first sight.

Buddy was an energetic, loyal and intelligent dog. And although 10-year-old me probably didn’t do as much to take care of him as she should’ve, I loved him like he was my own biological brother. He lived a wonderful dog life to the ripe old age of 15.    

It’s interesting that most of us love our pets like they’re one of us, yet we continue to serve roast ham - made from a living, breathing pig - to our families for dinner. If you’re still not seeing the connection here, don’t worry, I didn’t either at that time.

Throughout my college years, I became heavily invested in weight-training and was convinced I needed to consume red meat at practically every meal in order to keep up with my intense workouts. I began to look down on my peers who were vegetarian because I was sure that there was absolutely no way in hell that they were getting enough protein. And I’m ashamed to admit that I occasionally took part in chastising people online for their meat-less dietary choices.

Now that I think about it, I behaved this way because I was insecure. I called myself an animal lover, but I liked the taste of meat and genuinely believed that I needed it in my diet in order to sustain my workouts. There was no way a vegan could get enough calories or nutrients, I thought. And so instead of changing my own behavior, I resorted to calling vegans and vegetarians “annoying” and “crazy” - it was a way for me to subconsciously shift my own burgeoning guilt onto the people who were trying to make a difference.

So what ultimately changed my mind about consuming animal products? Research. Over the course of about one year, I looked into the horrors of factory farming and the “protein myth.” I gradually omitted animal products from my home-cooked food, and eventually I pretty much stopped eating them altogether. If more people were educated about these things, then I suspect that we’d have far more vegans in the world.

And in case you’re wondering, to this day I’m still a highly active person and I’m easily able to get all of the nutrients I need through plant foods (my blood work results even prove it!).

People would do anything for their pets, like I would have for my dog Buddy, because they’re valuable family members. They love us unconditionally and we hate to see them in pain or to be sad for any reason. Why is it that we humans don’t extend that compassion to other sentient beings? 

P.S. Vegan food doesn’t have to be boring or gross - it just takes a little creativity.

Michelle

December 28, 2017