Why Did I Choose to Go Vegan?

I first decided to go Vegan after being diagnosed with Leukemia in July 2017. My reasoning for changing my diet was for health reasons. I had done tons of research and I just wanted to do something that I had control over, which was what I ate. Since I was diagnosed with a possibly fatal disease, switching to veganism or a plant-based diet as some would call it, was super easy. It just made sense and it was easy to stick to the diet. Also, after sticking to the diet for a few months, I fixed all of my gastrointestinal problems that I had been having for years.  

After becoming vegan for health reasons, I started to educate myself further on diets. During my consolidation chemo which happened over 3 months, I spent a good amount of my time watching food documentaries. A few that I watched were "What the Health", "Cowspiracy", and "Vegucated" which are all on Netflix. I also read tons of articles, joined vegan Facebook groups and continued to educate myself on what was going on in the world and how humans eating animal products was negatively effecting the world. 

My veganism morphed into not just a way of healthy eating, but a way to help heal the world, to save precious lives, and to be a part of something bigger than myself. During this time, I also went through a spiritual awakening, where I started to see things differently. There had been this curtain over my eyes for years and and now I could finally see. I felt better eating vegan, body, mind and soul. 

Spiritually: Being vegan has been the right choice for me spiritually because I am no longer putting the energy of suffering creatures who went through a stressful and tough life and then were cruelly slaughtered for me to eat their flesh. Just saying it now sounds barbaric to me. I once was a meat eater, but now I could never do it again. 

Mind: My anxiety has lessened since starting a plant based diet and I am mentally stronger and more capable of taking control of my reactions in most situations. I'm also more capable of finding peace within myself and this is something that I've always struggled with. 

Body: I feel stronger eating a plant based diet. I have more energy than I ever had when I ate animal products, and I just feel all around healthier now than I did when I consumed meat, dairy and eggs. Also, as mentioned above, eating this way cured me of IBS and GERD which I had been struggling with for years previous to switching to a plant-based diet. 

My favorite thing about being vegan is that there are so many products out there that make it easier to make my favorite meals vegan. I still get to enjoy my food, or have pizza when I have the craving, or eat my favorite dishes when I want to because everything can be made Vegan. I also have a great community of Vegans on Facebook that are happy to answer any questions about local Vegan restaurants or what to use as a substitute in a recipe, or a substitute for a favorite dairy product. 

I've also become quite the Vegan Chef. See my Vegan Cooking Blog Here. I love pulling recipes from Pinterest and elsewhere and make them at home. I love planning our meals and then sharing the delicious vegan food with my husband and with others. My favorite thing is to have a friend or family member tell me that my Vegan food is good, better than they expected, or that they would have never known it was vegan. 

This was my choice and it is my path. I'm not writing this to force it down your throat or try to get you to join me in being Vegan. It just happens to be the right choice for me and I know in my heart that this is the way to go. 

Something that I have to tell myself every day is that each person walks their own path and that each person gets to choose what they do every day, what goes into their bodies, and what kind of person they are, and what kind of life they lead. That's not up to me. But I did want to share my vegan journey with you. It has brought me much light and much positive energy, but it has also brought some struggles and realizations that have helped me learn and grow along the way. 

If you made it to the end of the blog, I just want to thank you for taking the time to read this and I want you to know that I respect you and your life path. Live on and Live Well. Life is short.