Happy Halloween! well not really, but it is October 1st, so it basically is the same thing. If Christmas gets the entire month of December and half the month of November (Also i have already seen Christmas decorations and it was only September so Christmas sort of gets the last third of the year), So, Happy Halloween!
That literally isn’t even what this post is about. October 1st is World Vegetarian Day, it was also VeganMania in Chicago, but I had to babysit for the entire duration of the event so I unfortunately couldn’t attend. I also missed a goat walk, so that was probably the worst part.
Anyway, I have decided to go back on my journey through veganism over the past year and see what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed.
I remember vividly, my first night of college, my roommate and I went to Chipotle. I ordered chicken on my burrito bowl and my roommate looked disgusted at me and said “Chicken? You know they kill them right?” And I sat there, unfazed, as I continued to spew my order to the guy behind the counter. And here I am, a year later, yelling at the man in the chicken commercial who brags that their chickens are organic and cage free.
While I mentioned in one of my most recent posts that I had been a bad vegan, I have been. This journey has been long, grueling, however rewarding. I have no shame that for my first 18 years of my life, I lived on mac and cheese, grilled cheese, chocolate milk and bacon! Then my roommate has me watch forks over knives, cowspiracy, and other random videos about animal abuse.
Then, I went full vegan. Something not many people do all at once. Most people I know go vegetarian first for a few years, and then if they’re feeling outrageous, they go vegan. I however, cut animal products cold turkey. It has been a struggle, a rewarding one but a struggle nonetheless. I really feel that I should have transitioned slower, and maybe I wouldn’t have ‘cheated.’ I didn’t, and am learning how difficult this is.
I understand that this isn’t cheating, technically, because I am the one who is doing this. I am in this by myself for myself and for the animals.
I have been trying my best to remember why it is that I started the transition to veganism. I am doing it for the animals. I am doing so that 100 less animals are killed every year, and that despite all of the animals killed and tortured, it won’t be because of me.
Today, a year later, here I am, struggling but doing very well at it. I wouldn’t consider myself full vegan because I have slipped up a few times, but I am trying. Today, I am 30 pounds lighter, happier, crying whenever I see farm animals that were saved, and yelling at every chicken commercial I see. I really needed to write this post, for myself, to show how far I’ve come, and to shoe how far I need to go. I am doing well, but still have a long way to go.
So, happy world vegetarian day. Go vegetarian. Then vegan!
Alicia
Living off Leesh 
I always say, it’s progress, not perfection. You’re doing great!
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I know this was posted a while ago – but i saw in you profile that you are vegan so i did some digging! I’ve been vegetarian for at least 4 combined years of my life – but i still really struggle to make the change to veganism!
I would love to know more about the smaller individual steps that you made/ are making as i would personally find this really helpful/ useful? (Only if you don’t mind?? I have friends that would also find this really beneficial and interesting!!!) Thank you xo
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Hi! Yeah I personally feel like going vegetarian wasn’t that hard for me. Once I realized “okay I am literally eating animal flesh” it wasn’t that hard to bid adieu to.
By individual steps, what do you mean? As how I cut things out of my diet, or something else? 🙂
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Yeah i found going vegetarian easy its the vegan part I’m struggling with- yeah exactly, did you just stop right then and there or did you cut out categories first ect?? (I’m sorry if i sound stupid!)
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Ahhh ok. I think I cut milk out first. There are so many milk alternatives that are tastier (I think) and healthier for you. I also never liked plain milk (like to drink) in the first place so that was easy. The next was probably eggs. I only ever really ate them scrambled and even then they sort of tasted (and the consistency of them) rubbery. Yogurt was next. Yogurt was hard because trying vegan yogurt is like trying to defuse a bomb. Some are delicious (So Delicious is by far my favorite and the only brand I eat) and most I couldn’t even swallow. I use yogurt in smoothies and sometimes baking so it was hard for me to cut it out until I found the So Delicious brand. Cheese I struggle with and sweets I struggle with. You can buy vegan cheese but a lot of the time it is ‘99%’ vegan whatever that means and can be expensive. I have to raid Trader Joe’s to find it but it’s really good. Sweets are by far the hardest. There are vegan candies and you can bake vegan but when I’m lazy and hungry it’s so difficult to go to the store when your family (none of them vegan) has a stock-pile of non-vegan goodies in the pantry. I try to bake vegan often and whenever I go to the store buy vegan chocolate, candy, and other sweet treats so it never happens, but people slip up and that’s life. I hope this helped and if you ever have any questions later or now, let me know 🙂
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Wow thank you so much (sorry i haven’t responded sooner!) This was extremenly helpful. I can wait to check out these brands and hopefully it will make the switch that much easier! thank you xo
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