I get it! Finally!

Mom2vegan

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Jun 19, 2018
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I'm not going to say anything here that vegans don't already know but holy cow - I finally get it! I can't believe how easy it is and now I'm having difficulty understanding why the world is not vegan. I tried everything I could do to continue to consume animal products without guilt, including having a hobby farm and "humanely" raising and killing animals to eat. OMG - WHY?! Why did I think that was even necessary when it's so so so easy to just eat vegan?

Eating vegan is NOT DIFFICULT! It's NOT EXPENSIVE!! It does not feel like deprivation! It's not like being on a starvation diet. I definitely feel full and satisfied!! I feel so grateful to be able to fill up on delicious healthy food! Cooking is very much more enjoyable without meat - no grease spatters anywhere, everything is SOOO easy to clean up. No need for grease-cutting dish soap when I'm eating vegan and not using oils. The kitchen doesn't smell bad, the garbage doesn't have to be taken out immediately, and all the leftovers can go in the compost.

I'd been on a weight loss diet for almost a year and had lost 45 lbs when I went vegan about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'd been restricting my calories so much, for so long, that I was starting to feel unhealthy. I wasn't taking any supplements - I didn't think I needed them. My fingernails had become brittle and were peeling and my energy level was extremely low. I was having a hard time making it through a day at work. It was the low energy level that prompted me to go ahead and dive in - I knew I would get more nutrients for the same amount of calories.

I'm so excited to learn all the new recipes. There are such awesome youtube videos (thank you everybody who posts links to them!) I used to hate cooking. I hate the cleanup after cooking with animal products - plus when I was using animal products I didn't need to learn to really use herbs and spices.

I didn't know I was feeling guilty for eating animal products - I'd learned to block those feelings quite well. Now that I'm not eating animal products, though, I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

I LOVE that there's no smell when I go to the bathroom, too - that may seem like a small thing to a lot of people but my husband and I live in an RV. I like it that I can use the bathroom when he's home!

Also - I've been very surprised to see how kind and friendly the people on this forum are. The 3 vegans I know in real life are all introverted, anti-people people. 2 of them are angry and hateful all of the time. My son is one of them. He went vegan and began to hate everybody on earth at the same time. He just has a lot of stuff going on in his life - it's not the veganism that's making him hateful but he's using his veganism as a "holier than thou" thing while he bashes humanity. I was pretty sure everybody on this forum would be the same way but I decided to test the waters anyway and I'm so very glad I did. It's nice to read the "what I had for breakfast" thread and the "what I had for dinner" thread, look through all the recipes, and have people to talk to. It's just so down to earth.....

Happy happy happy :)
 
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So happy to read this! To me, veganism has felt liberating and joyful too, and I have been feeling less and less angry since I have started ♥
So great that for you it has been such a great experience! Happy to share this journey with such nice people
 
well done @Mom2vegan - a great post and I agree with everything you say including the 'no smell' and the easy easy clean up

Now, just the thought of bringing in an animal product and cutting it in my kitchen makes me ill, can't believe I did it for so many years.

Emma JC
 
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"Liberating" describes the feeling so well. It IS liberating.

When I used to cook with meat I was always so worried about things getting contaminated, or somehow not getting everything cleaned up. I had to wash my hands constantly while cooking, and had to bleach surfaces. It's liberating to be able to cook without constantly worrying about bacteria multiplying on the countertops and in the sink. The garbage had to be taken out immediately when anything containing any animal product went in the garbage - and then I felt bad for wasting a trash bag that wasn't full. The smell of the trash outside before the garbage man came.....

Before, it just seemed normal that life could be so stinky.
 
There was something I learned (and have forgotten) about meat vs plants in conjunction with compost.
We were taught never to put animal products in the compost because they would stink. (and attract animals).