My vegan journey, what's yours?

[Melissa_Davis6]

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to come here and share the moment I decided to go vegetarian (and later vegan) in case anyone is looking for ideas for activism or ways to persuade non-vegans.
First I want to say, I've always been vegan in my heart so I always felt that eating meat was wrong, fishing was wrong, animal abuse in general was wrong.
A big seed that was planted for me was in college; someone put pamphlets that talked about animal agriculture and had slaughterhouse photos inside under my windshield wiper. It was the first time I had seen anything like that.
The next big seed was the documentary "The Cove" about dolphins being slaughtered in Japan. That was the moment I became vegetarian.
The next seed was meeting a vegan at a party who straight up told me that being vegetarian wasn't enough and talked about the dairy industry with me. I didn't go vegan that day but shortly after.
I would love to hear about everyone's seeds and what worked for you.

 

[Lou]

For those of us who have been here a while, we have already told it somewhere. Maybe someone else can remember the title of the thread.... I can't find it.

but I did fine this one

Potholes On Your Vegan Journey | Vegan Forum

You could also just search "vegan Journey". there are a lot of posts with that in the title.

but yeah, for those who haven't done it before, go ahead and do it here.

I've told mine so often here I'm not going to to it again.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum

LIke you and like many others it was a gradual process over many years - learning, trying, learning more, trying more etc - the final for me was Dr McDougall on Coast to Coast AM in October of 2016 and happy to say I haven't looked back.

Looking forward to your contributions here!

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[PTree15]

Hi Melissa, and welcome to the forum.
I had a couple of turning points in my gradual journey toward veganism. One I just mentioned in another thread, but I will put here, too. I was at a party and had chicken on my plate, and one of my friends told me that I'd never eat chicken again if I knew how it got to my plate. I forgot to mention in the other thread that I'd already given up beef, initially for health reasons, but I was still eating chicken and sea creatures. I was taken aback by this remark at first, but it stuck with me and ultimately led to my going vegetarian and then vegan.

Another turning point, or just a gradual reckoning, came when I started to learn about the horrors of slaughterhouses and the conditions that most animals raised for food live in. So then I gave up the rest of the flesh. It took longer to ditch dairy and cheese, though, I have to admit. Years in fact. But one day I was just like, it's time to stop and go full-on vegan. I was feeling very guilty about eating cheese and drinking milk. That was 15 years ago.

 

[TarheelVegan]

Hi there @Melissa_Davis6 & welcome I'm also relatively new here. If you're interested in reading it, my introduction novella is here (the link should take you directly there): The introductions thread
We look forward to hearing more from you!

 

[Graeme M]

Pigs. It was the pigs wot done it. I'd always been a pretty standard omnivore until the day I wondered why I don't see pigs out in the fields. Once I found out (so awful), I dug further and learned about veganism. And here I am.

 

[VeganRachel]

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to come here and share the moment I decided to go vegetarian (and later vegan) in case anyone is looking for ideas for activism or ways to persuade non-vegans.
First I want to say, I've always been vegan in my heart so I always felt that eating meat was wrong, fishing was wrong, animal abuse in general was wrong.
A big seed that was planted for me was in college; someone put pamphlets that talked about animal agriculture and had slaughterhouse photos inside under my windshield wiper. It was the first time I had seen anything like that.
The next big seed was the documentary "The Cove" about dolphins being slaughtered in Japan. That was the moment I became vegetarian.
The next seed was meeting a vegan at a party who straight up told me that being vegetarian wasn't enough and talked about the dairy industry with me. I didn't go vegan that day but shortly after.
I would love to hear about everyone's seeds and what worked for you.

Hi Melissa. 99% of us are raised in an omnivore family, and 100% of us were raised in an omnivore dominated world. So many humans
enjoy eating animals and want to continue. But the facts are surfacing about the costs to the environment, our health, and to the
71 billion animals slaughtered every year, of course. Some humans are changing, and cutting down on the amount of animal protein they
consume, like switching milk for almond milk, etcetera. However I believe that most humans are addicted and afraid to go 100% vegan. They
do not want to stick out from the crowd. They avoid change, unless it is small. Males, especially, are taught that dominating non-human animals by eating them is a positive thing and helps their testosterone, masculinity, and virility (it does neither of these things). Many males are fearful of
changing what they have been taught makes them a man. The dominant culture supports the consumption of animal protein as normal,
natural, and necessary.
I grew up in an omnivore family, but loved animals and became vegan over 25 years ago. It was a gradual process because I was unaware
of how animals were treated. The Animal Ag businesses, large and small, hide the truth from consumers and pretend somehow that serving
human palates are more important than the animal lives. And consumers are happy to support the animal ag industries and keep them going.
It takes a strong independent human animal to make this journey. Congratulations for seeing the light.

 

[Clairey]

I have been trying to replace alcohol and addiction with a natural diet since i was 18 in 1986.

 

[Kathy Lauren]

I have always had a soft spot for animals. When I was about 8, I started a club of my school friends to collect donations for the World Wildlife Fund. (Yes, I know their reputation is tarnished, but I was only 8.)

When I was in my 20s, I became a Buddhist. Its emphasis on respect all creatures made a strong impression on me, even though few Buddhists take it seriously enough to adjust their diet. When I got out of the Air Force, I was 27, and I thought it was a good time to go vegetarian. I had never heard of veganism at that point.

When the Internet came along in the mid 1990s, I joined a vegetarian forum and learned about veganism. I went vegan in 1996 and never looked back.

Every winter, I used to enter a cross-country ski marathon. I struggled for years to improve my time, but it always hung around 4 hours 30 minutes. The year I went vegan, my time dropped to 4 hours (and 12 seconds, but who is counting?). The health benefits are secondary for me, though.

 

[Clairey]

I am missing the benefits of a healthy diet having picked up on street drugs in 2012 and not doing so well the last four or five years.
Worrying about my health is the main reason for wanting a lentil, vegetable, salad vegetable and fruit type diet.

 

[VeganRachel]

I am missing the benefits of a healthy diet having picked up on street drugs in 2012 and not doing so well the last four or five years.
Worrying about my health is the main reason for wanting a lentil, vegetable, salad vegetable and fruit type diet.

Congratulations on your journey. You are stronger than you will ever realize. The willingness to change is very powerful.
I personally have learned that no amount of alcohol or stimulating food takes the place of love and loving myself. I have
done my best to forgive myself and others and that has helped a great deal. Eating healthfully is one way to start. I
intend only the best for you on your journey. Namaste'.

 

[Clairey]

Thankyou. I had an oven cooked red pepper yesterday and felt better for it. More like my old self. I am planning on spending my money on line as soon as it goes into my bank account for a while so no money for the stuff i do not want. Looking forward to an online vegan shop and fresh vegetables.