Nearly every vegan starts somewhere in their memory saying something along the lines of, "I could never give up meat" or "I just love cheese too much for that." I am not the first and won't be the last to admit that I too, said similar statements in my earlier years to my vegetarian friends. In fact, if you had asked I probably would have told you my favorite food was a burger or cheese. However, clearly something changed between then and now. That change began with one decision.

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To bring it back, I began my undergraduate degree in Fall 2015. That entire first year I continued my omnivore diet as always. However, by May 2016, the end of my first year, I dove deep into the world of animal cruelty, environmentalism, and health knowledge and vowed to myself to stop eating all animal products. This all started with the decision to watch one documentary: Cowspiracy. 

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It's funny to think I considered myself someone who cared about the wellbeing of the planet back then. If you haven't seen Cowspiracy yet, first off you should (it's available on Netflix). But second off, it perfectly encompasses facts and statistics regarding the environmental impact the animal agriculture industry has on the planet.  The message this documentary sent resonated so much with me that it sparked inspiration within me to binge watch, read, and listen to any and all information on the benefits of a plant-based diet. This documentary served as a gateway to the environmental, health, and ethical politics of veganism. To this day, I cannot tell you what caused my desire to watch or pay attention to the message of the documentary, but I am forever grateful that I did.

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After watching (and rewatching) Cowspiracy, I binge read and watched any documentary or book I found relevant (list of recommendations to the right). I also became inspired to try new vegan recipes and got really into vegan Youtubers. I particularly loved watching Liv B, Sarah Sullivan's Sarah's Vegan Kitchen, and the Supreme Banana. They normalized veganism and provided meal inspiration for me, a young girl who just barely started cooking for herself, meanwhile switching up her entire diet. 

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I went vegan in stages, first no meat, then no eggs/dairy, then no byproducts whatsoever. It took me nearly three months to officially become vegan, but I still use May 2016 as my vegan anniversary.

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To say the least, I have never been happier with my diet or more passionate about a lifestyle. People did not believe me when I said I would never eat meat or cheese again. However, I found my passion and I will uphold it for my entire life. I hope to one day create a career out of my passion for veganism and the lifestyle I love to live. Hopefully, that day will come soon!

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