For me, it was a simple one. I was already vegetarian and had my own Instagram foodie page (so I could stop annoying my friends with pics of my food). In September 2014 a blogger I was following commented on an Instagram post of mine that said ‘Keep Calm And Go Vegetarian’, saying “Why not try going vegan”. This was the first time I probably thought about dairy. Whether I was pretending to not fully confront the dairy industry, or simply didn’t think being vegan was possible… but I decided to give it a go.

For a month, I would trial being vegan. Let’s be real, part of it was because I had no self control around chocolate and needed an excuse to ditch the dairy. I instantly felt better and why wouldn’t I? Dairy doesn’t make us feel good. It’s always funny hearing friends say “I am lactose intolerant”. Well of course you are, we aren’t made to drink animal juice.

Eating vegan quickly became a habit and honestly I felt great. Energy levels increased, I learnt compassion on a whole new level and my friendship circle opened up. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard. I lived at home and my mum was and still isn’t very supportive of it. But I knew I was doing something good for me and my health so I didn’t let that get in the way.

It was only later I discovered the impacts of the dairy and egg industry and felt somewhat cheated. Why hadn’t anyone told me this? As a feminist I struggled with the idea we drink the mothers milk and in-pregnant cows for our own consumption.

I suck at watching documentaries and still haven’t seen all the ones on the “how to turn vegan” list. But thats okay. I think it is important to come from a place of love when speaking to people about the benefits of a plant based diet. For me, the best way to spread the message is just to be yourself. Live your life to the fullest and prove that you can’t not only survive but thrive off a diet that is based on plants. 

Whatever reason you may go vegan whether it be ethical, environmental, health… that is okay. You are on your own journey and the best part is… you did it!

I don’t believe meat eaters are bad people, that was once upon a time. I simply believe we are all victims of a society that knew no better. But the good news is, now we do. You have a choice. You either ignore it or not.

For more information on reasons that a plant based diet can improve your health. 

Visit these links below:

https://www.ecowatch.com/vegan-diet-health-benefits-2608604362.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/21/lifestyle-change-eat-less-meat-climate-change?fbclid=IwAR1s4aDzbVsk_28V0u-fuV1El1oFeZhWjePo4Iuugiqh71cvw0iGvYmA6gY

https://deliciouslyella.com/2019/01/02/why-we-care/

https://plantproof.com/eating-plans/