January of last year, I made the greatest decision of my life. Sounds dramatic, right?
My decision to become a vegan didn’t happen overnight. I’ve thought of it a million times, and you know what?—I don’t regret it one bit. Now, I feel awesome, to say the least.
It changed my perspective of ”healthy eating” coz before all this, all I knew was, I have to eat veggies, fruits or fresh produce, yada yada … I was ignorant. Though I know everything about the food pyramid , it wasn’t helpful enough.
If you’re a meat lover or someone who loves eat-all-you-can, you’re probably raising your eyebrows right now. Well you’re free to slap me if you want ( but just in your imagination though). Now going back, I love meat too. I mean, I used to eat it once in a while.
Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I ate meat. I know that for many, it’s palatable, tasty, juicy, yummy, and all that —but it’s oily, fatty, greasy, unhealthy, and can be deadly too!
Wait a minute! I haven’t answered the question yet: why I became a vegan.
See the image below? Well that’s the reason why I am now a vegan hooman. I mean, SHE is the mastermind behind this.
Why Did I Become A Vegan?
When I first got my pup, I was a normal human being just like you. I eat almost anything, really. But there was a point in time where I hit my head and had an amnesia.
k i d d i n g !
Seriously, after several months of cuddling, staring, laughing, playing, pinching, hugging, and loving my pup —I slowly became different. Different in a wonderful way.
Animals like dogs in particular are truly amazing creatures. They’re great partners. They’re angels. My pup? She’s everything to me, not even exaggerating. She came into my life when I needed it the most.
Back then, I was struggling with depression. I had a really tough time, and nobody in my circle even had a clue. Perhaps, I was good at hiding it.
Make sure to look around you. Feel it. Care for the people you meet coz you never know who’s life needs a little bit of lift.
I remember, whenever I go to the supermarket to buy some meat or order a steak from my favorite restaurant, the face of my pup always pops up in my head. It was insane! I guess the realization started to build up from there. No no not ‘realization’. It was more of ”guilt” and ”conscience”.
I felt like when I eat meat, I’m agreeing to the idea of torturing animals. No no not ‘torturing’. I mean, ”killing”. Can you imagine that? Humans are killing innocent and pure lives. Those cows, pigs, goats, chickens —don’t you think they like to live in this earth too?
You might be thinking ”what the hell?”. You might be thinking ”we eat them to survive” or ”we don’t intend to harm them”.
I guess my reply would be a kind and calm ”what the fu**”.
We, four-legged human beings and those poor animals are equally deserving to live in this planet. Shame on me for not realizing it sooner.
There was a time when someone asked me, ”do you think you’re body’s fine with no meat or eggs or dairy?”. When I heard it, I was reminded of my old self. I was her. That’s exactly the question I had in mind when I saw a vegan YouTuber talked about her journey to becoming a vegan.
Believe it or not, I don’t judge anyone who’s still doing the opposite. They’re also in their own journey toward finding what’s best for them. We all go through different stages in life, so I get it.
I’d say that my journey hasn’t been that glamorous at all (chuckle). But it’s all worth it! I did it. I made it. Yey! You can too! Now, I feel better and better each day. Better is an understatement to be honest. I have so much to share about my journey to becoming a horse. I mean, a vegan. This blog isn’t enough for my tell-all interview.
Okay let me share a little bit about what I noticed so far without getting into so much drama. I’ll start with my skin. My skin looks healthier now after going vegan for over a year. My friends and family even noticed that I look blooming, that my face looks clear and flawless. The compliments keep on coming, and I couldn’t be any happier.
That’s just one of the many great things that a vegan diet can do. It’s not only about the clean eating or what not. It also has something to do with how my mind is working right now. I feel good from the inside out, and that’s what motivates me to stick to veganism.
During the pandemic, I learned so much about myself and all the possibilities that I am capable of. I never thought in a million years that I can shift to vegan diet, really. At first, it was very overwhelming. I laid out a plan so that I won’t end up giving up at the end of the day. But guess what? It worked out so well for me, except for one thing. I have a pup and I can’t make her eat vegan-only foods. This is so sad, but I am not going to insist on what I want coz it will be a disaster to force something, right? It wouldn’t be fair to do that to her. I love my pup and I won’t harm her in any way just coz I want her to be a vegan like me. I remember a friend who asked me , ”So Monica, how about your puppy? Will you not feed her meat at all?”. I choked up. I couldn’t answer it right away. I felt like someone slapped me, you know. So I said, ”I’m working on it but it’s never gonna be soon or maybe it won’t even happen”. Well it is true. If this vegan diet won’t work for my pup, it’s okay. I’ll keep on trying. I’m hopeful that there’ll be a positive outcome one day, and right now, I just have to be patient and trust the process.
I hope that one day you’ll be ready to take the leap of joining the vegan family. Let’s help recover this world and make it a better place for everyone.
You might want to read some of my previous blog posts about tips on going vegan, vegan diet for beginners, and meat alternatives.