I worry sometimes that I'm not doing it right, so I eat fish and diary. Sometimes I have cravings and I eat a non-vegan chocolate bar.
The point is that I'm not perfect nor is my diet perfect. And that's why I don't like labels such as "vegan". They're too rigid. But one thing that is definitely true is that my diet is plant-based. So that is typically what I call myself with regards to my food choices. I wanted to clarify that before I discuss my food journey.
Up until the age of 19, I never questioned what I ate. I never wondered where this piece of chicken came from. If it was treated humanely. If it felt scared or pain when it was killed. Well... I never thought of it enough to stop eating it.
In my early teens, I started to care more about the environment and being more natural. I tried to be as eco-friendly as possible. I started to remove toxic, non-organic products out of my belongings and replace them with more natural alternatives.
I don't know where this interest came from. It just became part of who I was.
I remember it was December 2009 and I wanted Plant Earth for Christmas. It's a collection of DVD's that documents animals across the globe. I can't remember the date, but it was early December and I was watching the trailer for Plant Earth.
While I was watching it, I was in awe. This world and the organisms that inhabit it are so beautiful. Beautiful enough to make a successful documentary about. Yet, people are destroying the world. Organisms are going extinct, toxins and pollution are taking over, and we are killing and consuming these beautiful animals.
"I have to stop eating meat", was my next thought.
I still find it strange. To this day, I feel like this wasn't a conscious decision. It was more like a calling. I am meant to do this and the time is now. I was in a trance, I was moved, and I was emotional. I will never forget that moment.
So for the next week, I didn't eat meat. The problem though, is that I got hungry. I had a diet of poptarts, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and hot dogs. What the hell do I eat?
So I started to ween. For the next... I want to say couple of years, I only ate poultry, fish, eggs and diary. I also started to eat more grains, fruits, and vegetables.
I was OK with this lifestyle. I thought that would be my diet for the first of my life. But a couple years later, I came across a documentary where I learned that poultry are the most abused animals on the planet.
And that was it. I could no longer eat poultry. I haven't since.
About 3 or 4 years ago, I have been dabbling around in keeping diary and eggs off of my plate. The past couple years I have been eating a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables.
I mentioned in the beginning of this blog that I still sometimes eat fish, diary and eggs. I don't stress about it. My body lets me know when I am ready to take it the next level. And I am a firm believer in taking things to the next level. Especially when it involves your health and the well-being of the planet and its animals.
I remember a couple of years ago, I hit a plateau. I felt tired all of the time. No matter how many healthy foods I ate, I could not get that life back into me. I started to obsess that it was due to not eating meat. So, one day when I was at the mall with my mom, I bought my usual pad thai but this time I added beef. I told my mom why I had beef on my plate. She seemed happy and supportive. Much more supportive than when I told her I wasn't going to eat meat anymore which was disappointing.
So, I ate the food and held back tears the whole time. It might sound so silly to some people but I couldn't get the image of a slaughtered cow with her baby looking at her out of my head. I felt sick to my stomach. And no matter how many times my mom told me I was being ridiculous, the rest of my day was ruined. I ate what was once a living being in order to make myself feel better. I was disgusted with myself.
That was the first and last time I tried eating meat. I really couldn't do it. So why was I feeling tired all of the time? I never looked at the fact that I hated my job. Or that I had graduated with a degree and I couldn't find a career. Or that I stopped expressing myself creatively.
Without me really realizing it, I made some changes. I started writing, drawing, and painting. I finally found a career and I was able to quit my job. I haven't plateaued since.
But keeping meat off of my plate is more than just a decision that I made 8 years ago. It's more than the latest trend. It is more than my health. Being plant-based is my calling. It is part of who I am and it is a deeply spiritual component of my life. Probably the strongest spiritual component of them all.
And I'm pretty confident when I say that it will be this way for the rest of my life. I may never be a purist, but I will never eat meat again.
My plant-based story and journey is very personal. I don't share this with a lot of people. But I had an epiphany a little while ago. To reach people, to be heard, you need to be raw and authentic. You need to talk about the parts of your life that are difficult to share.
I have a lot more on this topic that I can share such as my health, people's reactions, and I how I coped with that. I plan on sharing them soon.
I hope you find this blog inspiring and I hope it helps you understand me a little better. Let me know your thoughts on the topic. I just ask that we respect one another :)
Ang
Here is a link to my previous blog:
How To Get Inspired Instantly | Quick Tip Entry # 6
Another Food Related Blog:
What I Ate Today (As A Struggling Vegan)
No comments:
Post a Comment