Why I’m Vegan

Why I’m Vegan

~A Look Into My Health Journey~

I’m just your average civilian, but some would say my lifestyle choices separate me from most of the present fold: I’m a vegan. Not entirely sure what a vegan is about? Read my article on Veganism’s FAQ for a little better idea.

It’s easiest to explain my present choices in maintaining a cruelty-free, plant-based lifestyle when you go back to the beginning: I wasn’t always vegan, and certainly didn’t come from some west coast commune of eco-friendly hippies.

I was born into a culturally diverse family with many ties to traditions and habits that I, like many people in our colorful melting-pot nation, embraced without any secondary thought as to the repercussions and consequences of my autopilot actions. My dad was born in Japan, and my mom can easily trace her family coming across the sea from Greece only one generation back. A lot of our family celebrations revolve around big dinner parties, a time for gathering all loved ones and being grateful for our blessings over a meal “big enough to feed an army”, as we frequently joked about my grandmother’s amazing cooking skills.

During early childhood, I can remember my mom being passionate about implementing some green-friendly changes in our household. One summer in a demonstration to my siblings and myself, she asked us to chew a biodegradable packing peanut from Aveda to show firsthand the difference between recyclable goods, and trash that stays in landfills (such as Styrofoam products), burning chemical holes of waste into our conceding Earth. Thus began the importance of understanding the circle of life and how vital it is that we interact and coexist in a peaceful manner while respecting and sharing all the bountiful resources our planet has to offer its many inhabitants.

Slowly but surely our habits began to change. We started recycling, separating glass from paper from plastics. My mom made sure we knew to rinse off any debris or food from items before placing it in the appropriate recycling box to be respectful of the process and make it better readied for reuse. Her long, white, fancy fur coat for church in winter or special events was faux fur, and she made sure we understood WHY it must be faux, and the expense of anything other than. When we went camping for a few days with my cousins, I admittedly was pissed off initially that they got to eat “real” hotdogs and hamburgers, when we had Tofurky dogs, and tofu pepperoni for our pizzas… granted, back in the mid 90s, food choices were nowhere near as amazing as they are now!

(My constant kudos to the food companies that take the time and effort to create products that not only save animals and our planet’s resources, but to make such products taste even better than the animal foods they’re attempting to replicate.) In any event, it was quite a learning curve and at such an impressionable age where the common behavior is to blend in with all the kids at school, I felt like somewhat of a pariah going to lunch with my bean sprout sandwich and carrot sticks while the others ate Lunchables and zebra cakes.

It may have taken some time for the early lessons to really stick, but the seeds were planted and would eventually grow to make a head in years to come. However, things were to get a little worse before they got better.

Between wanting to fit in with my peers in grade school, and caving at the false information I believed in so heartily from the fitness industry, and food industry, I backtracked from my pescatarian upbringing and almost slid downhill into completely opposite and unhealthy habits of comfort, convenience, and instant gratification.

Going to college with more than fulltime credits and working multiple jobs to pay the tuition and bills living on my own, I quickly fell into a trap of coffee addiction, microwave dinners, fast food, and the lies many Americans fall prey to in regard to healthy choices. I gained weight and moved up 3 pant sizes. None of my bras fit. I would get winded running across the street and back. I was sick EVERY seasonal change, the littlest sinus flare-up meaning sinusitis, strep throat, and bronchitis. I hated the way I looked, and was embarrassed to even put on a bathing suit for lack of confidence. My energy was horrible and I felt sluggish most of the day, getting a horrible migraine if I didn’t have my 3-mimimum coffees a day. Finally I decided I’d had enough and could not continue down the same path, lest it end in premature death from a preventative healthcare issue, as I was a candidate for future diabetes and major adrenal and thyroid issues.

I decided to began a new health journey at 19 years old where I was determined to make a turn-around from being overweight and suffering health issues (insomnia, anxiety, intestinal cramping among others) to finding my respectable balance. I started by signing up for a gym membership and a personal trainer to help keep me motivated and on track with creating new habits, which I knew took a minimum of 21 days consistency to lock in. My fitness regime came along with an eating plan and thus began the “protein” complex that many gym-heads are stuck on still today. While yes, the importance of protein is not to be completely discarded, it is vital to note that in considering macronutrients needed for survival and thriving, America’s hang up on protein is one without much backing. Do you literally know even ONE person, EVER, who has had a protein deficiency? Me neither! So why the hype? It all goes back to the food industry and money gimmicks. If they’re not selling, you’re not buying. What better way to advertise than to let the common people use word of mouth to create a buzz and do the selling for you? And it worked wonderfully, as you can see, the food industry is a billion-dollars-a-year profit turner and surely not hurting.

Incidentally while on my health journey, I ended up under the advising of a total of five personal trainers, each who gave me a different piece of the pie to eat and learn from. Between ages 19-23, I really began laying the foundation of my habits for today that locked in the reasons for choosing my health as a priority over convenience and comfort (not to say that they are mutually exclusive, though it does take concerted effort to undo bad habits that many people live by without a second thought). At age 23, without trying to sound dramatic, I had a near-death experience where I ended up in the E.R. with pyelonephritis. It was an unpleasant experience to say the very least, and it cost me an uninsured $1300 I was stuck paying out of pocket for my life having been saved. That was my real wake-up call that caused me to snap out of the last of my bad habits. I decided shortly thereafter to return to a vegetarian lifestyle and create consistency with good choices getting to the gym and staying active.

 

Fast forward two years, I attended my first ever National Animal Rights Day (N.A.R.D.) ceremony in Union Square 14^th St NYC for a peaceful vegan protest, and it solidified my commitment toward a completely cruelty-free, aware, and deliberate lifestyle where my existence would no longer be at the expense of another living sentient being. So far, I’m more than three years into embracing veganism, and I’m happy to report my health is better than ever, my physical body has maintained a slender yet strong physique due to my eating and activity habits, and I sleep better at night in a state of perpetual detox knowing I’m doing my part to make the world a more peaceful place.

 

June 7th, 2015.
The opening ceremony of the 2015 National Animal Rights Day in New York City, as performed by Vegan supporters from all over.