A couple months ago I hit my three year mark of being vegan.

I recently watched a Ted Talk featuring Earthling Ed and was inspired all over again. It reminded me of why I was so vigilant in spreading the vegan message.

Before making the conscious decision to switch to a vegan lifestyle, I was a vegetarian for eight years. I was still eating eggs and way too much dairy at that point. I went vegetarian for the animals after watching Peta videos about the realities of factory farms. For the past 11 years, I have heard every excuse from people who think they wouldn’t be able to “give up meat” or “give up cheese.” I was once one of those people so I understand where people are coming from when they say this. I promise you though, once you actually make the decision to better your life, the life of the planet and consciously save on average 100 animals per year just by leaving them off your plate, you will see how easy it really is.

I was freshly inspired after watching a Ted Talk from Earthling Ed where he goes over all of the arguments against veganism.

It reminded me of why I was so vigilant in spreading the vegan message. When I first became vegan, I was so obsessed with it. I would post it all over social media, I started a plant-based business which led me to want to start a blog, and a YouTube channel. All of this started because of veganism.

I dove off of the deep end into a vegan black hole.

I would obsess over the fact that not everyone could see what I saw. During this time period, I would call people out, and make remarks such as “You don’t actually care about animals if you eat them.” I would comment on people’s social media posts about endangered species or those sad dog videos that are everywhere, and I would challenge them. I would ask them, “What makes this animal’s life different than the life of a cow, or a chicken?” (and then proceed to try to convert them to a plant-based diet.)

I felt like now that I know the truth, it was my duty to show other people the truth.

Sometimes, however, the message came across as something negative. People would feel attacked, or get offended if I said anything. Also, publicly posting about a lifestyle that isn’t yet mainstream in the general population of society, welcomes a lot of criticism. I would get a lot of backlash and I would get a lot of people challenging me.

After about a year of hardcore vegan activism, I was pretty beat up.

I lost a couple friends, I scared off some people, and I had my rebuttals memorized because the same arguments would arise.
– What about protein?
– Our ancestors have been eating meat for centuries.
– It’s too expensive.
– It’s too hard.
– We’re basically lions.
– Bacon, tho.

I was sick of repeating myself when in the end, they’ll go get that Big Mac regardless of whether an animal, the environment, or their insides suffered or not.

People are going to see and hear what they want to see and hear. I could tell them over and over about the 60 billion animals a year that suffer a painful and gruesome death every single year. I could tell them that their bodies actually have a really hard time processing animals products, especially meat and cheese. Or I could tell them their health could improve significantly and even REVERSE some serious diseases and health related issues just by switching to a vegan diet. Still, people aren’t going to change unless they want to.

When I was introduced to veganism it was complete accident. At the time of my awakening, I was already vegetarian but I had the mindset that I was saving the world. I was still completely ignorant to the realities of the egg and dairy industry.

I stumbled across Freelee the Banana Girl on YouTube when looking for ways to get healthy on a vegetarian diet. Freelee is a really “hardcore” vegan (as a meat eater would say) and a very successful YouTuber that was well known for calling out other youtubers (specifically ones who focus on health and diet with a large following) and helping them switch to a vegan diet. In my opinion, she is one of the most influential vegans on social media. She is loud and straightforward with a “no bullshit” attitude. I loved it.

After watching enough of Freelee’s videos, I started getting recommended other vegan youtuber’s channels. I started following HighCarbHannah and a few others. Hannah is another well-known vegan youtuber who lost over 70 lbs by eating a well balanced and clean vegan diet. She helps hundreds of thousands of people convert into a healthy, vegan lifestyle that is sustainable and easy for anyone.

Then there’s Ed, also known as Earthling Ed, who is the one that pulled at my heart strings.

Yes, the other influencers I watched talked about the welfare of the animals, but not to the extent that Ed did. He took us to the slaughter houses, “humane” gas chambers, and stood on the streets spreading the truth. In a respectful and honest manor, he would go to the markets and protest in the meat section or show us the crying pigs in the back of the truck on their way to slaughter. He debates with people in a way that is morally sound, never losing his temper, and always coming from a place of love and understanding.

Ed is the reason I watched the film documentary Earthlings and decided that I needed to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Ultimately, he was the reason I went vegan. When I saw that he has recently conducted a Ted Talk, giving the most comprehensive vegan debate I’ve ever seen, I was immediately inspired all over again. He goes over every single reason as to why you should go vegan and backs up every single argument that is popularly stated against veganism. Please watch this in it’s entirety.

After knowing the reasons why you should go vegan, generally people want to know how to go vegan.

When I first went vegetarian, it was extremely easy. All I had to do was say “no meat” and my meal was vegetarian. It was really easy to order vegetarian at restaurants. At home I would just make my normal meals without meat. I didn’t even try to incorporate meat substitutes for the first year or two because I didn’t like them. I didn’t like a lot of veggies and I was kind of a picky eater. Yet, it was still easy for me to eat way too many calories.

Honestly, I ate way worse as a vegetarian when I first started out.

My main diet consisted of a lot of pasta like mac-n-cheese, alfredo, spaghetti and lasagna. I ate a lot of cheese pizza, mozz sticks, breads, fried foods, and junk food. I was also a heavy drinker and drug user, so I was just overall very unhealthy. There are definitely healthier ways to eat a vegetarian diet, but regardless of how healthy you eat, it is very simple.

Going vegan was more challenging than going vegetarian, but after a few months, it was also very easy.

Especially now with veganism on the rise, and a lot more vegan options being available in the supermarkets, it isn’t that hard to figure out what works for you. In the beginning, it is a lot of reading. It takes longer to go grocery shopping because I was constantly reading labels to figure out if something was vegan or not. They tend to sneak dairy is almost everything that comes processed.

After a few months of getting to know ingredients and what to look for, it was easy-peasy.

Watching a ton of YouTube videos on veganism also helped. I was watching a ton of “What I eat In A Day” videos as well as “Vegan Grocery Hauls.” I even made a video myself on YouTube about getting groceries on a budget. Taking you with me to the grocery store, I got more than a week’s worth of food for under $30, proving that a vegan diet doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult.

Naturally, I started eating healthier on a vegan diet because a lot of the foods I was eating before were not vegan. I was no longer eating meals of just mac-n-cheese. I wasn’t eating two orders of mozz sticks at the bar or ordering cheese pizza.

Preparing and cooking my meals was another challenge I had to overcome when switching to a vegan diet.

I have now learned lazy ways of preparing vegan meals, but in the beginning I was struggling. Like most Americans, I was so used to convenience foods and stopping at fast food joints for a meal. I learned how to cook things I normally wouldn’t, like quinoa and lentils and vegetables I normally wouldn’t care for. Also, I learned the art of seasoning.

It was definitely a process of trial and error to find out what I liked, and what was easy and sustainable.

I am more than willing to help anyone make these changes. If it’s something you’re interested in, comment below or send me a message. I would love to talk to anyone who wants to learn more about how they can make the change. A big thing I want people to know, is that you don’t have to be perfect. Start small if that’s easier for you. Start maybe by doing meatless Mondays, or cutting out red meat. Whatever works for you to help you on a track to a vegan diet.

Not only is it going to be healthier, but you’re going to be saving a lot of innocent animals, and helping the environment more than you would if you stopped using all methods of transportation and recycled everything you possible could. How huge is that?!

Thank you so much for being here. Your support has meant the world to me and I know it’s been a while since I have written a blog. I haven’t had WiFi, and my new laptop doesn’t have word. (Excuses, excuses..) I have figured out a solution for now and hope I can get a better plan sorted. For now, this works and I really wanted to share Ed’s Ted Talk. It is one of the best presentations I’ve seen and he covers all of the bases. Thank you Ed for being such an amazing inspirations to millions of people and for helping to make the world a better place.

I also have really been working on my YouTube channel and getting my van ready for building, so be sure to check out my channel and subscribe. Leave some love in the comments. Thank you so much!!

xoxo