Veg Canadian Winning Entry

Congratulations to Enoje for this entry that won her a SoyQuick Automatic Soymilk Maker in Veg.ca's winter Veggie Challenge.

Vegetarianism was something that "happened" to me because while in university I started dating a guy who was trying to be a vegetarian. Seriously, it kind of crept up when I wasn't looking! In supporting this guy and spending so much time with him, I found that I ate less meat -- because we were in school, we were ALWAYS broke so we shared a plate when we ate out so it had to be a veggie meal. I ate meat (had a burger, etc.) when I was by myself but this guy was always hanging around so I rarely had time to be alone with my meat-eating ways! Of course I thought he was weird (I still do) but he seemed harmless. He never pressed me to change, he just did his own thing and I did mine. I appreciated that because, you know, I needed my meat! Or so I thought.

The next thing I knew, I hadn't eaten meat in weeks, then months, and I didn't even miss it. This guy was slick, he just kept taking up all my time and using all his masculine wiles; I didn't even realize how much meat I WASN'T eating any more. I just stopped having it around the house (that darned guy never went home anyway!). First I gave up pork; then a few years later beef got cut out too. The truth is I had long stopped eating it. The hard part was just admitting that I wasn't going to eat it any more.

Becoming a vegetarian is one thing; SAYING SO is something else again. I was probably a closet-veggie for a long time before I would talk about it. When I went out with other friends I made a point of eating meat even when it didn't appeal to me because I didn't want to be the odd-veggie-out. Eventually I had to face the Hard Truth (gasp!): I was becoming a VEGETARIAN.

Friends and family were skeptical (they still are) but eventually it just became another "weird" thing that they could accept about me and my then boyfriend (now husband!). Sometimes it's really hard because Caribbean culture places a whole lot of value on meat! But as time goes on, I find my family is becoming more accommodating now that they realize it's more than just eating salad!

The really BIG changes came when we got pregnant with our first child. During that pregnancy, a lot of things just didn't appeal to me any more. I still tried to eat chicken and fish (I had made an agreement with my husband that I would not eat shrimp while pregnant or nursing -- THAT was hard!) but I found that fruits and vegetables were easier to eat and faster to cook (because my RAVENOUS appetite meant I had to get my meals done in a hurry!). Another big issue was eggs: I found I could not even stomach the idea of eggs any more -- my own unborn child REBELLED against even the thought of eating a chicken's unborn child! (AUGH!)

We had an easy pregnancy, a super FAST labour and a very healthy baby and I believe (as do others) that it was largely a result of my healthy diet. We had another boy two and half years later and, after another super FAST delivery, I found that some of my friends were open to take some advice on vegetarianism -- just in case it was actually a factor!

Having children is really what has caused me to make a commitment to try living a vegan lifestyle. Like their father, these boys are always hanging around! So if I don't want them to eat certain things, I can't eat them myself either. I gave up chicken before having my second son (it was time -- and the CBC documentary "Chickens Are People Too" helped a lot!) and fish has really lost its appeal. Having a family has opened my mind to the fact that animals have families too; they are not just born to service my dinner table. I have even joined PETA to keep informed on issues and I teach my children to respect animals and the world around them.

If you had told me less than ten years ago that I would be thinking and living like this, I would have said you were crazy! Vegetarianism and animal activism was something for hippies, Birkenstock-wearers, grungers and weirdos -- definitely not for someone like me! I know now that if I could become a vegetarian, it can happen for anybody! I look and feel better, sexier (yes, I DO have it going on!) and healthier than I ever have in my life.