Veggie Challenge Winner

June 2006

Slow move to veganism labelled ungodly, foolish by family and friends

I have been interested in vegetarianism for a long time, but what really got me involved was a friend of mine who was a vegan. He didn't talk about it a lot, but this was a man who was healthier than most, had a better disposition than most, and was very interesting to talk and work with. I began looking into vegetarianism, and became increasingly convinced that it was the way to go, being more efficient (takes 12 pounds of grain to make a pound of beef... almost a pound of grain to make an egg), ethical (the meat and dairy industries abuse and kill animals on a daily basis), and healthy (lower fat, more than most meat-containing diets).

I began to do a lot of research into it, and determined that I wanted to be "Minicarnal" (eat very, very little meat) to avoid harassment from my friends and family about not eating meat at all. But I've long been slowly drifting over into veganism. I've already sworn off eggs and dairy, now I've just got to make the final break and stop eating meat and any animal product entirely.

I've gotten a lot of odd reactions from family and friends which I did not expect, and actually found hurtful in some instances. Being told I was ungodly, foolish, living an unhealthy lifestyle, etc. All of these claims are, of course, false, but I was shocked that some of my friends and family were so abrasive as to suggest some of these things... What happened to live and let live?

Since I've massively reduced my consumption of animal foods, I feel much healthier. I am stronger, I eat a more balanced diet, and my temperament has improved. But what is more important is that now I can ethically feel good about what I am doing each and every day - for the planet, and for the things living on it.

Only now can I truly be the pacifist that I've claimed to have been for years. A true pacifist would not contribute to the unnecessary suffering of living creatures, would not take part in the unnecessary depletion of the earth. And now I don't, and I never will again. I opened up my mind when the world told me to close it, and it was the best decision I've ever made.

Relznuk, teen, from mostly vegetarian to vegan