Vegan Insight

By Leah Dyson

I grew up in a home where I was always taught to respect all living creatures, especially animals. My family ate meat, but it was not a necessity for every meal, and I was taught to be grateful and mindful of the animal that had sacrificed her or his life for me. When I was around ten years old, a cousin introduced me to the idea of being vegetarian. At the time, I didn’t give it much thought, but as I grew and matured I really began to think about the morality of eating meat. She had planted a seed of awareness in me that my conscience would not allow me to ignore. Knowing that the food I ate took the life away from another living creature left me unsettled at the very least, and often nauseated. I discussed the idea of phasing meat out of my diet with my parents, who were encouraging but worried about the nutritional aspects of being vegetarian. My mom suggested I do some research and spend some time really thinking about the idea of giving up meat. The more I learned about the issues and ethics of vegetarianism, the more appealing it became to me.

I’ve been vegetarian for seven years, and three of those seven I have been vegan. Since I gave up meat, I have become physically and mentally healthier. I have more energy, and feel generally more at peace with my environment and myself. There was no aspect of this transition that involved sacrifice to me; I truly feel that I have gained so much from becoming vegan. I have discovered an array of different foods and cultures, and met many wonderful people because of my decision to give up meat.