Veganversary

veg·an. n.

One who practices veganism and does not consume or use animal products, notably meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. People become vegans for a variety of reasons, including ethical concerns for animal rights or the environment, as well as perceived health benefits and spiritual or religious concerns.

Three years ago on 4-11-06, I made a momentous decision and commitment in my personal life.

During my lunch break, while having chicken n’ dumplings soup, I came upon Jennifer McCann’s blog, Vegan Lunch Box. McCann is a stay-at-home mom who lives, cooks, and eats in Washington State. The blog showcases an amazing array of entirely meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free (vegan) lunches that McCann prepares for her then 8-year-old son Shmoo.

On the blog, McCann had the link “Why vegan? An introduction to veganism." Clicking on that link radically changed my life.

After spending my entire lunch break browsing the entire site, I made a decision right then to stop eating meat and become a vegan; I even threw away the rest of my lunch, that’s how disgusted I was by everything that I had just read and seen about animal cruelty. I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into, and how it would radically change my life, but all I knew was that I couldn’t continue being a part of a society that contributed to the cruelty of animals. I just couldn’t.

I'm a person of extremes, so for me, when I decided to do my part in reducing and eventually ending animal cruelty, I wanted to do it big, so I went from being a complete omnivore- eating everything (I have even said before in the past “How come there’s no meat at this breakfast!”)- to taking the plunge head on into complete veganism.

I've always been an animal lover, we had numerous pets when I was growing up, but I never transcended that compassion and love for animals into my lifestyle. I said I loved animals and was against animal cruelty, yet I wasn’t even a vegetarian, let alone a vegan, I was eating hamburgers and buying P&G products like everyone else.

So why the sudden change back then at the age of 26? I had just seen the documentary Dealing Dogs. I couldn’t believe that such heartlessness existed. I was shocked and numbed. From there, I started doing more research and then, I came upon the Vegan Outreach site. In addition, my darling Siamese cat Fiona was also a major reason why I made the switch. How could I love her so much, yet continue to eat meat?

That was three years ago.

And I hope to continue my compassion.

God willing.

A lot of people ask me, "What do you eat?" In response, I came up with my vegan guide for the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. You can find it here.

I hope that my life can be an example for others. It is easy. It can be done. If I can do it, anyone can. Trust me.

If you want to make a difference, then I recommend this site:

GoVeg

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi, statesman and philosopher

"Whatever you do unto the least of my brothers, you do it unto me."

(Matthew 25:40)