Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

[KayVegan]

I know I can't change the world, but I don't want a single dollar of mine to support these types of farms.


Very true and very nice quote, I sympathise with it. That is why Mahatma Ghandi's statement means so much to me: Be the change you want to see in the world!

Every single person on the face on this earth can make a difference. In a good way or in a bad way.

I am very glad you made that good choice, BagelKitty.

[songlife]

II cut out dairy for singing a few years ago and I'd go for periods with no red meat or only fish.

Then I learned the truth that fish do have the neuroreceptors to feel pain and everything else.

When I first heard of veganism a few years ago (took me a while, I lived in Alberta *shudder*) I thought it sounded like a very noble and extreme thing to do, but that we are naturally omnivores.

I re-met an amazing raw vegan chef who was friends with my brother my bro's friend when I was little. He made me the most amazing raw vegan food that there is in the entire world, and it suddenly dawned on me that I'd been completely ignorant to an entire reality for my whole life and that there was OBVIOUSLY no reason not to be a vegan.

At that moment of illumination, I suddenly has no desire to consume animal products, ever ever again. I went from omni to vegan cold-turkey, and I didn't even see it coming. There was nothing leading up to it, no last hamburger, no last piece of cheese, no goodbyes. It was just... f* ack it, that's it, no more.

Only after suddenly going from omni to vegan did I discover things like rice milk and tempeh. Honestly, I thought it was dumb that I never ate that stuff as an omni.

edit: and 3 weeks ago for the very first time since I became vegan almost a year ago, I broke down crying for a few hours over the countless murders I'd committed to poor suffering animals. I don't know how to properly repent. How could I ever??! I didn't mean to ever cause pain or suffering. I simply can't believe how stupid I was. I'm over the senseless blind murder now, but still... I generally live in happiness and confidence but sometimes I still wonder why I didn't make the change when I was 5. Seriously, I knew murder was wrong when I was 5. Why did it take me 17 more years to figure it out!!!

[gogirlanime]

I wasn't vegan because I wasn't educated about how important it is to be vegan. I knew animals we being hurt to some extent, but I thought it was just their death. I also didn't think it was important health wise, but now I have educated myself through several books, internet articles and more. Being vegan is an important role to take.

[DiaShel]

II cut out dairy for singing a few years ago and I'd go for periods with no red meat or only fish.

Then I learned the truth that fish do have the neuroreceptors to feel pain and everything else.

When I first heard of veganism a few years ago (took me a while, I lived in Alberta *shudder*) I thought it sounded like a very noble and extreme thing to do, but that we are naturally omnivores.

I re-met an amazing raw vegan chef who was friends with my brother my bro's friend when I was little. He made me the most amazing raw vegan food that there is in the entire world, and it suddenly dawned on me that I'd been completely ignorant to an entire reality for my whole life and that there was OBVIOUSLY no reason not to be a vegan.

At that moment of illumination, I suddenly has no desire to consume animal products, ever ever again. I went from omni to vegan cold-turkey, and I didn't even see it coming. There was nothing leading up to it, no last hamburger, no last piece of cheese, no goodbyes. It was just... f* ack it, that's it, no more.

Only after suddenly going from omni to vegan did I discover things like rice milk and tempeh. Honestly, I thought it was dumb that I never ate that stuff as an omni.

edit: and 3 weeks ago for the very first time since I became vegan almost a year ago, I broke down crying for a few hours over the countless murders I'd committed to poor suffering animals. I don't know how to properly repent. How could I ever??! I didn't mean to ever cause pain or suffering. I simply can't believe how stupid I was. I'm over the senseless blind murder now, but still... I generally live in happiness and confidence but sometimes I still wonder why I didn't make the change when I was 5. Seriously, I knew murder was wrong when I was 5. Why did it take me 17 more years to figure it out!!!

You can't feel bad that it took so long. You should be proud to have figured out at 21 what 99% of people go their whole lives not realizing.

[JohnnyZu]

Having read nothing of this thread before posting....
Having been a vegetarian for two years before becoming a vegan, I new little of animal suffering. After becoming a vegetarian, I began to learn. I then had a hard time believing that I could survive without dairy. When I realized I could I was so excited!
I mean: I was so excited!

[wildcatstrike]

II cut out dairy for singing a few years ago and I'd go for periods with no red meat or only fish.

Then I learned the truth that fish do have the neuroreceptors to feel pain and everything else.

When I first heard of veganism a few years ago (took me a while, I lived in Alberta *shudder*) I thought it sounded like a very noble and extreme thing to do, but that we are naturally omnivores.

I re-met an amazing raw vegan chef who was friends with my brother my bro's friend when I was little. He made me the most amazing raw vegan food that there is in the entire world, and it suddenly dawned on me that I'd been completely ignorant to an entire reality for my whole life and that there was OBVIOUSLY no reason not to be a vegan.

At that moment of illumination, I suddenly has no desire to consume animal products, ever ever again. I went from omni to vegan cold-turkey, and I didn't even see it coming. There was nothing leading up to it, no last hamburger, no last piece of cheese, no goodbyes. It was just... f* ack it, that's it, no more.

Only after suddenly going from omni to vegan did I discover things like rice milk and tempeh. Honestly, I thought it was dumb that I never ate that stuff as an omni.

edit: and 3 weeks ago for the very first time since I became vegan almost a year ago, I broke down crying for a few hours over the countless murders I'd committed to poor suffering animals. I don't know how to properly repent. How could I ever??! I didn't mean to ever cause pain or suffering. I simply can't believe how stupid I was. I'm over the senseless blind murder now, but still... I generally live in happiness and confidence but sometimes I still wonder why I didn't make the change when I was 5. Seriously, I knew murder was wrong when I was 5. Why did it take me 17 more years to figure it out!!!

You sound awesome! I love your story of becoming vegan :D ! You shouldn't feel too bad about what you used to eat though and all the animals that suffered over those years. Most vegans used to eat meat and dairy at some point and there's nothing we can do about that now. But just be proud that you've made the change and that you aren't contributing to it anymore. :thumbsup:

[Klytemnest]

=songlife;483358]II cut out dairy for singing a few years ago and I'd go for periods with no red meat or only fish.

Oh, my goodness, a fellow singer! What kind of music do you sing?


Then I learned the truth that fish do have the neuroreceptors to feel pain and everything else.

Before I became vegan pain and suffering were simply not within my range of concern. I figured, hey, this is how the world is - animal kill other animals in order to live. It sucks, but hey, whatareyagonnado?!

Around the time the idea to vecome a vegan was brewing in my head (summer of 2006), I did a bit of research, and found an article about how scientists now believe that fish do feel pain. And that did it. I have not eaten fish since.

[umbilical]

i was raised to eat death :( by a christian family

[Klytemnest]

edit: and 3 weeks ago for the very first time since I became vegan almost a year ago, I broke down crying for a few hours over the countless murders I'd committed to poor suffering animals. I don't know how to properly repent. How could I ever??! I didn't mean to ever cause pain or suffering. I simply can't believe how stupid I was. I'm over the senseless blind murder now, but still... I generally live in happiness and confidence but sometimes I still wonder why I didn't make the change when I was 5. Seriously, I knew murder was wrong when I was 5. Why did it take me 17 more years to figure it out!!!

Wow... I feel almost exactly the same way. I never wept over the past "sins", but I do know what you mean. I also felt guilty for not having become vegan sooner. But I remind myself that the past no longer exists. We cannot fix it. All we can do is make wise decisions in the present so the future will be better. I think "repent" literally means "to turn around", so you already have repented.

Hey, don't feel bad. It could have been worse. I was 29 when I became a vegetarian, and I was 37 when I went vegan. You are WAY ahead of me in that respect. Congratulations!

The things is, if we continue to grow, as our thinking evolves, we will have many more such experiences. Who knows, maybe five years from now you or I may come to the realization that the world would have been a better place if we stopped driving cars or using cell phones ten years earlier. But all we can do is our best. As long as you are sincere and honest with yourself, as long as your intentions are good, I don't think you should be hard on yourself. I, for one, am proud of you.

Take care,

Rami

[Klytemnest]

Having read nothing of this thread before posting....
Having been a vegetarian for two years before becoming a vegan, I new little of animal suffering. After becoming a vegetarian, I began to learn. I then had a hard time believing that I could survive without dairy. When I realized I could I was so excited!
I mean: I was so excited!

I was an ovo-lacto-pesco-"vegetarian" for seven yearrs before choosing to become a vegan. I also knew nothing of the suffering of animals during that period. I became a vegetarian for health reasons, not because of my concern for the suffering of animals. I mean, I knew that slaughtering cows was a terrible thing, but I had no idea what chickens go through in order for us to have eggs, what cows have to undergo in order for us to have milk and cheese, what sheep go through so we can have wool... Once I found out, that was it. I think most people don't know. Some people do and simply don't give a damn. But I think if ALL people knew, a large percentage would care. Not all of them would go vegan, but they would take at least a step or two to minimize animal suffering with the choices they make.

Speaking of dairy, lately I have been enjoying using vegan gourmet cheese. I heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan, and then I melt some vegan cheese in it. Then I sautee my vegan burgers - and they come out absolutely delicious! Sometimes I add pine nuts or cashews, sometimes a bit of kale... So yes, it is pretty exciting that giving up dairy did not mean giving up the taste of cheese.

[kaLi]

Ignorance. I didn't even know what it was until I started reading vegetarian books. I thought vegan and vegetarian were the same thing :)

[Klytemnest]

[quote=KayVegan;481334] Of all people, an omnivore made me question my vegetarianism. I changed. On the spot. And became a vegan. So glad I did.

That's interesting. A similar thing happened to me too. On another board an poster (who I think was anti-Semitic) had posted that PeTA video of the Kosher slaughterhouse in which a hapless cow is moaning in agony over a long period of time before it dies. His point was that Jewish slaughterhouses were inhumane. I proudly joined the discussion saying that I was a vegetarian and had not eaten meat in seven years. So, even though I had not become a vegetarian for ethical reasons, I was not contributing to the suffering of animals. Well, this omnivore went on to tell me how the consumption of dairy and eggs contributed a great deal to animal suffering. For some reason he was OK with that. But I wasn't. He made me think, he made me learn.

About a year later I e-mailed him and told him that what he had told me had made a difference and that I had become a vegan. Of course, his intention was to inject some anti-Jewish sentiment into the discussion, but instead he helped me decide to become a vegan. Cool, huh?


It was not difficult at all. Many vegetarian (and definetely omnivores) think that being a vegan means sacrificing but it is not like that at all! The minute I have stopped consuming animal products - milk, cheese, eggs, wool, silk, etc. (leather I did not use either when I was vegetarian) I felt so reliefed and I never sacrifice at all.

I know. I did not feel I was giving anything up. I certainly do not miss meat, eggs or dairy. Well, I do feel very restricted when I eat out. But at home it's no problem. Heck, it's better!


Looking back on those many years where I was living life as a vegetarian to me is a loss. Unfo I can not undo that. I wish for more people to make that change and go vegan.

I don't feel that my seven years of "vegetarianism" were a loss. I did not eat chicken, beef, pork, rabbit, venison, turkey, etc... It certainly was better than being an omnivore. Yes, going vegan would have been better still, but let us not forget that even veganism contributes to animal suffering. Every time we eat iceberg lettuce, we are killing lettuce mites. I don't think it is possible to completely eliminate animal suffering. All we can do is reduce it to the best of our ability, by making intelligent, well-informed choices. So, don't be so hard on yourself. You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. The past does not exist anymore. You cannot fix it. The important thing is that you did become a vegan and are making ethical, conscientious choices now and thus affecting the future. That is more than what most people do.



Today I feel strange about vegetarians when they claim to feel so sorry for the animals and do not condone the cruelty but they can not do without animal products.

It is not my intention at all to offend some vegetarians but I hope they can realize the difference. A vegetarian might make a change to the climatic disaster but he / she does not contribute a major change for the animals.


We all could probably do better. There is always room for improvement. And sometimes change is incremental. I always loved animals but animal suffering was simply not my concern when I decided to become a vegetarian. I had heart disease in my family and so I decided to start eating better. It wasn't until I was confronted with animal suffering that I began to think about it and how my actions were still contributing to it. It became an issue that was important to me. Until then it was simply not something I thought about.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found;
was blind, but now I see."

Can I get an "Ay-men"?

[Klytemnest]

That is exactly how I feel! I don't want to push anything on people, but at the same time I want to say SOMETHING. A lot of people checking at Whole Foods are just young kids, who actually have no clue about health or veggies/vegans. Although there are some really good employees in the acutal store to help with things.

The thing that bothers me is that some people think all we eat is salad. That's probably because they associate the word "vegetarian" with "vegetable". I myself did not know that the term vegetarian was not derived from "vegetable" but from the Latin "vegetus", which means "whole". If the vegetarian diet consisted of nothing but lettuce, shredded carrots, broccoli and fruit, I also would not and could not be a vegetarian. Unfortunately I did not have time to explain the vegan pyramid to this kid.

Yes, I agree with you that Whole Foods has some wonderful, knowledgeable, helpful employees who do not treat us as if we were weirdoes.

[EcoTribalVegan]

I came from a huge meat-and-potatos type of family myself. I managed to cut my meat consumption down to about once a week while in university; practically living alone. Once I moved out the transition became much easier as well. And to my surprise my mom makes some excellent vegan meals for me when I'm over.

[Aurore]

I come from an omnivore family, i thinks that sums it up.

[clueless]

Before I went vegan I was a vegetarian. I wasn't a vegan because I didn't know there was any cruelty involved with dairy products... call me stupid I know. Now I know better. :faint_smilie: In fact I distinctly remember saying, "I could never go vegan." And here I am.

[hgpns]

Though I'm glad less animals are hurt by veganism, that was never what pushed me to become a vegan. I'm a pre-med student and I feel like someone in that field should be in great health (I've seen too many unhealthy physicians and such that I simply do not trust). My search for how to become healthy led me to vegetarianism, then veganism, and now raw veganism. Each step made me feel healthier and healthier. So health is why I became raw vegan.

[vegan-yogini]

Mainly for convenience. It was easier to eat what I fed my family, than to cook a separate meal for me. Now that my kids are grown and gone, I don't have to cater to their tastes anymore. My husband is even eating less meat and, if he wants meat, he knows he has to cook it himself.

I was vegetarian long before I became vegan just because I couldn't stand the thought of meat, but for some reason milk, butter, cheese, eggs, honey & silk didn't bother me. It was only when I started considering the suffering of animals that I cut out dairy, eggs, honey, fur, leather, & silk.

So, I became vegan for several reasons:

1) After watching "Earthlings" the thought of the pain and suffering of the animals in the meat, dairy, fur & leather hurt me deeply. The scene where this poor little fox had been skinned, but was still alive and looking around broke my heart. Basically, the practice of Ahimsa was a life-changing event for me.

2) I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes (even though I was in great shape, not overweight and worked out regularly) and the removal of a precancerous colon polyp in the same year. Vegans have a 40% less risk of developing colon cancer and much less risk of developing diabetes. Since I have become vegan, I no longer have to take medication to control my blood sugar and only time will tell about the re-occurrence of the colon polyps.

3) For ecological reasons. The C02 levels caused by the ranching industry. If everyone ate vegan, they would be more food to go around --instead of Americans being fat and happy while parts of the world are starving.


Namaste

[freudianxslipp]

I actually didn't even turn vegetarian until I was 16 (around October or November of 2007), and once I did, I really started thinking "If I'm going to use animal biproducts, why not be disgusting and eat the animal?" so I stopped all use of biproducts and.. here I am.
The other two main reasons were, for one, health. It's disgustingly unhealthy to consume animals/products and I've always been over weight. After seeing how unhealthy my family has become, I decided I was going to make a change. And.. the other reason, as obvious as this may be.. is how gross factory farming is. It's inhumane. I even bought the Skinny B**ch book to read more about it. It's horrible.. I really couldn't stop crying. And.. as weird as this may sound, I think the worst thing ANYONE could do is take milk from baby cows JUST to give to humans. How stupid.

Anyway, it was... so hard at first. I didn't even have a birthday cake for my 17th birthday because every bakery good contains milk, eggs and or honey.
Wasn't too long after that and I got the hang of it. I found convenience in grocery stores such as Wild Oats (Whole Foods in some areas), and Trader Joe's. I also took a trip from Indianapolis to Chicago with my family to enjoy all of the vegan/vegan friendly restaurants there like the Chicago Diner.

[kasitera]

Well, I went vegetarian when I was 14 thanks to an ex boyfriend. At 15 I did want to go vegan but the same ex was quite controlling and didn't "allow" it because he thought it was too extreme. When I was 17 I really started to research veganism and was horrified by what I saw/read, went vegan and have never looked back.

[Ace]

Before I became a vegan or vegetarian, I just didn't know that there was a choice. I was 12 when I decided to become a vegetarian, and my family was shocked. It was just the way people are brought up. Eating meat was like breathing...considered normal. No-one ever tells you what happens inorder to get that meat. I think that if people actually thought about where their food comes from, or what happens to get their meat, they might consider changing. But people just dont take the time to really think about what eating meat is. Not to mention how unhealthy it is for you, and just wrong. So basically it was an un-informed decision to stay eating meat. Like my parents who are die-hard meat eaters were gonna teach me. Veganism is so much healthier and good in so many othere ways.

[Klytemnest]

Before I became a vegan or vegetarian, I just didn't know that there was a choice. I was 12 when I decided to become a vegetarian, and my family was shocked. It was just the way people are brought up. Eating meat was like breathing...considered normal. No-one ever tells you what happens inorder to get that meat. I think that if people actually thought about where their food comes from, or what happens to get their meat, they might consider changing. But people just dont take the time to really think about what eating meat is. Not to mention how unhealthy it is for you, and just wrong. So basically it was an un-informed decision to stay eating meat. Like my parents who are die-hard meat eaters were gonna teach me. Veganism is so much healthier and good in so many othere ways.

Hi Ace; welcome to the forum.

I can relate to your experience. I wish I had been as wise as you and chosen to become a vegetarian at such an early age...

You bring up an interesting point - that if people actually thought about where their meat comes from they might consider veganism. That was the case with me. Once I was faced with the facts, the cold, cruel facts, of how meat, dairy, eggs, etc. get to our plate, I could no longer willingly and knowingly participate in the torture and killing of innocent beings. But I know people who DO know these same facts, and simply don't care. I know people who do know these facts, do care, but are simply unwilling to give up meat. It saddens me to say this, but I don't think education will be enough. Ultimately most people are gonna do what they want to do - and then find a way to justify their actions.

I like the several different reasons for going vegan presented on the CD-Rom Meat Your Meat. Compassion is only one of the reasons to go vegan. It was the number-one reason for me, but there is also the issue of health, the environment, poverty, etc. Hopefully one of these reasons will appeal to everyone on the planet. And hopefully more than a mere fraction of all people will consider veganism.

Nice talking to you,

Rami

[mary_rose_tudor]

My family culture basically was contingent upon eating meat.
Thankfully, that has now changed!

[vegan_quilter]

Oh this is such a good thread - and I see many others feel the same! :)

My parents have been off and on vegetarians for years, and I'd always had an interest in vegetarians. I remember making numerous failed attempts as a teenager out of fascination, but it wasn't until I met a friend who was vegan who inspired me through her passion for animals, that I discovered my own incentive.

Before that time, in all honesty, I just never really thought that much about it. What keeps drawing me back more than anything, is how good I feel when I'm vegan - not only physically, but in a way, spiritually as well.

[imblissful]

Reasons for me not being vegan before becoming vegan;

1. Grew up in a hunting family, we always had elk, deer, bear, antelope in the freezer. Married a hunter when I left home, his family is also a big hunting family.

2. I was always told that we needed to eat meat to stay healthy. (I believed this for so long)

3. Living where I do there is not as much organic fresh fruit/veggies available year round.

4. Expense. You can only eat so much beans, rice, pasta before you want something better/different. Like I said on #3 great veggies/fruit is hard to come by in the winter.

5. Eating out. ugh! You don't find many people here that are vegan, so we aren't catered to.

6. Cooking, making different meals for all the members of the family. But I have learned to start with the vegan portion (usually pasta and a sauce) then have several sides that can be added (such as meat for my husband and son or mushrooms for my daughter and myself).

My sister tried vegan for a few days and said it was just too hard to do.