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Thread: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

  1. #301
    DavidT's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?
    Once you're vegan, good on you.

    And the question doesn't matter!

  2. #302

    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Like most others here,

    1) I thought vegetarianism was cruelty free, veganism seemed extreme to me
    2) I liked cheese & milk, and the products they live in
    3) I thought veganism was a lot harder than it actually is (Eat food, not too much, mostly plants)
    4) I didn't know how to/want to cook proper meals
    5) Laziness
    6) Misconceptions over the price of veganism

    In all honesty, I think point 4/5 was the sticking point for me. Prepared sauces, quorn and filled pasta are tasty and easy. Now I cook three meals a day, mostly from scratch, I find that I a) enjoy cooking and b) It's really not that hard. Really, spending the time stood in the kitchen while I stir up a can of chickpeas with some chopped tomatoes, veggies and spices to have over rice takes only a little longer than boiling some pasta and throwing in some sauce.

    Also, I think I somehow thought it was very expensive and you *needed* all these specialist products in order to enjoy a meal. My Husband's fav meal of the week is Pizza, which we normally have at the weekend. This costs less than a £1 to make... I could very occasionally get a small, unpleasant, cheese and tomato pizza for about that when it was on special... and then I'd have to add extra cheese to make it palatable. Yes, there are probably a lot of vegans who live on fake cheese, expensive flavoured fake meats, and ready meals, but it's not a nessesscity. Even the cost of things like nuts etc which are the most expensive things I but are not that expensive if you shop about and go for specials. I think my grocery bill is about £30 a week for both of us, including our packed lunches. I honestly think I probably spend about the same if not a little more on feeding my three cats then I do myself!

  3. #303
    DavidT's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    That is a really good post, Ms D.

  4. #304

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Yup, that summed it up for me too pretty much. The initial turning point for me though was discovering the impact of livestock farming on our planet; that was where my interest began.

  5. #305
    Quirky Vegan Kate1978's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Why not vegan?

    Ages 0-12 Ate what my parents ate, brought up that eating meat was normal

    Ages 12-18 Wanted to be a vegetarian but discouraged by parents (you're still growing, it's not healthy...). Veganism wasn't even on the radar.

    Ages 18-29 Thought vegetarianism was enough, couldn't see the point of veganism. Love of cheese (thought of it now makes me feel nauseous). Thought vegans were taking things a bit far (although I did avoid wearing leather and bought only cruelty free cosmetics). Didn't know any other vegans. Thought eggs, dairy etc were ok as no animals were killed (so innocent back then).

    Age 29+ Finally became an adult and weaned myself off dairy!!

  6. #306
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I'm the same as many of you. All my life I was taught that milk was good for you and animal protein was far superior to plant protein and so on. I really didn't think it was possible to be vegan and healthy. So I have diabetes, inflammatory disorder of the connective tissues similar to lupus, barrett's esophagus, my c reactive protein is sky high and I have high blood pressure. Because of all these things plus family history, I'm a huge risk for heart attack and stroke, and my inflammation was so bad that I was in constant pain and barely able to work, plus I was desperately tired all the time and couldn't do anything at all outside of what work I could do. No energy for dishes, laundry, chores, let alone being able to do something fun.

    So I went to a wellness doctor and he gave me "The China Study" to read. I had been an animal lover all my life and tried to go vegetarian several times, once going as long as 1.5 years without meat. I got severe anemia and started eating red meat again which cleared it up. I honestly thought that even ovo-lacto-vegetarianism wasn't healthy, and especially not for me who was already diabetic and didn't get proper use of my food.

    When I read the book, my eyes were opened, and I tried it for a week and felt better than I had in a long time. Now it's only been about 2 weeks and I'm totally convinced. I have more energy, hurt much less, my inflammation is receding, I've lost some weight which I needed to lose, my skin feels softer, my vision is improving, and I feel great. I'm especially glad I don't have to hurt animals any more to live. I was very upset when I thought, before, that it was absolutely necessary for me to live. Now I know better.

    It went against dietary rules that I've been taught my entire life, so it took a lot of evidence to convince me to try it. Now I'm so glad I did. I keep evangelizing everyone I know who has diabetes or inflammation or high cholesterol or any other problem like that, the diseases of affluence.

    I get to eat as much as I want now and I don't crave food. I have no cravings at all. The food I eat is more delicious to me than anything in a long while. I really feel like it's a miracle and I'm going to get completely well. I'm so happy.

  7. #307
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    The meat and dairy industry subverts most information regarding diet. Vegans have made the break; question everything and stay free.

  8. #308

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote DavidT View Post
    ...question everything and stay free.
    Couldn't agree more.

  9. #309
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote Kate1978 View Post
    Why not vegan?
    Ages 0-12 Ate what my parents ate, brought up that eating meat was normal
    Ages 12-18 Wanted to be a vegetarian but discouraged by parents (you're still growing, it's not healthy...). Veganism wasn't even on the radar.
    Ages 18-29 Thought vegetarianism was enough, couldn't see the point of veganism. Love of cheese (thought of it now makes me feel nauseous). Thought vegans were taking things a bit far (although I did avoid wearing leather and bought only cruelty free cosmetics). Didn't know any other vegans. Thought eggs, dairy etc were ok as no animals were killed (so innocent back then).
    Age 29+ Finally became an adult and weaned myself off dairy!!
    That is almost exactly what I did Kate. Except I was 17 when I turned veggie and 30 when I turned vegan.

  10. #310
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was in denial, and weak... I suppose. I went vegetarian when I was 12, knowing no veg*ns, and then vegan at 14. To be honest, with no people to influence your actions, that age was pretty good all things considered. I've always loved animals, and been very aware of their suffering. I think that going vegan just seemed a natural step to take so I did. I found it quite hard though because my dad's a farmer, and my mum was very against it at first. Now my two brothers and dad are vegetarian, but my mum remains stubborn. Still, I think that converting a farmer to vegetarianism is quite an accomplishment!

  11. #311

    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Too gluttonous and selfish to make the change.
    Put my love of certain foods (cheese) over my love of animals.
    Let my food issues get the best of me.

    The list goes on...

  12. #312
    Wild Thing everdream's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I never gave animal welfare a thought. I didn't think about it at all, not even to think 'animals don't get hurt...' (which of course I now know to not be true)

    Also, I bought into the 'dairy is good - drink your milk!' I believed that we needed lots of calcium, all 1300mg of it. But now I know that by following a vegan diet, my requirements drop dramatically.

    also, I believed it to be inconvenient. What would happen when I eat out? What about eating at home? I eat at home vegan very happily now, but eating out is still a bit of an issue. I do have to plan and bring food with me, which annoys the hell out of my mother.

  13. #313

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I wasn't Vegan before (just vegetarian) because I didn't have a job and my family threatened to kick me out for not eating the food they gave me. I determined to avoid animal products at all costs because it violates my morals though. I think things are getting a little better, and I'll be moving away soon.

  14. #314
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I didn't even know what a Vegan was until I first heard the term back in 2002 or 2003. Growing up, I never really questioned or thought about what I ate. I just ate whatever was handed to me. I think that's how most of us were. We were all raised in a commercialistic world where it's rather easy to be blinded by what and how the world is sopposed to be. The way I was eating, I just thought everyone ate like that, never thinking we had a choice.

    Chock it up to a naive child-hood too. When I was a little kid, I used to think you absolutely had to put Manonaise on a sandwhich. Otherwise you couldn't eat it.

    People grow up thinking you're supposed to live one way and eat certain foods for so long that it becomes difficult to believe otherwise that one can live without. Take clothes for example. While they are definentally a minority when compared to Vegans such as us, nudists can and do live without clothes. The majority of people( Or, a more broader term, Society ) would say otherwise. Saying you absolutely have to wear clothes to live. If that were true we'd be born with them.

    I firmly believe that if I had learned the truth about what I ate much earlier in life and learned of this lifestyle I would have embraced it back then with open arms. It would certainly have made my life so much easier. I'd never have gotten fat and I wouldn't be in the prediciment I am now, feeling extremely sub-conscious about my absolutely gross, loose, hanging stomach skin flap. And I would probably have embraced weight/body training sooner in life, and have had a much better time in High School then I did( Granted my High School life was still a blast, if I was also uber sexy muscular and star of the Football team on top of being a part of the Drama Department, it would have been much awesomer.

    I'd also probably be taller then I currently am. Being currently into bettering my body and spirit. I'd probably have researched exactly what foods and nutrients stimulates body growth early on( As early as 7 or 9 ) and tried my best to optimize my diet to make sure that I grow to be at least 6 foot 7 or 6 foor 6. Not the weakly 5 foot 5 man I am now. And it's too late for me to grow. D:.

    So, to recap. The reason I wasn't this way sooner was due to being blinded by mass commercialism and socialism.

  15. #315
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I just didn't care. I didn't care about animal welfare at all, hardly ever crossed my mind. It seems weird thinking back now, I feel like a totally different person.

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Vegan???? What's a Vegan? I thought we were here to chat about Star Trek!

  17. #317
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    ^^

  18. #318
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote PinkFluffyCloud View Post
    Yes, I've always felt that way about names - they're misleading!!
    If 'milk' was called 'Bovine Breast Milk', for example, it might put people off a bit, or if 'Eggs' were called 'Chicken's Menstrual Waste Matter Ovoids' or some such, the truth might out!!
    Wow! Awesome! Excellently put!

  19. #319
    Tofurky Addict KariBerry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was uneducated and ignorant as to what exactly I was consuming. I regret those days greatly I wish everyday I would have done the research earlier. Being an animal lover and a meat eater completly contradicts in my opinion I wish I would have seen it sooner!

  20. #320
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote Janet View Post
    Vegan???? What's a Vegan? I thought we were here to chat about Star Trek!
    I LOVE STAR TREK!

    But I love ANIMALS MORE.

  21. #321
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    When I was younger, I didn't think so much about the consequences of my actions. I was more care-free.

    I was vegetarian for many years as I grew up (my dad was and is veggie) and kind of thought that was enough.

    My best friend turning vegan inspired me to go vegan too.

    He was inspired by a close friend too.

    Before my friend went vegan, I didn't know any vegans. I often need someone to inspire me to do something or show that it is possible.

    It seems to me that it is only vegans who will tell you the truth about how animal products are produced. Most consumers of animal products either don't know how they are produced or choose not to think about how they are produced. Because of this you can live without having to confront the reality of your ways because no-one (except vegans) else wants to confront it either. Our society is brainwashed and clouded by lies.

    If I had my way Earthlings would be shown as part of school education.

  22. #322
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Main reason I hadn't gone vegan before last week?

    I bought into the hype about dairy/eggs being good for you and essential. "If I don't drink milk I'll get osteoporosis!" "If I don't eat eggs I won't get enough protein and my muscles will waste away and my hair will fall out and blahblahblah..." But I really, wholeheartedly believed all that for a very long time.

  23. #323

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    My mum told me that meat was artificially produced and contained no animals - I don't judge her for lying to me, her upbringing taught her that meat and dairy was essential to good health even though deep down she knew that wasnt the case. At 5 years old I believed her and ate very tiny amounts reluctantly until one day she gave me a sunday times article on battery chickens. I cried so much, she told me that she'd support me to become vegetarian. I became a vegetarian from that day - 15 years too late, but at least I became what I should have been at birth. Since then I am vegan and my children too. My mum supports everything I do and is proud of my position on animal rights and diet - unfortunately she will never be veggie or vegan but she has supports my family's veganism.

    There is alot to be said for upbringing. We need to teach our children that they do not need to eat meat to be satisfied. A veggie and vegan diet is far superior for health, vitality and a greener world!

  24. #324

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    ^ Well I'm glad your mom is supportive. It helps so much.

  25. #325
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    [QUOTE=Klytemnest;488648]

    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?



    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!



    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.



    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"?

    AY-MEN! :smile:

  26. #326

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote Roxy View Post
    I have had numerous people tell me that they "tired to be vegetarian" or "tried to be vegan" but it was "too hard".
    Yes. Those people have a higher chance of trying it again, it seems. A friend of mine went vegetarian for a few months during the summer, gave it up, and now is trying it again on a "more permanent" basis.

    I did the same thing, actually. I "tried" vegetarianism for awhile. It seems you have to do it at the right time and for the right motivations for yourself. Many more people are getting there. At least five people I know have gone vegetarian/vegan since September.


    As far as the main topic: Well, I was just too lazy. That's the case in many situations. Aside from that, I was spending the summer with relatives ten states away during the first month of my vegetarianism, which presented too much temptation, I suppose.
    SO, a year and half later I tried again and I've been vegan for nearly a year now. (:

    The second time seems to be the charm in a lot of cases. Not all, but many. Kind of like "trial run... go back & see which waters you'd rather swim in... revelation!"

  27. #327

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote made of sequins View Post
    Main reason I hadn't gone vegan before last week?

    I bought into the hype about dairy/eggs being good for you and essential. "If I don't drink milk I'll get osteoporosis!" "If I don't eat eggs I won't get enough protein and my muscles will waste away and my hair will fall out and blahblahblah..." But I really, wholeheartedly believed all that for a very long time.
    Omnivores actually have been proven to have more vitamin deficiencies than vegans.

    However, it's insanely important that you listen to your body & take steps to ensure that you are getting adequate nutrients/protein.

    I use Fitday.com to track my meals, weight, and nutritional balance.
    It automatically fills in the nutrition of your meals and allows you to customize the food "labels" to be exactly that of the ones that are the products you're eating that day... no discrepancy because you're drinking another brand of soymilk, because you can enter the values accurately.

    After a period of time it becomes quite easy (:
    Good luck to you in your vegan journey.

  28. #328

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    hi all,
    i became vegetarian when 10, eventually i became vegan when 15 in 1978 after a couple of attempts, from memorys of then nothing had ingredients marked and reasearch was limited long before the internet. i can remember finding out our local baker used milk in bread so eating ryvitas and wheatabix not much fun when a teenager and my attempts failed.
    The only margarine i managed to find was tomor and we had to order it from the health food shop by the case, oh times have changed. i didnt even know there was a lable for me at the time and it was 2 years untill i met or knew of another vegan.
    my mum became vegetarian after a few years and a few more years my brother and father followed, that made life a lot simpler.
    i am married to a very understanding (diabetic) vegetarian and we have 3 kids well 2 of them used to be but are all vegetarian.

  29. #329
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    paul46: what an inspiration you must be. Thanks for sharing your story. I remember Tomor as being virtually the only choice around (this was before I became even vegetarian as I was looking for better options than the mainstream Tossco stuff).

    Welcome to the forum and I look forward to reading more about you and your life style. As a vegan of 30 years plus, you definitely should share more of your experiences with us!
    "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

  30. #330

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    thanks david,
    i hadnt thought about it but at over 30 years i now feel old, ta very much.
    paul.

  31. #331
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Don't take offence...I hope you didn't! Not my intention at all.

    I'm older than you and there are plenty of older people on the forum. But many haven't been vegan for the length of time you have (myself, veggie from 1992-ish, vegan for about five or six years). It would be interesting for you to share your views on it following such a length of vegan experience.
    "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

  32. #332

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    no i didnt take offence,
    just a shock that i am that old, the wife says i fart more than the greyhound- she is vegetarian, was vegan but the food was £40.00ish a bag and we use one bag a month, the veggie food is less than £20.00 a bag, still lasts a month, also this food suits her tummy better, less farting and better quality poo! unless she has stolen a vegan coffee cake!!!! i am talking about the dog, of course.
    paul

  33. #333

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was vegetarian for close to two years, and I just became vegan about a month ago. I'm still new to the vegan life!

    At the age of 6, I stopped drinking milk completely. My parents/grandparents would put a glass of milk in front of me and tell me to drink it, but I wouldn't. For one, I didn't like the taste of it; secondly, I told them I didn't want to drink "cows pee" (lol, that's a 6 year old for you...)

    In 6th grade (when I was about 11-12), we made some cheese in my science class. After seeing how disgusting it looked, I didn't want to eat cheese anymore. However, my family was skeptical. They said I would die if I didn't get some sort of protein in me, and since I wasn't drinking milk...cheese was the alternative.

    When I was 16, I decided I no longer wanted to eat meat. The only meats I ever ate to begin with were chicken, beef, and pork; but at 16, I cut out the beef and pork.

    It was very hard for me to get off of chicken for some reason. I liked it a lot, and my family cooked it a lot. Eventually, however, at the age of 18, I finally got the courage to say no more. At this point I was a complete vegetarian.

    My family HATED the idea of me being vegetarian, with them being big meat-eaters and all. But I followed through with it.

    About a month ago, I decided I wanted to go vegan. And I did. My family and friends still hate this idea, but I plan to stick with it.

    So why wasn't I vegan before? Mostly family, and maybe because I was also a bit lazy.

  34. #334
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was vegetarian for a while in my late teens, then pescatarian, then full-on omni. Veganism seemed "extreme" and difficult to maintain healthfully to me, as if vegans took it *too far.*

    Veganism was a gradual process. I learned about over-fishing so - being too lazy to check what species of fish were threatened - I gave up fish. Then I started to look into factory farming, so I gave up meat. I didn't see the logic in wearing animals I didn't eat, so I stopped wearing leather. The final nail in the coffin (ha!) was finding out about vegan varieties of chocolate - so many people think of chocolate as a dairy product!
    "Keep your friends close and your enemies so close... you're almost kissing."

  35. #335
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was born into an omni family and so naturally I was one. I was weaned on soy milk (thank God) because I was allergic to dairy and since then I've hated the taste of cow's milk, though when I was older, the allergy passed and I would have some in coffee and eat cheese.

    I remember when I was young I never really liked the taste of meat, it always seemed to taste like blood to me and so I would eat very little of it.

    I can't remember if I ever questioned where meat came from, but in the back of my mind I knew that it was wrong to eat it, though I still consumed it.

    It was only about a year ago that I became vegetarian because meat no longer agreed with me. I did not even pause to think about the suffering of the animals involved. To think of this now, I feel ashamed and revolted.

    Then very slowly, dairy products and eggs started to make me feel very ill and it was around this time that I FINALLY thought of the animals, not just my health.

    As if in a dream, I was on the internet one day and followed a link to watch Meet your Meat. I forced myself to see the horror of the industry and afterwards I felt ... broken almost. I've always loved animals and imagining their pain was too much. I cried so hard that night. I felt like I was the one murdering those animals. I felt so disgusting. The very next day I became vegan.

    Now, almost three weeks later, I feel great! I feel calmer and healthier, things also seem to taste much better and smell better (well apart from when my family has chicken or fish ).

    My immediate family is supportive of me, (they only eat fish and chicken, which I guess is better but not best. ) though the rest of my family are predominately meat eaters and I'm not exactly looking forward to Christmas with them. Eating out is bad enough.

    Sorry for the long post! But I feel a bit better getting that out there now lol. I just wish that I was born into a vegan family.
    I hate it when I'm studying and a velociraptor throws bananas on me.

  36. #336
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was raised as a meat eater. When I was a teenager, I began to want to go vegetarian. But I didn't know much about veganism back then. I attempted a few times but ended up going back to eating meat. I always told myself that I wanted to be vegan when I grew up and always envisioned myself being a vegan as an adult. Over the years I did research on veganism and even raw veganism, and I was interesting in both but I felt raw veganism was a bit too extreme for me. But all the while I was still eating meat. And this time when finally deciding to go vegan. I just came to see that my eating was very unhealthy and that is was imperative that I do something to change that. I made becoming vegan my New Year's resolution and that I would just be vegetarian for the rest of the year after Thanksgiving. But again after Thanksgiving, I continued to eat meat, even though I wasn't supposed to. But then I decided if this was something I really wanted to do I needed to start now, cold tofu, as I've seen said on the forums So that by the time New Year's comes around it would be second nature. And I haven't even been vegan for a week yet, but I'm loving it and the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner. I haven't told my family yet though. I don't know when I will but I know I'll have to soon. I have started telling some of my friends. My best friend is probably going to get fairly annoyed with all my vegan talk, but yeah well. It's her job to listen to me babble

  37. #337
    Haniska's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Great!
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  38. #338
    patientia
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    First because I didn't have enough information and empathy, then because I started gradually, I became ovo-lacto-vegetarian and 21 months later vegan.

  39. #339
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I went vegetarian when I was 7 (my attempts when I was 6 all failed), because I didn't think I was so very important that animals had to die just so I could eat them. My parents were okay with it as long as I didn't go vegan. When I asked what that was they explained what a bunch of extremist nutcases those people were and told me that when you don't milk a cow or shear a sheep they die. Well, I didn't want them to die obviously, so I kept drinking my milk.
    Then I just didn't think about it for years, until I was 15, did some research and decided I needed to be an extremist nutcase.
    Before that, I guess I just thougt that if a cow had to give milk and chickens laid eggs anyway, we might as well use it.

  40. #340
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Because I loved meat and dairy and I was too lazy to consider what life would be without them. I was weaned on meat and two veg, and have been overweight my entire life. I've tried WeightWatchers time and again, but what let me down was meat... portions were never big enough. I love vegetables and always had a couple of meat free days a week, making my favourite Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash recipe, but couldn't think of being vegetarian, despite at the back of my mind always wanting to be one. And vegans, well I thought vegans were all hippies who went to the Summer Solstice and ate grain and kidney beans. Extremists, I think. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that either, I'm just jealous I can't do things like that!

    When I met my partner he was amazed at how much meat I cooked in a week for my children. He would eat red meat once a fortnight-ish, and fish most of the time. So I became more aware of the amount of red meat we ate. I know to life-long vegans this will be hard to empathise with, but as long as my meat was "ethically sourced" and lean, and we only had beef and lamb anyway, then it was ok to eat it. But my partner got me really thinking. Then this Christmas just past, I had the usual clearing out of the fridge a few days after, and threw away so much meat we hadn't eaten. I felt awful, and made the decision right there and then that I wasn't going to buy meat again. And I didn't. I joined another online forum for veg*ns and told them not to bother trying to persuade me to be vegan as it wouldn't work. I was happy to be veg*n. But then, as I started checking products were veg*n, I found myself looking at the other ingredients and wondering where the hell they came from. Only a few days after becoming a veg*n I decided veganism was the only way to go to rid myself of the guilt and disgust I feel at being an omni for so long. So I did it! And immediately felt a burden of guilt lifted from me. I am happier now than I have been for a long, long time. And it is so easy!

    I've lost in excess of ten pounds in the last three weeks and don't have to worry about sneaking a chocolate bar or two as if it isn't vegan, I don't touch it! - it has made controlling my diet so much easier! And I am never hungry. So all good! I will NEVER go back to eating animals. Its sick and disgusting.
    Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~Albert Einstein

  41. #341
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Hi folks, to be honest i'd never heard of veganism until i was 16. I was brought up into an omni family in an agricultural area, so obviously went to see the spring lambs etc didn't really think anything of it until my mid teens and then wanted to become vegetarian but got all the 'not while you live under my roof' spiel. So i did what i could and learned more about it, there was also a lot of hunting and shooting in the area so i started investigating this too. Eventually my mum agreed that if i sorted out my own food, then i could eat what i liked (this was at 16). However upon leaving school i had decided that i wanted to go hunt sabbing and once i started college i found someone to go with. So one saturday in sept 1988 i was sat in the back of a transit van with these interesting people who were 'vegan' and i thought "yes i can do this, it's the closest thing to living a cruelty free lifestyle" and that was it, 22 years later i'm still as passionate about it. But before that day, had never heard of vegans!

  42. #342

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Uneducated about what really happens to put food on my plate. I just wish I "walked into that brick wall" when I was in my 20's, not when I was already in my 40's. But being vegan has brought me such happiness, so I am grateful that I became vegan before I died.
    All about the animals, Lucia

  43. #343
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote Blueberry View Post
    Then this Christmas just past, I had the usual clearing out of the fridge a few days after, and threw away so much meat we hadn't eaten. I felt awful, and made the decision right there and then that I wasn't going to buy meat again.
    That's my least favourite omni habit. My BF sometimes forgets about meat he has taken out of the freezer until it is too late. Drives me spare!
    "Keep your friends close and your enemies so close... you're almost kissing."

  44. #344
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Foolish pride and ignorance.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

  45. #345
    LiveVegan
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was vegetarian 17 years before going vegan. Mainly the reason was because I couldn't afford vegan alternative to cheese. Then I decided finally, "hell with it". I was already not eating eggs and honey and all that. The only thing I ate was occasional taco cheese and nachos. But I couldn't call myself a vegan even if I only ate that stuff once a month or so. I still can't find vegan cheese that tastes like nacho or taco cheese, so I just don't eat that food anymore. RIP nachos and tacos, how I loved thee.

  46. #346

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    Default Re: my thoughts

    Quote Unregistered View Post
    i've been vegan for eight years (i'm 24.) i do not have any other friends who are vegan. quite a few veggies but no vegan.

    sometimes i ask myself the question you've asked above - Why aren't these people vegan? They're intelligent, educated, opinionated. What is happening?

    But then i have one other friend who reminds me, People are never going to be all the same.

    So over the time i found that if i can educate others of where their food comes from and what is in it - then that is enough for me. If they *still* decide to eat it, then that is their own perogative. I can not force feed the world.

    What irritates me most as a vegan, is not that other people aren't vegan, it is those people who scream at me 'Don't tell me what's in this!!' as they are eating. I find that incomprehensible.

    People who actively decide to be uneducated. They make an effort to be uneducated. That is what gets to me. By all means, learn the facts then make your own decision, but to refuse them in the first place... crikey.

    anyways, that's my two cents
    Seriously, I couldn't have said it better myself! I just had this convo with two of my omni friends today, and after a long day of pleading my case via email with them, I gave up. It left me drained and depressed. It is really hard to be Vegan sometimes, and I am totally proud of myself for sticking to my guns with it. But, I dont know one other person who is Vegan or even Veggie. I felt totally alone in the world before I decided to hop on here. I have been Vegan for just about a year now and plan on staying that way until the day I die!! My friends think I am a zany tree loving hippie and they just don't understand me. Frankly, I don't understand them! And, Im tired of trying to always be PC about the way I feel. If they can eat meat in front of me, then I can tell them where it came from.

  47. #347
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote LiveVegan View Post
    I was vegetarian 17 years before going vegan. Mainly the reason was because I couldn't afford vegan alternative to cheese. Then I decided finally, "hell with it". I was already not eating eggs and honey and all that. The only thing I ate was occasional taco cheese and nachos. But I couldn't call myself a vegan even if I only ate that stuff once a month or so. I still can't find vegan cheese that tastes like nacho or taco cheese, so I just don't eat that food anymore. RIP nachos and tacos, how I loved thee.

    Hahah, I often hear people saying that they couldn't go vegan because they'd be giving up cheese. Too bad the good-tasting stuff has to be evil.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

  48. #348

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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    I was ignorant of the suffering animals endured and had the misconception that veganism was extreme until I learned more about the abuses intrinsic in non-food areas such as the wool industry. Not being vegan seems so clearly wrong to me now that I am very ashamed I was ever an omni, but understanding what kept me from making the decision sooner is a key element in promoting veganism and changing the minds of others. One major thing I now admit to myself is my ignorance was a choice. I'm not an idiot--obviously I knew there was suffering. I just chose not to think about it. One day I realized I was personally responsible for the suffering. I couldn't close my eyes to it any more. why I didn't have that epiphany years earlier, I don't know.

  49. #349
    Divided by 0 MoonDance's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    Quote Joi View Post
    One major thing I now admit to myself is my ignorance was a choice. I'm not an idiot--obviously I knew there was suffering. I just chose not to think about it. One day I realized I was personally responsible for the suffering. I couldn't close my eyes to it any more. why I didn't have that epiphany years earlier, I don't know.
    I completely agree with you there
    I hate it when I'm studying and a velociraptor throws bananas on me.

  50. #350
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    Default Re: Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

    We as people seem to have a tendency to act ignorantly.

    Always keep an open mind and avoid pride. Our ignorance has already contributed to animal suffering before we went vegan, so always be careful that your actions aren't causing trouble.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

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