The month is almost over, but I wanted to commemorate the most impactful decision I ever made this month, 8 years ago. Going vegan. It has taken on so many different meanings across the world, but at the heart of veganism are the lives of animals. All animals, but in particular farmed animals, who culturally and emotionally live in people’s minds as “food”. Vegans oppose that stance, and see them as friends. Just like our cats and dogs, and bunnies and horses.
Eight years ago I made the transition overnight. Just like I stopped smoking overnight in 2015, I stopped consuming all animal products, stopped wearing any skincare products with animal-derived ingredients, and stopped wearing animal skins and hair. The noise in my head went quiet. The excuses I had become very good at making, were no longer valid. The truth was simple: there is no difference between non-human animals. As well-known philanthropist Philip Wollen once said in the debate at Oxford University that went viral:
“I discovered that when we suffer, we suffer as equals. And in their capacity to suffer, a dog is a pig, is a bear…is a boy”.
Another truth: there is no difference between humans and non-human animals. We all have feelings, and the capacity to suffer.
Let that sink in.
So in eight years, what have I learned?
I am still alive. I have not died of protein deficiency. Nor am I deficient in B12, iron or calcium. It’s quite the opposite: at 52 I am thriving, and feeling stronger and more vibrant than I did 8 years ago.
I am not alone. Veganism is not a fad. Vegan restaurants may not be doing so well but that is mainly because mainstream restaurants are adapting. Walk into any restaurant these days and ask them about vegan options. They may not all have plenty to choose from (and we are working hard to chance this), but vegans are no longer ignored.
Veganism has changed. Many people who choose to eat plant-based (for health or planetary concerns) call themselves vegan. Many ethical vegans (people who are vegan to take a stand against animal exploitation and suffering, this includes me) do not agree with this, but I choose not to spend energy on this argument. Call yourself what you want, just eat more plants and leave the animals alone.
Veganism is my purpose. I did not know this 8 years ago, but as I learned more about plant-based health benefits, human behaviour and the link with planetary health, the more I grew into my own skin. Like sliding into a warm bath on a cold winter’s day, an incredible sense of well-being kept growing inside of me. A calm and a peace I had never felt before. I was no longer living a lie, at odds with myself. I became the best version of the person I was capable of being.
Veganism is for everyone. Whether you choose to eat only plants for health, the planet or the animals, anatomically we humans can all thrive on plants. No matter your blood type, or your age, or your gender, or how much you exercise. A well-planned and balanced whole-food plant-based diet is highly adaptable, and is nutritionally adequate (I’d say superior) for all age groups and lifestyles.
People’s wilful ignorance of the atrocities that take place every day at the expense of animals, is the same as the accepted cultural notion that some lives matter more than others. They don’t. If that is what you think or believe, you are wrong. And the people who raised you to believe this, the teachers who taught you this – as much as they thought they were doing right by you – were wrong too. I dare you to be brave enough to challenge these values. I know it’s hard, but I believe you can do it.
Lastly, about the picture I chose to accompany this post. A terrified pig being dragged into a slaughterhouse. I have this picture on my laptop and I see her and her sadness every day.
It breaks my heart every day.
