Why Did You Go Vegan?

Beth

Hello, my name is Beth; I am 37, my husband is 45 and we have a 2 year old son. We have all recently made the switch from vegetarian to vegan. My journey started 9 years ago, when I met my huband who had been a vegetarian since he was 18. He explained he was a vegetarian for ethical reasons (love for animals), but never really told me the all the details because it was hard for him emotionally to do so. Because I had always loved animals (bringing home stray cats and dogs when I was a child), I was "ripe" for conversion to vegetarianism...and became one myself.

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Five years ago, we got married and continued in the vegetarian lifestyle. However, over the last few years, I became inreasingly aware (primarily through Peta mailings; we have been contributers) that eating eggs and dairy were not exactly humane, though I really did not really dive into the details until recently because the articles were so difficult emotionally for me to read also(selective ignorance, I'm ashamed to say). It was my 2 year old son, interestingly who really brought us all to veganism. You see, he had been experiencing irritableness and digestive difficulties which we finally linked to his dairy consumption. We cut out the milk, and voila!, gone were the digestive problems and crankiness!

I sought out the web (I think I started with the Peta website) for information on feeding children a vegan diet and I was completely blown away with what mind-numbing information was awaiting me. The absolute cruelties of the dairy and egg industry, including "organic" milk and "cage free" eggs - ha!, the awful animal testing involved in producing common household products, not to mention the health benefits of a vegan diet, it was more than enough to convine our entire household to turn vegan. And we have been for 2 months. I am absorbing everything I can, learing to cook (finally), and feeling better about our lifestyle.

We are now in the process of trying to educate family and friends, and anyone else who will listen. I am very glad to have this website and the support of others who share the same values. Just remember, there are plently of people out there as "ripe" for conversion to veganism as you or I were...it is sometimes a matter of simply presenting the facts and letting them sink into the person's conscience. Thank you for your committment and passion.

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