Why Did You Go Vegan?

Nicole

My name is Nicole and I became vegan because of animal rights issues. I was already vegetarian for about a year, and this year at 17 I turned completely vegan (No jello or refined sugar, I'm all the way!) I've gotten a lot of weird questions about being vegan, the most obvious being things like, "How do you get your protein?"

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I can't blame people like that for not knowing protein doesn't just come from animal products, because they're just uneducated. So, I try to tell people about the vegan food pyramid and how we get all our nutrients and I'm still very healthy, have not lost any weight, and actually have more energy. As far as family goes though, I'm sure people like my dad will never understand so I'm not even sure I'll bother telling him for awhile. Whenever I told him I'd tried being vegetarian for a week awhile back and said I feel like I have more energy, he actually said, "I think that's just something vegetarians teach each other to say." So, yeah, that's the stupidity I have to contend with in rural Pennsylvania. I can't wait until I can go to college and meet some more vegans, because right now I personally know of only two! But no matter how hard or lonely it feels sometimes, I know I'm doing the right thing for the animals, the environment, my spirituality, and ethics. Plus online communities like this one help me feel connected in ways I thought I never could be. Goddess Bless!

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