Taking The Dive

When I was in seventh grade, I had a vegan health teacher. When she explained that she did not eat meat, eggs, butter, cheese, milk, or anything else that came from an animal, I was confused and more than a little weirded out. One day at lunch she even came up to my table and told me that my Jell-O was made from animal products.

You probably think you know where this is going, but my seventh grade health teacher had absolutely nothing to do with my choice to embrace veganism. The reason that I brought her up is because even though she seemed like some weird extremist at the time, now I understand her reasons and her passion.

I have chosen to be a vegan because the treatment of animals in the food industry sickens me. I think it is disgusting the way they raise animals as quickly and cheaply as physically possible with no regards for the environment, the happiness and health of the animal, the working conditions and treatment of employees, or the quality of the product they are pushing onto our tables. I will not go into further detail because we may be here all night, but if you are interested in learning more, some resources may be the GoVeg Website, the documentary Food Inc., or a book by Alicia Silverstone called The Kind Diet.
People like to tell me that I am "just one person" and that I cannot possibly have any effect on the big bad meat and dairy industry. My response is twofold:

First, any group that has a lasting impact on the world is made up of individual people. While I am "just one person", I am not the only person who is making this lifestyle choice. While I am "just one person," without "just" people like me standing up for what we believe is right, there would be no larger movement.

Second, even if my actions did not make the food industry any less corrupt, or any less abusive to their animals, employees, and customers, at the very least I can be satisfied with the fact that they will not be getting my support and my money. :)

Now that I have explained my reasons we can get into the fun stuff! I plan on using this blog to document my vegan adventures. I hope that I will shed some light on how satisfying a vegan diet can be (sensually and morally) and show that vegans aren't just skinny freaks who life on tofu and salad :P