The big question.
For many people, it's quite simple and straightforward. But for me it's actually rather complicated. I have many reasons for choosing to be a vegan - enough for it to deserve its very own blog post!
I guess I'll start at the beginning. While earning my dietetics degree at UK, I learned a great deal about vegetarian diets and the many benefits they can provide. After learning about how all the saturated fat in red meat (which I ate A LOT of) could raise my cholesterol (which was HIGH) and put me at greater risk for heart complications, I began to cut back. I ate more fish and lean poultry, and I often ate vegetarian meals. However, I still loved my steak. Everything in moderation, right???
Wrong! (At least for me). For a year or so I followed what I would consider to be a very healthy, balanced, omnivorous diet. Had my cholesterol checked again... Guess what? Still high!! Despite the fact that I was in great shape and exercised a ton. After this, I began to question all the information that was out there. I wanted to know more... I wanted to decide for myself what was good for me and my heart, rather than just listen to whatever my nutrition textbooks said.
So I started investigating! I read books, watched films, and perused news articles. This is how I discovered factory farming, and how terribly evil it truly is. As a wholehearted animal-lover, I was revolted to say the least. After this discovery, I cut back on the meat even more. I did this partially because of my grief for the animals and partially because I believed that the factory farming was what made meat "unhealthy." From then on, I avoided meat unless I knew it was ethically sourced.
Pretty soon, it was almost time for lent. I made up my mind that I was going to give up meat. And I did. Easter came around, and I still didn't want meat. I was officially a vegetarian.
While all this was going on, I had been noticing several health problems that I won't discuss in great detail here. In January of 2010 I was finally diagnosed with Lupus (SLE). I was immediately placed on corticosteroids and a cocktail of other drugs. Turns out this was a bad idea. Yeah, these drugs are TOXIC, people. Over time, they kill. I decided that there had to be another way.
And another way there was. I read many personal accounts of people who had overcome autoimmune disorders by simply changing their diets. I concluded that unless I made some serious changes, I was going to have to suffer with the complications of Lupus for the rest of my life. I gradually began removing dairy and eggs from my diet until I became a full-fledged vegan. And so here I am today, living drug-free and and no longer suffering as I was before.
So that's the gist of my story. Feel free to email me if you want to know more!
Wednesday, June 9
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2 comments on "Why I Became Vegan"
Thank you for sharing your story! Your blog layout is so lovely! :)
Keri, Thanks! I've always thought your blog's layout was the coolest out of all the ones I read. It's very creative & unique.
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