“We follow the ways of wolves, the habits of tigers: or, rather we are worse than they. To them nature has assigned that they should be thus fed, while God has honoured us with rational speech and a sense of equity. And yet we are become worse than the wild beast.” 

― John Chrysostom

I was originally a vegetarian and this lasted for three years. I was young, in my early teens when I made the decision to switch. My parents never restricted what I consumed, that's a luxury I have always had so when they found out about my dietary switch it came as a shock to them, however, they were supportive. My reasonings for becoming a vegetarian were down to wanting to lose weight and be healthier so after a few years the motivation died down. I didn't have the knowledge or passion to do research the way I am doing so now and learning more each day. 

I ate animal products for a few years after that, but I always knew it wasn't right. I educated myself over those few years by watching documentaries and listening to public figures that promote a lifestyle without animal products. It appealed to me yet I couldn't find the strength to make that switch. Reading other posts online about becoming vegan they all advise on slowly making that transition but it didn't make sense to me how that would work. If you're not consuming meat because you don't want to harm animals how can you be consuming eggs or cheese when they inflict the same pain. 

My turning point only occurred recently, late November 2015, when I was having lunch with two girls I knew and one was vegan. I couldn't help but feeling ashamed that I was eating cheese in the presence of her whilst the other girl who was not vegan or vegetarian didn't seem phased. I knew here that I was feeling like that for a reason and if there was any time to make the switch fully it was then.

After that meal I didn't consume animal products. 

I won't be the kind of person who pushes their view onto another; whatever lifestyle that you choose to lead is great as long as you have made the conscious decision, don't allow your ignorance let you think that you know how things work in the food industry as that's something that takes a lot of research to try and get a glimpse of. Numerous times I have been asked the question of why I'm not consuming milk or eggs when that doesn't kill animals and that's when I have to go in preaching vegan mode. A change like this isn't something that can be pushed onto anyone anyway, people have to turn to it when the time is right for them. 

I know that this is a long term thing, I can't promise how long I will be vegan but my intentions are for the rest of my life. I know that I will never consume meat ever again, but I'm still working on completely removing my love for cheese. I had my slip ups with foods that sneakily contain animal products such as dairy, and I still get my chai with normal milk from the vending machine from the library, but I never claimed to be perfect. I just think of the documentaries I have watched and how the animals were treated; I am a big animal lover and love my dog so much, I wouldn't want anything to happen to him. Why should I be the reason for that kind of thing to happen to other animals? 

Think back to China's Yulin Dog (and cat) Meat Festival that caused chaos in Western society; people don't see dogs and cats as food because they are domesticated animals now, however, nothing is different between a dog and a pig, or a cat and a chicken, both deserve the right of life. There shouldn't be double standards, especially in situations like this. 

Veganism is a lifestyle which comes with other things to be considered. Being cautious of the items you purchase; furniture, clothing, footwear, accessories. In this modern day society veganism is being glamourised but it's not as easy as it's played out to be, there is a lot of mental work that comes into play. This is a ongoing process and I can see that I am learning more each day. 

Some quotes which helped me with my personal switch, I'm not saying that everyone has to do this, it's a matter of coming to the decision yourself that you feel it is right to lead this lifestyle.

xo