So, I’m a Vegan Now.

Today I have been vegan for 6 months and 12 days. I haven’t been a perfect vegan, or a healthy vegan. I’ve had one too many emergency mcdonalds veggie burgers, I’ve ordered chinese takeaway (I am at this point perhaps 25% salt and chilli tofu) and ordered a side of noodles, not realising until I asked the next time, that they were actually egg noodles. I’ve probably had a bunch of things with dairy hidden in because omg milk is EVERYWHERE. I accidentally bought some lipstick with beeswax. So you see, I’m learning, I’m trying my best and slipping up along the way.

Veganism is as easy as you make it, it’s certainly not hard or expensive – in fact I think it’s the easiest thing in the world (minus the accidents I guess) and I feel better about my choice every single day. My skin is clear (OMG, guys!) and my conscience is pretty clear too. No baby calves had to be taken from their mothers for my cereal & hazelnut milk this morning, no baby male chicks were thrown into a grinder as ‘waste’ for my tofu scramble, and nobody had to die for my Linda McCartney sausages and mash comfort food tea. Do I sound smug? I feel a bit smug.

There are down sides too; I feel a deep sadness when we drive past fields of cows or sheep and I’ve been hysterical on the motorway more than once when driving past lorries carrying animals for slaughter. I try to avoid watching anything graphic – I already know it happens, but have watched a couple of videos accidentally when scrolling through twitter and I’m just left an inconsolable mess than bubbles and simmers slowly down into a horrible anger that makes me want to be one of those… what are they called, oh yep, militant vegans 😉

I’ve had a huge argument with my boyfriend (who isn’t a vegan… yet *cackles*) about us one day having a baby and how I would like to raise it vegan. It seems pretty obvious to me.

I’ve lost weight, which, when you’re a walking skeleton already, probably isn’t the best.

I tried the vegan Ben & Jerrys ice cream whilst I was in the USA and it was DIVINE, but, I read they have no plans to bring it to the UK yet, so that’s a real tragedy.

I am 150% sick of meat and dairy adverts. You can’t watch TV in peace for half an hour without 24757 adverts for fast food, cheese, supermarket value meat, ‘happy’ eggs…. it drives me crazy. The Lidl turkey advert this year? Messed. up. The Mcdonalds happy cow advert? Messed. up. Adverts for strong healthy bones thanks to the calcium in milk and childrens yoghurts? Messed. up. Dairy literally leaches calcium from our bones. So shut that door. These industries are brainwashing you for profit.

I feel different, I know it’s only been 6 months, but I feel like a completely different person to the girl I was this time last year. The world is weird now, like, seriously weird. Take Christmas dinner, there’s me, the weird little vegan eating her vegetables (and hot damn delicious nut roast) and every other person at the table has 3, or was it 4? different kinds of dead animal on their plate. And I can’t say anything, because I can’t spoil Christmas now, can I? I feel like I’m trapped in a glass box just wanting to shout what the HELL are you doing? all the time. Nobody has been mean or judgemental with me, but I feel like I’m not doing enough, I want to debate and talk and teach my friends and family why you don’t need to eat meat, eggs and dairy. But I haven’t and can’t seem to yet?

uughghhh anyway, I feel as if this post has just been an epic word vomit. I’m so sorry. I have a lot of things on my chest about this subject at the moment. I’ve even deleted a bunch of paragraphs that were getting too much.

I’ve found this whole thing very easy to adapt to, but I wanted to do it, and truly feel like I have wanted to for most of my life. I understand for others it isn’t as easy, especially if they don’t feel a connection to animals or care about the planet all that much. Honestly, I would still be vegan even if it was unhealthy and didn’t help the environment, because I’m a big softie who is and always will be vegan for the animals. Cows have best friends. Turkeys and chickens can purr with happiness. Pigs are smart and funny. And obviously, fish are friends, not food.

ty: helloannabel