Why Did You Go Vegan?

Corinne

I started a vegan diet "cold turkey" one day and quit smoking 4 days later. I'm 25 and began this life change about 4 weeks ago. So far I can tell I've shed a few inches because my clothes are quite loose. The first week or two I was eating lots of veggies and fruit because I hadn't yet explored the healthful options available to vegans. I haven't indulged in any vegan ice creams or other junk food yet outside of fried dinner selection and don't plan to. I'm doing this to be healthy and for ethical reasons. I believe my weight loss is pacing along heathfully as I haven't quite gone down by sizes or anything (my clothes aren't falling off yet.)

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I have increased my consumption of beans because it seems someone is always serving some variety of them wherever I go with their flesh dinners and lunches. I eat whatever vegan choice I can find among these meat eating gatherings. I've found that produce is hard to keep around without going bad or shopping every other day for groceries. I've spent plenty of time in Wild Oats, Mother's Market, Vitamin City, Papa John's Health Food Store, and Trader Joe's lately. I live in Long Beach so there are plenty of healthy ways to fill my cupboards. I'm trying to use soy products sparingly and get full mostly on a variety of fresh produce as often as possible. I haven't figured out the magic equation for buying the right amount of produce in terms of my daily consumption without being wasteful or going hungry. I also seem to be majorly dehydrated lately due to not drinking enough water which is affecting my skin and my ability to feel really bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning (I was waking up with a headache all the time.) Oh and speaking of sleep, I noticed that I barely need 3/4's as much sleep as before. I guess when you're feeding your body with life sources instead of dead animals, you just become more alive! It's really great.

So anyway, that's just a little bit of my progress since I've gone vegan. I don't even know what drew me to do searches that day on veganism but I was instantly lead to Peta and I haven't looked back since. I love my new life!

~Corrine

Vegan since Jan. 2004

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