Why Did You Go Vegan?

Jenn

I've been vegetarian for 1 1/2 years now, and vegan for most of that time.

I grew up on a small farm. We raised chickens and a couple of pigs and steers each year. The piglets arrived at our house from the neighbor when they were a few hours old, and I was responsible for feeding them bottles every few hours, day and night. I loved those pigs, but accepted, at the time, that they were destined to become our food.

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I haven't eaten pork since high school, 15 years ago. In college, I became vegetarian in order to lose weight, and like all other diets I've tried, it didn't last. Two years ago, after my 2nd child was born, I really watched what I was feeding my kids and got scared. They always ate healthy kinds of foods, not processed or full of sugar, but I realized that I was still pumping them full of chemicals. I also didn't like the fact that they were growing up to see animal-eating as normal. I stopped eating meat, dairy, and eggs.

My husband is a carnivore--he loves meat. I can't change him, but I try to make meat as unappealling as possible--tell him what farms are really like, etc. I make only veg stuff at home, and he usually eats it. The kids are omnivores at present, though I try to encourage them to make non-animal choices as often as possible. My 2-year-old prefers tofu over any kind of meat, and my 5-year old announces daily that she's going to be vegetarian. I tell them it is a CHOICE. I'm confidant that they'll make the correct one.

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