I became a vegetarian at the age of 14. Growing up on a small farm where my family raised animals for meat, it was hard to to pretend that beef doesn't come from those adorable animals with the huge, expressive eyes. For most kids there's a disassociation between the meat they eat and the animals they see in the fields, but for me, that was never there. I have always loved animals and so eating them just didn't make sense to me.
In college, I wrote a research paper on factory farming and after reading about all the atrocities as well as the inefficient use of resources that occurs within the meat industry, I knew I could no longer support that establishment. That is why I choose to follow a primarily plant-based vegan lifestyle. See more reasons for being vegan.
I discovered my love of cooking at the age of 14. It started around the time my stay-at-home mom went back to work and I stepped in to help with dinner on the nights when she worked late.
I remember two years ago when I was considering adapting a vegan lifestyle how overwhelming it seemed to give up eggs, cheese and dairy. But I bought a few vegan cookbooks and my eyes were opened to new possibilities. If you're considering adopting a plant-based lifestyle, my first suggestion is to buy a few vegan cookbooks and slowly make the transition. A lot of people start out by trying to replace dairy products with dairy substitutes. That's fine, but a lot of those substitute products are filled with natural flavors and other additives. Instead of trying to replace dairy products, I suggest trying to embrace the foods that are naturally vegan. For example most ethnic foods are naturally vegan and contain little meat or dairy products.
Lastly, my suggestion is to consider a plant-based lifestyle as a goal and not a restriction. It may not always be possible to be vegan in every situation, so don't sweat it.
