My Week of Being Vegan

When my mom told me in fifth grade that she was going to be a vegan, I thought she was crazy. And then she explained it to me, and I thought she was even crazier. No ice cream, cookies or cake? That would have been a semi-valid point for a ten year old to make if it was at all true. The fact is that there is a vegan alternative to a large majority of foods, and most of the time they are healthier than the original animal-based product.

In case you didn't know, being vegan is when you don't eat foods that contain animal products, such as milk, cheese, eggs, and meat. The two main reasons people decide to be vegan is for health reasons, or animal rights. I decided to try going vegan primarily because of animals, but I have also learned that not eating animal products can be healthier (but don't just take my word for it! There are many books, articles, and documentaries that explain this.)

Aside knowing all of the good about being vegan, I had never considered it. I always thought that I would miss eating meat and other animal products and have made that clear to my family. When my mother told people she was vegan, they would always ask if her family was vegan, and she would always respond with, “No, my oldest child loves meat”. So, when I announced that I wanted to try being vegan, I guess you could say my family (namely my mother) was surprised. However, they were pleased nonetheless.

I decided to start off with a week. I knew it was probably going to be hard to convert to veganism (which, contrary to popular belief is not a religion), so I decided to try it for a week and see how I liked it. I started it all off with a vegan Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (healthy, I know), made with almond milk and no whipped cream. In the beginning, it was pretty easy for me, even though I kept forgetting what was vegan and what wasn't. I ended up being vegan for a week without incident.

All in all, I thought being vegan for a week was a great experience. I think that I will continue to eat vegan. I think that I made healthier choices on what to eat, especially since being healthier was part of my dieting decision.

#LillianMetzmeier #health