Why I Became a Vegan

For three and a half years I was a vegan. This is the story of how it all started; you can read about why I quit, too.

When I think back to college, there are a lot of memories that stand out – the layout of the campus and town surrounding it, my two different dorm rooms and three different apartments, hanging out in the art and dance studios with friends, and activism. For three and a half years, starting  my freshman year, I was vegan, which stirred up my beliefs in health, the environment, and animal rights, and led me to an active campus life experience.

It all started when I read Vegan: The New Ethics in Eating. Sure, I had been a vegetarian for the last six months or so, but this book changed my whole line of thinking. What was I doing still eating dairy, eggs, and honey?

I started to believe that any animal product that went into my mouth was a violation of animal rights. I learned all about battery hens, growth hormones, and the exploitation of animals, and thought: they don’t have a voice, so I have to stop contributing to their harmful lives.

Looking back on it, veganism also is one of the paths that led me to becoming a foodie. I learned about all kinds of foods I had never encountered before — kale and gomasio, nutritional yeast and rice milk. They offered multiple vitamins and minerals that I needed, and new tastes for my palate.

I also read Howard Lyman’s book Mad Cowboy, a memoir of a former cattle rancher who became a vegan upon seeing the breakdown of his farm. All of Lyman’s ideas made sense too – that much of factory farming causes detriment to the environment, and one way to is avoid environmental problems is to become vegan. (I got to meet him too, when he spoke at my school, and a few students and I met him for falafel beforehand. Another great reason to be involved on campus.)

I felt like all of these beliefs I already had culminated into one. By being a vegan, I could solve health problems, environmental problems, and animal exploitation all at once.

I was hooked.

Are you, or have you ever been vegan?

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