Vegan & Vegetarian

I have been a vegetarian since I was born, and my mom has been a vegetarian since she was sixteen. As a little kid, I took being a vegetarian very seriously (I didn't know that animal crackers weren't real animals :-D). I have met other vegetarians throughout my life, and we all feel that meat-eaters out there should know the reasons for our special diets.

Reason #1: Kindness to animals. This is one of the main reasons people become vegetarians. No, they're not crazy about animals and think they can talk and stuff, they just think that we really don't need to eat meat to survive. I partly fall into this category. Maybe 100 or more years ago we needed meat to survive, but now there's so much more out there besides meat that it's really not that important in our diets. Others may think it's gross, but we get a lot of protein from soy products like tofu (no, it's not that gross) and rice products. In my refrigerator, there are even types of fake meat made from tofu, wheat, and rice. It's not gross, in fact it's good, and it's healthier for us and kinder to animals (try some chickenless-chicken! Yum!). If you think about the concept, farm animals??? whole purposes in life are to grow up and die to feed us. It's sad, if you think about it.

Reason #2: Weight loss. This is why my mom became a vegetarian when she was 16 and ice-skating almost every day. Now, she has other reasons, but that's another story. Meat can have a lot of fat in it, and with sauces, butter, or whatever else you put on it, I don't believe it has a lot of nutritional value, and I know the value that it does have can be found in other sources. This doesn't mean vegetarians are anorexic; being a vegetarian can just keep you from gaining unnecessary pounds.

Reason #3: General health. I fall into this category, in addition to #1. Most meats are not all that good for you, and you don't know what the animal was doing while it was alive. Some farms keep their animals in disgusting conditions, and do you really want to eat an animal that was eating food touching its own waste? (Not to say that there aren???t farms that keep their animals healthy and clean.) When someone's a vegetarian, they can open up to healthier possibilities in their diet, and you'd be surprised at all the delicious healthy foods that are in health food stores like Whole Foods.

Reason #4: It's meat! The dead flesh of something once living, euwww! (Sorry!) It disturbs me, though you may be fine with it. Also, a lot of processed meats like hamburgers and hot dogs could have (don't mean to totally gross you out) animal "guts" in them. Needless to say, yuck!

We vegetarians are not freaks -- we just chose a different diet for mixed reasons. Another thing I would like to clear up is (dun, dun, dun!) false vegetarians! People who say, "I'm a vegetarian, but I love steak and I could never give it up!!" are not vegetarians. I personally think (no offense) that they just like having some excuse to not have to eat certain foods or to get special attention. And another thing: chicken is meat! I don't know why, but some people seem to think that chicken isn't meat. Well, what is it, then? Some vegetarians do eat fish, and they may be vegetarians, but not very strict ones.

Now, vegans. I admit, being a vegan might seem extreme and impossible, but trust me, it's not. If you were to take away milk from your diet right now, chances are, you would starve or get sick, but if you ate different foods (which are not gross!) it would be a lot easier to imagine. I have a dairy allergy that makes me break out with white bumps on my face, and although it's gotten better, I still try to avoid dairy. Why? It's just become a habit, and dairy isn't essential to your diet either. As another Whyvillian brought up in a Times article, humans are the only animals who drink another animal's milk. Milk is meant for babies to help them get strong and grow into an adult animal. If we drink cow's milk, isn't that kind of like drinking what helps a calf become a cow?

I'll admit, dairy is really hard to avoid -- even I couldn't give up ice cream -- but in the long run, being a vegan is good for you. I know that a lot of people are influenced by all the "Got milk?" commercials, but there are a lot of other places to get calcium. Broccoli and dark leafy greens are very high in calcium and are really good for you. If you don't like veggies, I drink chocolate almond milk (nut milk) with every meal, and it's fortified w/ calcium. My sister (PinkPup13) prefers soymilk, also fortified with a lot of important vitamins. There is also rice milk, which I haven't tried, but my mom says is really good. I'll admit some brands are a lot better than others, so before you say it's gross, try different brands and see which one you like. After 5 years without drinking milk, I tried milk again and found it gross! Eggs are ok to eat, but true vegans don't eat them. I hate eggs, like scrambled eggs and omelets, but I am willing to eat products with eggs in them.

Don't try to be a vegan with your current diet -- change some things, and pay attention to the Nutritional Facts on the back of products. You'll find you'll feel better, and not like you're missing out on your favorite dishes.

I am not trying to convert everyone to be vegetarians and vegans. I just want to show everyone what being a vegetarian or vegan really means. And I hope no one will stereotype us anymore. Just because we eat differently, doesn???t mean we???re going to die, and in some cases, it helps you live longer. My challenge for any brave people out there is to change *carefully* change your diet for one week, and see how you feel at the end. You may find you are more alert and your skin, hair, or nails look better. This is not a guarantee, but people often tell my I look really healthy and that I have the prettiest hair. I won???t promise, but you may be surprised.

Thanks for reading this. I hope that it was informative and interesting. Once again, I'm not saying you have to be a vegetarian or vegan, just please understand and respect the differences between you and them. Remember to eat your veggies!

Healthfully,
Mikay37