Looking back

When I made the decision to switch from vegetarian to vegan, I was not as educated as I should have been. At the time, my motives for the change were mixed and I have since learned the importance of reflecting on personal reasoning. However, it has been over a year now and my passion has only grown. 

Having the initial experience of being vegetarian made the transition smoother for me. Due to the expansion and variation of vegan products, finding alternatives for certain foods wasn’t a challenge. I see more vegan options being added to the shelves every time I go to the store. The access I have to these foods is a privilege, and many others cannot afford to spend the money for more products to get an equal amount of nutrition as non-vegan foods.

Judging people for not adopting the vegan lifestyle is never a path I would personally take because of this. My aim is to encourage others and inform, not to pressure or shame. 

This is one of the countless lessons I have learned from being a part of this community and from having the opportunity to research and write about veganism. Through this experience my curiosity has thrived, and however cliche it sounds, my desire to help the earth has also never been stronger.

The biggest thing I have learned from the past year is that food should not have control over your life. This is a topic I would love to discuss more next school year, but for now, I want people to remember that food has different purposes, helping your body and bringing happiness.