My Vegan Story

 Hello. It was the end of the school year in 2000. I was hanging with older friends whom skateboarded, drawn art, and talked. We ate of course. One of my friends was Vegan. I was not aware at first. His folks had a party once with tons of  hot dogs and burgers. They did not eat it all so he gave it to me. I did not want it to go to waste. I ate so much! I felt so lethargic. This was an eye opener for me. Especially being a very active person. I knew it was time for a change.  Then we had to go buy some food goods for a BBQ we were having. We went to whole foods. I noticed all of the wonderful choices one had to choose from. We gotten portabella mushrooms for a burger and salsa fixins. I loved seeing that there are more to chose from then what was the norm. I also was more an earthly hippie kind of person. I liked the vegan culture from what I had seen. I was able to borrow some literature and read up on the facts from such books as Fast Food Nation and Vegan:The New Ethics of Eating. Also cook books such as How it all Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal Free Diet and Vegan Cooking (Eva Batt). The Vegan Cooking book is a real great one because it has all of nutrients one would need to have as a vegan such as Iron, B12, and Calcium. I love to cook as well and I have always cooked for myself since I was 14. I also love nutrition. So the two went hand and hand and made the transition from carnivore to Vegan. It took me about three weeks to get the animal based foods completely out of my diet. Vegan-ism makes one be creative. I love to be creative. I would be more difficult if one does not like any of the three: nutrition, cooking, and being creative. There are conventional ways to eat food and not technically consume animal by-products. I.e. One might go to a non-vegan restaurant but order something that does not contain animal by-products. I try to not ever buy animal by-products. I feel it is wrong. My Mom likes goats milk. I used to by it for she and fell guilty. Now I do not buy it and opt for a soy milk instead. The only time I buy dairy is ice-cream or snacks for kids because they do not really understand their options and they are just kids. I try and make them happy. Most vegan food seems too complex for their palate. (though there are plenty of snacks for kids that are vegan).
 My reasons for Vegan-ism are: Social, Environmental, Political, economical, Health, For the Animals. There might be more. On the social level, most of the people whom I have spoken with are very nice and sane. They are more a compassionate people. Compassion for life is, I think, the basis for Vegan-ism and the underlying principal. On the Environmental, front mass production of industrial housing of animals cause an estimated amount of methane gas that contribute to 14% of the worlds green house gases. The waste of an animal contains disease-causing pathogens and nitrates, that in excess are very hazardous to our water and environment. Concerning a political view is about reform and lobbying for a better way to nourish this countries peoples, lowering health care costs, and educating people about the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet, especially in schools. An economical perspective is that the more local commerce is accrued, the more money there is for spending and improvement that could be used for a specific purpose such as education and extra curricular activities such as carnivals or sports for all ages. That brings me to health. It is more healthier a choice to be Vegan because there are not any hormones, sodium nitrate, and is not linked to a number of diseases as well as obesity. Last but not least, the Animals. I do not like to harm any life. The only time it is necessary is to protect a life from evil or wrong doing. When I was very little, my family went to Mexico(where my father is from). We have a ranch and an animal corral. I have seen some gnarly stuff there regarding live animals for food. They wanted me to "do in" some poultry, to eat, with a big knife. I tried but could not. I felt is was wrong. I understand the Native Americans lived off the land. They however have more reverence for the life and the land then modern Americans. They used everything and did not abuse the land or its life. If some one wanted to eat meat I feel that they should do all the preparation them selves. I could imagine most people would not want to do that. Most people will even waste there meat food not even realizing that that animal gave up its life so that they could eat and be feed. So if it is not absolutely necessary to to harm a living animal to survive, then I, personally chose not to. Some people debate with me that vegetables are alive. They I think vegetables are more of a synthesis and do not have much complex systems such as animals. They only way to eat and not "kill" is being a Fruitarian, they even eat vegetables sometimes. Fruitarian-ism is more a "Raw" route(I would like to go that route one day).
 In conclusion try Vegan-ism for yourself if you would like. Look up the facts. Think about sustainability of our environment and the health and well being of our planet as well as its inhabitants. If we eat more healthy then we are able to run more efficiently, have more energy, and hence are happier! Thank you very much! Eric M. Rangel