How I Started My Journey

(This post is based on my experience).

The word vegan started resonating with me a long time ago. But I loved meat, fish, seafood, and things like that, so I always kicked it for later and said “Someday I’ll make the change” (when my health is demanding or something like that).

I consider myself an environmentalist. I’m part of an environmental organization (Climate Reality Project) and I’ve always wanted to work in raising awareness about climate change and environmentalism (this is one of the reasons I started to write in this blog too). And I’m working to be a writer for environmental organizations (that’s my goal) because I think my purpose in life is to help spread the word about this message.

Why did I decide to become a vegan?

One day, this environmental awareness started to clash in my mind with my lifestyle and the fact that I was consuming a lot of animal products. I started to think that it was hypocritical of me, that it wasn’t right.

I couldn’t support environmental causes and keep eating meat, drinking milk, etc., knowing that these animals suffer for me to eat them or use their products and that animal farming is such a contaminating industry (I didn’t know how much at that time).

Besides, I wanted to be healthier.

The problem was when and where to make the change. I live with my father, and my house is like a grill house. We always made grills with different types of meat, and besides I’ve always enjoyed cooking, so I also liked using meat for different dishes. I wanted to make the change, but on my own, see how I felt, and then communicate it to my family to avoid fights and difficulties.

The opportunity arose in January 2024, when my sister who lives in Santiago (I live in La Serena), was going to travel for a month and she asked me to take care of the house and her two cats. So, I made then the change on January 21st,  2024. I bought legumes, different vegetables, tofu, and some plant-based hamburgers, and I started to create some plant-based dishes. Here, I was in Santiago, in the middle of summer (super hot), so it was mostly salads, veggie bowls, and things like that.

How were the first days?

I felt good, but even though I’ve always liked and eaten legumes and vegetables, but not in this ratio, I wasn’t aware that I didn’t have to eat so much fiber right away. In consequence, I had some digestive problems like bloating and gas, but once my body slowly adjusted (it took me about one month), I felt great.

You have to drink a lot of water too, to help your body to deal with the fiber.

One of the things that I liked the most about this way of eating is that even though it’s filling, it’s not that sensation I had when I ate meat that I was so full that I almost felt nauseated. With plant-based food, I feel full, but light, and the satiated feeling lasts longer.

Throughout this time, apart from discovering new dishes and being creative in the kitchen, I started watching documentaries and YouTube channels about animal agriculture. This helped me reinforce that what I was doing was the right choice and that I never wanted to support that horrible industry again.

It’s not worth to have a piece of meat for 10 minutes of pleasure when that piece of meat costs the life of an animal.

After that month, I returned to my city (La Serena) and I communicated my decision to my family. At first, they were skeptical, yet now it’s not a problem. Sometimes my father insists that I should be vegetarian instead, but that’s not an option for me, because the dairy and egg industry is just as cruel as the meat industry.

How did it continue?

To this day, my family is still surprised that I haven’t backed down. My sister just the other day told me that she didn’t expect me to last that long, but here I am. She then asked me, “Don’t you miss the flavor of meat?” and I honestly can say that I don’t. I cook myself super yummy dishes, so it’s not a concern for me. I’ve tried to bring my father into it, and he eats everything except tofu, but I don’t think he would ever give up meat, not less cheese and milk.

The only inconvenient thing I’ve had so far is when we go out to eat. I have no issue with Chinese food because they prepare savory dishes with noodles or rice, with lots of vegetables and seaweed, which I love. Yet when we go to Chilean food restaurants, although I order french fries or rice with a salad, they look at me like I’m crazy, and they act like it’s a big difficulty for them. I’m trying to be indifferent to that, to have patience, and always remember the cause of what I’m doing (the animals, the environment, and my health).  And it’s all worth it, in the end.

Suggestion

If you ever want to walk down this path (and I hope you do), there are a ton of resources online (documentaries, YouTube channels, books). However, I encourage you to also check your health with a physician regularly, especially if you have any medical condition because you would have to take supplements like Vitamin B12, Omega 3, or adjust your medicines.

And for those who claim that one person doesn’t count. Yes, it matters a lot. They say, what’s the difference if I eat this steak if the animal is already dead? Well, it does because it’s a matter of supply and demand (the basic law of economy). If I buy and eat that steak, the farmer will have to replace that piece of meat and in that way, the chain continues. So, one person matters, and the more people that change their choices, the better will be for all, and a bigger global effect will have.

PS. Although the word vegan refers not only to the food but to a lifestyle that does not use animals for our benefit, food, or enjoyment. Here I refer to the way of eating (plant-based), even though I also try not to use clothes or other things made of animals or that they were part of the process, like some makeup or beauty products.