I have been Vegan for about two years now, and I can now say that this is going to be a permanent part of my lifestyle for the rest of my life.

I feel so good about this decision and good in knowing that I am not putting any support towards the Meat and dairy industries.

Being vegan has changed my life in many ways that sometimes go unnoticed to others. I look at my food label more, I see what is in my food and it makes me put down things that sometimes don’t even have meat or dairy in them, because I see that it is not healthy for me.

It has allowed me to look deeper than what’s on the surface of things. For years, I was a meat and dairy eater, I thought I loved animals and I didn’t want to think about what went behind all these foods. I was ignorant.

What I’ve learned about these industries has made me think about everything more in depth and to always stay open-minded to things and realize that if I don’t listen to something just because I don’t want to hear it, I could be missing out on some valuable information.

The journey from being a meat eater to being a vegan wasn’t that hard for me. I started slow, changed my burgers to black bean patties and taking cheese completely out of my diet wasn’t as hard as I thought.

I used to think there was no way I could do it, that I didn’t have the will-power, but now the thought of eating meat truly makes me sick. Why am I putting a dead animal in my mouth, how did this animal die? Call me crazy, and everyone thinks differently, but these are the things that run through my head.

If I was starving with no plants around at some point, sure, I would hunt down an animal, thank it for it’s body that was sacrificed to nourish mine and I would be sad about what I did. But I think that there answers some people’s questions, but we are not at this state in our world. In fact, we should be making more plant farms for the food industry rather than harmful meat industries, but unfortunately that isn’t in the highest demand.

I must admit that unfortunately I have gotten more hate about my eating habits than love. When you do something that questions the way everyone else is doing it, it causes most people to get defensive.

But I do not judge people that don’t eat the way I do, I was ordering the meat lovers pizza just two years ago and my boyfriend is most definitely not vegan. This proves how nonjudgmental I am about the subject, but he will admit that is healthier.

I’ve had the craziest things said to me to defend their eating habits, like I’m lacking in protein, that I need meat, that I’m lacking in vitamin b, that I could be doing better things for the world than being a vegan, that I might ruin my digestive system, that milk is good for you, that I’m difficult, picky and that “one day I’ll learn.”

All of these remarks don’t phase me because I am so happy and confident in what I am choosing to do, and that’s all that should matter. I do not hate on people that choose to eat meat and dairy, their decision is their own and I respect their beliefs.

I’ve realized that when people put you down and feel as if they need to defend themselves, their almost scared to be proven wrong and me choosing to eat differently questions their way of living and that almost offends them.

I stay open minded about questions people have, I will defend myself when needed but if it is not going to make a difference in the persons mind whatsoever, then I will not waste my breath.

First of all, I get more vitamin c from an orange than a glass of milk, it’s gross that we still drink milk as grown adults, as it is meant to help infants grow. And by infants, I mean cow infants, infants taken away from their mothers to give us useless milk that no longer needed after we were three years old.

Second, I don’t need meat, clearly, because I’m doing just fine without it for years. I do need protein, which I can get plenty of with plants, such as quinoa, rice, black beans, tofu, nuts, gorgonza beans and lots more. There are many other forms of protein in the world besides the overabundant animal flesh that clogs your arteries and put you at risk for heart disease.

Anyone that tells me I’m missing vitamins from my diet, truly does not understand nutrition, almost all vitamins are generated from PLANTS.

I have never been the person to spend an hour or two on my meals, so I am not the vegan that makes perfect meals that you find on Instagram. I’ve been told “for being a vegan, you don’t’ eat that healthy.” My question to them is how my diet compares to their mac and cheese, cheese sticks and barbeque wings.

My point here is that everyone’s cooking habits are different, every once and a while I’ll spend an hour on a meal, and it’s pretty and very healthy. But a lot of the times with my current lifestyle, I need something quick and it will most likely be some sort of bean with lots of protein, potatoes or lettuce wraps.

I still eat veggie burgers with fries and a beer at the bar!

I no longer have the feeling of being so full I can hardly move and feel horrible about myself, feel sick to my stomach and I never go to bed feeling like I ate horrible that day.

Honestly, being vegan naturally cuts a lot of unhealthy foods out that you never needed in the first place. Cookies, candy bars, ice cream, cake, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, corndogs, pizza… sure their are vegan versions to all of these, but you don’t eat them as much, as their less accessible and when you do, a vegan pizza full of veggies is a lot more healthy than a regular pizza.

My point is, I think people are too scared to be vegan because they think it will be so hard to make these extravagant meals they see on the Internet all the time, when that’s fun every now and then, but it’s not all being a vegan is about. No matter what you eat being a vegan, you must understand that you are eating plant-based no matter what, and almost everything is healthier than the alternative.

Since I’ve been vegan, I can’t say I’ve lost or gained weight, but before I chose to do this and I lived in the city, I worked out a lot more. I know that if I were to jump back into a workout routine that gaining muscle would be a lot easier than it had before (I’m currently convincing myself to do this).

Being a vegan is not for everyone, and I understand that, everyone’s brain works differently. But it works for me, and that should be all that matters!