How I Became Vegan.

The year was 2014. In March to be exact. I was 24 years old. I had a day off from college and like every single day, I dealt with a major headache or migraine. Luckily that day, it was just a headache. I was 180 lbs and considered obese for my height at 4'11". I had mild asthma and was pre-diabetic. Very out of shape. I was tired, bored, and wanted to do something. After some thought, I ended up watching documentaries on Netflix. Since I wasn't feeling good, I had decided to watch some documentaries on health. Lately I had started to question the so called "food" that we eat on a daily basis and how that plays into our own health. As I looked through what Netflix had to offer, I ended up settling on watching "Forks Over Knives"; curiosity getting the better of me for my thirst for learning. That documentary opened the door and put me on an incredible journey.

Animals have been used for thousands of years for food. We don't dwell upon it. We just eat what's put in front of us, no questions asked. We just eat to enjoy. Questions like "What's IN the food we eat?" "What's natural and what's not?" "Are the foods we are eating good or bad for us?" are put on the back burner. As I watched Forks Over Knives and listening to the experts on health, how animals are raised and treated, I was in awe and mortified. I had felt like my world had been turned upside down. I then wanted to learn more. I ended up watching documentaries like Samsara, Vegucated, Hungry For Change, Food Matters, Food Inc and moved my way through YouTube watching Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech Ever and Earthlings. I had spent all day sitting there, curled up on the couch...crying; crying because how could people treat animals the way they do? Why are animals considered lesser beings than us? What gives us the right to eat them and destroy their lives? For what? Food? Pleasure? Material possessions? I sat there, angry at myself for not knowing the truth and the people who purposely beat up animals in factory farms...I told myself:

No more.

That day, I went vegan. I didn't transition. I didn't want to take part in something so horrible for my own food. Now the question was: what to eat now? I discovered that eating vegan food, whole plant based did wonders for one's health and helped the animals. I had this urge to heal myself and feel better. My life had been surrounded by eating meat, processed foods, take out meals, frozen meals, fruit and vegetables, sweets. I turned to YouTube again and discovered Raw til 4 thanks to Freelee the Banana Girl and 80/10/10. How can one heal eating raw plant food and eating so many calories? By not putting toxic food in one's body and I had a lot over the years. I learned as much as I could and started as soon as I could. That night, I had a pb & j sandwich after reading the ingredients on the loaf of bread. I looked through my belongings as well to see if I had any animal products in them, like my clothes. Luckily all I had was one belt with real leather. I gave it to my sister. The next day was going to be the start of a new me!

My family worried about me at first since my main staples had become bananas, potatoes and rice. I started to cook my own meals since my mother didn't want to cook anything vegan for me, which I was completely fine with. I started drinking more water, eating as much fruit and greens as I wanted before 4pm then I would eat a cooked meal at night. All vegan. Months went by eating this way. Smoothies, fruit bowls, raw juices, cooking without oil, eating very little bread. By the end of the year (I wasn't working out by the way, just walking a little every other day), my jaw had dropped as I looked in the mirror. I was thinner than I had ever been. Still overweight, but I was finally able to wear clothes that weren't plus sized. I had gone from an 18 1\2 plus down to a size 16 regular. REGULAR. At that moment, I cried happy tears. More time went by and I ended up dropping down in more size. I went from 180lbs to 105 lbs in less than 2 years. My pant size went from 18 1/2 plus down to a size 6. My sister noticed the transformation and was so very happy for me. My acne improved, I wasn't skinny, but I had come a long way. The best part was: the headaches and migraines went away. I went from taking 3-6 advil almost every day to none at all.

During the time of my weight loss, I spent time on Facebook, talking to people about veganism, joining groups and helping others go vegan for the animals sake, as well as their own. My words fell on deaf ears, but they also reached many who wanted to change and realized that we don't need to hurt animals for food anymore.

Today I am vegan for the animals and raw for my health. I hope to help others go vegan and also heal themselves from the inside out. I will be a voice for the voiceless.