Why Am I Vegan? (And So Could You)

Vittoria
Dec 28, 2017
4 min read

The question everyone asks me when I tell them I am vegan is: WHY? My answer usually is one of my favourite quotes:

“If you could do something to improve your health while saving the animals and the planet, wouldn’t you do it?”

I answer with a question because it’s almost impossible to give one simplistic answer, in fact most people are vegan for a number of reasons, which add up during their journey into this lifestyle.

If you follow me on social media you will know that Simply EcoNomads is getting involved with Veganuary this year to raise awareness about veganism. So in honour of this great cause I am writing a series on the 7 Reasons Why I Am Vegan (and so could you), which I will publish the first week of January 2018 from Monday 1st to Friday 7th. By the end of the week I will explore and explain the seven motives that compelled me to choose this lifestyle, and I hope it will inform you and inspire you to give veganism a chance. I believe in the power of information and even if you feel like this is not for you, you might end up discovering something you didn’t know and make a more informed choice going forward. I think it is important to have all the pieces available to feel like doing the best thing for yourself.

Before we get into it I want to give few disclaimers:

~ I am not trying to convince or force anybody to do anything

~ My intention is to answer questions by laying facts in front of you

~ You are completely free to stop reading if you feel like it

~ I can ensure you I am going to provide the most tangible proofs available

~ I encourage you to do your own research anyway

or look into the sources I am going to link for further details

~ If you have serious health problems consult your physician first

If you read my story on "How We Became Vegan", you know that I was born in a normal family with a normal diet and I never imagined meat, dairy and eggs were bad for me; plus I was completely oblivious to what happened to animals in order for us to consume these products, just like anybody else. I was eating McDonald's and Burger King every chance I had, piling cheese on essentially everything, eating massive bowls of cereal and milk and indulging on everything my heart desired! I started just like anybody else, I was sitting right where you are sitting right now, completely sceptical, believing veganism was an extreme, judgemental hippie movement and that there was no way I could even live like that!

It was April 2016, and I had never felt so unhealthy in my life: I had put on so much weight, I was out of shape, I hadn't exercised in 4 years, and my diet consisted of convenient food, fast food, frozen food; so pretty much grey goop! One day I stumbled upon a slaughter-house video on Facebook and I decided to watch it, even though I knew exactly what I was about to see, and that it would probably upset me. I wasn't even 20 seconds in the video that all the feelings and experiences I collected over the years suddenly clicked together like puzzle pieces, and showed me such a horrific picture. I instantly knew what I had to do: I had to become vegan!

I made the connection that the food I was eating came from the dead bodies of animals and I realised I couldn’t bear ending another creature’s life to satisfy my appetite when I loved animals so much. I wanted to take responsibility for the harm I was causing and open my eyes to the harsh realities of our worlds even if it would break my heart. I couldn’t silence that voice in my head that wanted to change and lead a compassionate life just because it would mean changing my habits and being a bit “uncomfortable” for few weeks. The more I read into veganism and the more I realised this way of life accomplishes so much more than just saving animals.

I didn’t know where to start so I read a lot of studies, health blogs, scientific journals, watched documentaries and lectures, followed people who are leaders in the community but also doing a lot of research on all the aspects of veganism (I wanted to have a full picture of what I was getting into). After days of research I decided that there were so many reasons why I wanted to move forward that the little downsides didn’t stand a comparison. If you want to know more about some of the struggles of transitioning to veganism, read my post "3 Reasons Why Veganism is Tough".

So here are the 7 reasons why I am vegan:

1. For the animals ~ that get killed and exploited every day

2. For the water ~ we waste and pollute to run farms

3. For world hunger ~ which afflicts millions of people

4. For the rain-forest ~ that gets destroyed every day

5. For my health ~ as I deserve to live healthily

6. For the wildlife ~ now homeless and endangered

7. For our planet ~ that deserves much better

Try veganism for a month this January, and see the amazing benefits for yourself!

Come back on Monday 1st January for the first post of this series.