Think you can't go vegan? Think Again!
Celebrate World Vegan Day by challenging yourself to make the change - the animals will thank you!
Story by Debbie Delgado-Hand, VeganHave you ever wondered how you (yes you!) could make a greater difference in the lives of animals and also positively impact the environment, other people, and your health all at the same time? You can and it’s so much easier than you ever imagined. If you are ready to take make a change and take a challenge, the day has come.
Today is World Vegan Day. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the first and easiest ways you can begin to end suffering in the lives of animals right this very second. No fancy tools to buy, no expensive subscriptions to send a payment, it can start right now in your own kitchen or your next trip down the grocery aisle.
“Veganism is way easier than I was expecting,” Maralee Sanders of Winooski, Vermont said.
A Vegan diet is not one that has you relying on iceberg lettuce and veggie burgers but rather opens up a much wider variety of foods than eaten on the Standard American Diet. “It's not deprivation, like a lot of people think,” continued Sanders who has been vegan for almost two years. “I've learned a lot about food, and have really discovered a love of cooking I never had before, as well as a lot of new foods that are far more exciting than ‘meat and potatoes’."
So many wonderful resources and cookbooks make the transition to a vegan diet convenient and simple. Pick up any of the Sarah Kramer cookbooks (La Dolce Vegan is this writer’s favorite!), Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan with a Vengeance or Dino Sarma’s Alternative Vegan and you’ll see just how easy taming your pots and pans can be. And you will be surprised at how many vegan alternatives are being offered in restaurants or how accommodating chefs will be at making a dish with a vegan twist.
But being vegan goes beyond our pantries. As stated on the Vegan Society’s website “People are increasingly becoming aware of the direct correlation between what they eat every day and the health of the planet. Environmentally conscious consumers are concerned not only with food miles, over-packaging, pesticide use and GM (genetically modified) foods, but also question the environmental sustainability of modern animal husbandry.”
Rebecca Moore of Ft. Worth, Texas has been vegan for 16 months and sums it up best.
“Being vegan has changed me in so many ways. I’m no longer fighting the constant guilt of causing so much pain and suffering with the choices I make. In every aspect of life – mentally, emotionally, and physically – I am happier and healthier since becoming vegan and choosing to live a life as free from cruelty as possible.”
Are you ready? Today is your day.
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Photo of Grunty, by Molly Wald, Best Friends Photographer