Re: Share your Vegetarian or Vegan Testimony Here!
 

Hi everyone, I'm new here at CGMs. I went vegan in college after reading Fit for Life by the Diamonds and some natural hygiene books by Herbert Shelton. It was mostly for health reasons because I was sick most of the time and was experiencing chronic fatigue.

After several years I slowly fell back into the S.A.D. diet until a few years ago when I saw the movie Earthlings and went vegan again. This time around it's mostly ethical but I'm loving the health benefits. I plan to raise dd vegan as well. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Re: Share your Vegetarian or Vegan Testimony Here!
 

Over a year ago I started on a journey towards vegetarianism. I did a few weeks of vegan diet (not entire lifestyle- start slow!) My transition has been a result of watching many documentaries, Forks over Knives, Fat sick and nearly dead, A Beautiful Truth and other Gerson therapy movies (cancer treatment from plant based diet).

Personally, I am almost entirely vegetarian (when I am at someone's home, I eat what is provided), but my family is not - they eat what I make because I make it, but would choose meat if they could. They are not unsupportive, they just haven't owned it.

People have different reasons for being vegetarian... mine are not because I think it's always wrong to eat meat.

My reasons: I do not want to participate in a corrupt meat industry
and
I think that a plant based diet is 100% better than an animal based diet for health reasons.

Recently we moved back to the USA after 5 years overseas. I am disgusted by the meat industry and refuse to participate. It isn't super well received here though, meat is EVERYWHERE. the Vegetarian friendly menu 'options' are usually pasta and bread... not healthy at all.
Having said that... I do not consider it immoral to eat humanely raised and processed meat. I am just choosing plant based as a better option.

Happy veggi eating!

Re: Share your Vegetarian or Vegan Testimony Here!
 

Hi everyone! Here is my testimony:

I first went vegetarian as a young teen in middle school. I remember looking for information online, and printing off a few nutrition articles to show my mom that I could, in fact, survive without meat. That first time lasted only a few months because at the time, I didn't know how to cook.

Then, during my second year of high school, I let my mom know that I wanted to go vegetarian again. She agreed, but very reluctantly. Her only request was that I learn how to cook. So I did, which started my passion for cooking and baking. A few weeks later, after reading Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Food for Life, I became a vegan for the health benefits.

Then I found Colleen Patrick Goudreau's podcast, Food for Thought, and decided to become an ethical vegan. I remained a vegan for three years.

Then, unfortunately, due to certain influences in my life, I mistakenly thought that my veganism wasn't compatible with my faith, so I reluctantly dropped it. The people pleaser in me was relieved, but I couldn't help feeling guilty about the animals I was eating once more.

Then, after high school, I got married. Hubby had known that I was an on again off again vegetarian. So one day, we sat down to watch Earthlings. I had seen it before, but my Hubby had not. He became an instant vegan after watching that documentary. I, of course, was more than happy to join him. We were zealous vegans for about a year and a half. In fact, my pregnancy with our son was almost completely vegan.

Then, Hubby decided to drop religion, and anything too restricting in his life a few months after the birth. So eventually, I began to eat dairy and eggs again. Then, a year and a half later, due to finding out I am both soy and gluten intolerant, I decided to eat fish again.

But I have never felt okay with eating the flesh of a once living creature! So now I am working my way back to veganism. I still eat some cheese here and there, and the occasional eggs for breakfast, but ideally, I would like to return to what I see as the path most aligned with my values of compassion and peace - veganism.