Throughout my 37 years on this Earth, I would say I have changed quite a lot in many ways. If I had to pick one mayor shift in the way I live my life I would choose, without a doubt, food. I was raised like most people, in a social structure where an omnivore diet is the norm. I did not question whether this was the only option to get “all the nutrients” one needs to be healthy.
I mean, since kinder garden the educational system makes a pretty remarkable effort to teach you that protein comes from animal tissue and calcium comes from cow’s milk… right? As it turns out, this narrative is convenient for the meat and dairy industry, and only for them.
It took me some time to realize that this was far from the truth. You can have a perfectly balanced nourishment with a plant-based diet. In fact, it has been proven to be much more beneficial to the human body and its digestive system; not to mention how much kinder it is with all those sentient beings that obviously do not want to die, and have every right to live happy and free.
Now, if we add climate change to the mix and how the consumption of meat is responsible for nearly 40% of CO2 released into the atmosphere… well, it seems the choice is clear, at least for me. I completely understand that not everybody is going to be on the same page, or maybe not even reading the same book! From a place of non-judgement (that I try to remind myself to work on every day), I have made the conscious decision to not eat animals.
The hardest part of this decision is not finding sources of protein, I mean hello lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, quinoa, and broccoli…well I could go on (but I will try to keep it short). The absolute worst aspect is how the minute you mention you are vegetarian; all the people around you seem to have become expert nutritionists overnight. They warn you from the “dangers” and try to make you feel somehow crazy for choosing this path (eventhough I have never felt so good in my life). I could only describe it as every ounce of my being telling me YES, this is the way for you.
In time, I have learned not to let this get to me, even if it comes from someone very close to you (even your parents). Essentially, because they are having the human experience they are meant to have and I am having mine.
For now, I can say that I feel I am still on my journey. I do not know of I will ever become fully vegan, since I still occasionally eat cheese and eggs, and that is ok because this is where I am at now. I am also learning not to be so hard on myself, after a lifetime of being conditioned the other way around (by culture, society, colective programming). Instead, I thank my body for showing me the way and I celebrate how far I have come.
