Hi everyone ♡
Today I wanted to share my personal experience of switching to a plant-based diet. If you're following me on Instagram or have been on my website before, you'll know that being vegan is a big part of my life and I figured that I wanted to share with you why I became vegan in the first place and what it's been like for me to switch to a vegan diet.
I've been eating plant-based for over 3 years now (since September 2017). When I was younger, I had been a vegetarian for almost 10 years, but after I moved to Spain and had lived there for a while, I did start to occasionally eat meat and fish when I would go out for dinner. At that time in my life, I was being surrounded by people who were all omnivores and that made me decide to try some new things as well. I do remember that I always felt guilty afterwards, because, as someone who has always loved animals, I knew that it wasn't right to eat them.
After about 3 years of not having been fully vegetarian anymore (I still ate vegetarian about 90% of the time) I decided that I wanted to completely cut out all meat and fish from my diet again. Not long after making that decision I watched the documentary 'What the Health' and after watching it, I decided that I wanted to stop eating all animal-derived products. Before watching the documentary, I had no idea that dairy products had such a detrimental effect on your health. Milk was supposed to be good for your bones and eggs were supposed to be a great protein source. Instead, milk actually makes your bones weaker and eggs are mostly unhealthy dietary cholesterol. I also wasn't aware of the fact that animals in the dairy industry were being maltreated as well. I naively thought that since they weren't being killed and turned into food that they weren't suffering. But, unfortunately, that couldn't be further form the truth. The truth is that they have to endure years of torture before eventually also being slaughtered. Another thing that I hadn't realised before is the fact that the meat and dairy industry has a detrimental effect on the environment. It causes water and air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and loss of wildlife by deforestation to make room for livestock. The biggest way to reduce your environmental footprint is actually to avoid meat and dairy products. After finding out all of this information, I decided that I didn't want to support this industry and all the negative effects it has on the environment, the animals and the planet anymore and to follow a fully plant-based diet.
I have to admit that in the beginning it seemed quite overwhelming and difficult to completely cut out all dairy (containing) products. I never realised before how many products contain milk, cheese and/or eggs. I've definitely made some mistakes along the way by not checking every label because I assumed that the product in question wouldn't contain any animal-derived ingredients. However, after a little while, I already knew which products I could and could not buy. Having to check the ingredients of a product has also made me more aware of what I'm putting into my body in general. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy delicious, cruelty-free plant-based junkfood (quite the opposite actually), but I mostly try to follow a healthy diet and give my body the nutrients that it needs.
When I started eating a fully plant-based diet, I definitely noticed some changes, physically and mentally. In the beginning I lost a little bit of weight. That was never my intention, but my body became a bit more toned after cutting out all animal-derived products that mostly contain a lot of fat and cholesterol. I also started eating healthier in general since I added more fruits, veggies and legumes to my diet. That being said, I have certainly discovered how delicious vegan (junk) food can be and, most importantly, that basically every dish can be turned plant-based. This means that you can still enjoy all of your favourite meals, but without the unnecessary cruelty that comes with it. I also feel like eating plant-based has had a positive effect on my mental health. I wasn't expecting that, but when I think about it, it makes sense that when you're giving your body the nutrients that it needs, that it'll positively affect your entire wellbeing in general. It's also a great feeling knowing that you don't personally contribute to the suffering and mistreatment of animals and, at the same time, that you are also helping to protect the planet by reducing your environmental footprint.
Becoming vegan is one of the best choices that I've ever made and I honestly wish I would have done it sooner 🌱
Are you also vegan?
If so, why did you decide to become vegan?
Lots of love,
Lysanne