Why Vegan?

Although the amount of times I get this question has decreased, I still get it on a pretty regular basis.  Clearly when people first learn about my new eating habits, they ask why.   I don't mind explaining it, but I am always nervous that I may be offending others.  Just because I don't eat any meat products doesn't mean that I am judging others in their personal choices.   I always find myself adding "but I don't care if other people eat meat, I just don't really like it"  because I don't want to make people uncomfortable... which almost always happens anyway as they glance down at their ham and cheese sandwich.  I have found that once I say the word "vegan", it's over.  I get an eye roll, uncomfortable head nod, an uneasy "oohhh", or just a look of shock and confusion.  There's so much negative connotation associated with the word because people immediately think of a stereotypical PETA obsessed, red-paint throwing pothead.  I have nothing wrong with any of these things, and I definitely support PETA, but I think the extremists are scary to people who don't share the same beliefs.  Many of the reasons why I embraced this lifestyle was due to the fact that I learned a lot about factory farming and animal cruelty; but I also love food.  I love cooking, I love dining out, I love eating, and now I love the new options I have found for myself.  I love the way I'm feeling and the energy I have gained.  The truth of the matter is, I did so much research before diving in and I learned things that I can never unlearn.  If you are thinking of going vegan I can recommend these books: The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone is a good one to start with, The Ultimate Vegan Guide by Erik Marcus is a 99 cent download on Kindle, Becoming Vegan, and if you have a sense of humor I recommend Skinny Bitch.  Once I started reading about it, I couldn't stop.  If you are interested, be aware that you will read disturbing things and if you're like me you may become completely turned off by consuming all things meat, dairy, and animal related.
I also love this video of Ellen explaining why she has chosen to go vegan:

I must also say that not all reactions to what I eat have been negative, not even close!  So many of my friends and family members have embraced this and are truly interested in learning more.  My parents were a little afraid of veganism, but they are most definitely trying!  They had J and I over for a veggie chili and are open to learning and trying some more vegan dishes.  Many of our friends are trying to limit their meat consumption and genuinely want to know more
I hope that vegan is not always a dirty word, and I hope that with practice I won't feel the need to make  excuses when I am explaining myself.  I am proud that I choose to eat things that are good for my body and that my beliefs come from facts instead of happy-go-lucky advertisements the dairy, beef, chicken, and pork industries have been selling to us all our lives.
In reality there will always be people who think like this:

But that's OK, because I'll probably be around longer than them anyway ;)

Peas, Love & Thanks for Reading!
-L