Why Vegan?

Wesley, my favorite cow on the planet.

Time and time again, readers are asking me about veganism and how it plays a role in my health and well-being, as well as why I chose to go vegan. I feel it is time to make a simple statement about this on the blog. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. If you don't agree with my views, that is quite alright, but please respect my choice to live compassionately.

Since the blog focuses so much on health, it is important for me to stress that while I did not go vegan for my health, I actually get to reap lots of rewards by adhering to a vegan diet. Many doctors and nutritionists believe that a plant-based diet wards off heart-disease, diabetes, keeps our bodies running cleaner and more efficiently, and can even have a positive effect on things like mood and reproductive cycles. As one example, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., a renowned physician in the cardiology field, worked for decades with Cleveland Clinic curing peoples' heart disease by having them go on a specialized plant-based diet. Not only do I enjoy giving my body such wonderful fresh foods, I just feel so much better when I eat whole plant-based foods.

A blogger that I follow, Peacechicken, wrote a fantastic blog entry stating, "while the health benefits are nice, I ultimately chose to be vegan because I awoke to the absolutely horrific suffering that billions of animals endure every year at the hands of humans."

Naomi, a turkey we rescued.

That sums up my experiences, as well. I was vegetarian for many years before going vegan, and when I learned the truth behind the dairy and egg industries, it was only natural to stop consuming and using all animal products. I have been an animal-lover my entire life, and when I stopped to think about how I treated our family dogs and cats with the utmost respect and love, but I didn't think for one second what the mother cow endured in order to have her milk in my diet, I was completely saddened and sickened with myself. I believe that we, as a whole, are very desensitized as youth, and by the time we reach adulthood we are so removed from the process of what we eat that we don't even make the connection that these creatures on our plates are just like us - living, breathing, sentient beings that deserve the same amount of respect and freedom as we do.

If you are interested in learning more, I am happy to help. Also, on the right side of the blog there is a link to Renegade Health; they have a lot of amazing raw vegan recipes on their site, as well as a ton of other natural health information. I have happily been vegan for 6 years and will not ever go back to a lifestyle full of cruelty.

There is a great movie that I recommend everyone watch; "The feature film Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods." Obviously EDS is genetic, and POTS is secondary to EDS, but that only means we need to take even better care of ourselves. A preview of the movie is below, as well as the entire movie "Earthlings," if you would like to educate yourself - it is the movie that changed my life and made me want to be vegan. Thanks for taking the time to read this and become more informed about things you have the power to help change.


Forks Over Knives Trailer:





Full-Length Feature Film "Earthlings" Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix: