Why Did You Become Vegan? 3 Stories About Going Vegan
Written by: Melissa Fiorenza
If you’re reading this, we’re going to assume you’re in one of two camps. 1) You’re looking to make changes to your diet and are genuinely curious about going vegan. Or 2) there’s zero chance you’ll give up your beloved brisket but someone you know could use your support as they adapt to their new lifestyle.
Either way, welcome to the world of vegans. Recent studies show there are nearly 9.6 million Americans—about 3% of the population—who follow this plant-based diet.
What is a vegan diet exactly? Super quick refresher course: foods from plants are allowed, foods from animals are not.
And why would someone go vegan? The truth is lots of different reasons. And the best way to understand the diet, and perhaps know if it’s right for you, is getting to the heart of those reasons (and of course, talking to your doctor too).
That said, read on for three stories about three people who went vegan.
Meet Cat Donofrio
“One thing that surprised me was not having cravings for things like bacon, which was one of my favorite foods.”
Her story: “In February of 2019, my husband and I both switched over from a fairly typical American diet to plant-based. At the time, I didn’t eat a lot of red meat, but I did eat a fair amount of chicken, fish, and some pork. Like many Americans, we’d tried a lot of diets without much success. Personally, I still never felt particularly good on any of them—on some I was always still hungry, and in all cases, I’d fall off the wagon and stay off.
We spent a lot of time researching diets, and I was also completing my nutrition coaching certification at the time. The more we read, the one common denominator always came back to eating more fruits and vegetables—whole foods that aren’t heavily processed. We also watched more than our share of documentaries on the meat industry and just how processed and how many chemicals are actually in our meat/fish products.
So, we made a decision and we’ve been happily eating a plant-based diet since.”
The hardest part: “Probably the hardest part is when we want to go out or for meals with family/friends. Luckily, restaurants are becoming more accommodating to us plant-based eaters, so we’ve found a number of them in our city that we enjoy. And, we eat at home a lot more, which is actually really nice (and saves money).
One thing that surprised me was not having cravings for things like bacon, which was one of my favorite foods. I might miss cheese a little. But, we’ve found a few really good plant-based cheeses that we keep at home.”
When people ask her, But how do you get your protein?: My response is: “The same way animals do, from plants.”
Meet Michael Kenler
“I realized that there is no need to take a life in order to live one and we must eat more sustainably if we are ever going to combat climate change.”
His story: “I went vegan about two years ago after returning from my study abroad trip to Barcelona. While I was living with my host family, I ate plenty of animal products, from eggs to dairy to fish nearly every night. I generally felt pretty lethargic after these meals in Spain and I even got food poisoning from two separate fish dinners!
When I returned home, I decided to go on a 30-day vegan challenge for health reasons only. I read books from several plant-based physicians and researchers and I became fascinated with researching scientific literature on PubMed. Today, I am officially certified in Plant-Based Nutrition. I also run a fitness and plant-based nutrition blog at a Boston-based fitness company called Anabolic Aliens.
While my initial journey with veganism started with concern for my personal health, I began to watch other documentaries about plant-based diets. I am now a passionate supporter of veganism for environmental and ethical reasons. I realized that there is no need to take a life in order to live one and we must eat more sustainably if we are ever going to combat climate change.”
His favorite easy recipe: “Cheesy Nutritional Yeast Crusted Tofu. I bake it up with a panko bread crumb/nutritional yeast crust and it is so delicious. I truly never miss animal foods now that I cook for myself.”
Best comeback when people question the safety of a vegan diet: “I tell them that a plant-based diet is the only diet ever known to have reversed heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the United States.”
Meet Cindy Thompson
“I dropped 60 pounds, 7 uniform pants sizes, 3 uniform shirt sizes, and dropped my cholesterol and blood pressure readings. ”
Her story: “My journey into a healthy me started in 2009. I was struggling with being overweight and was really unhealthy—and I was scared that I was going to die of cancer. My dad and his mom had both died of blood cancers and the state where I worked as a Fire Captain/Paramedic had enacted a law adding 12 types of cancer to occupational disease presumptions for firefighters, including the blood cancers my relatives had. This meant being a firefighter exposed me to substances that could cause cancer, and I was terrified!
I couldn’t change my genetics and I didn’t want to stop being a firefighter. So I researched cancer risk reduction and found study after study pointing toward decreased incidence of all types of cancer with significant reduction or eliminating eating animal protein. But more than that, a whole foods, plant-based vegan diet was also found to reduce, even reverse Type II (adult onset) diabetes, and the cardiovascular benefits were extremely compelling too.
I decided to try it; what did I have to lose? Without going on a diet and just putting better fuel (nutrition) into my body, that year I dropped 60 pounds, 7 uniform pants sizes, 3 uniform shirt sizes, and dropped my cholesterol and blood pressure readings. Beyond looking better, my fitness level soared, and gave me new energy I could not contain and I became an adult onset athlete. I started running, did adventure races, ran marathons, and even did Ironman triathlons!”
How it’s going now: “Fast forward 11 years, I am now a healthy RETIRED firefighter, still vegan, still athletic, and cancer-free! I started health and wellness coaching during my 20-year firefighting career, leading the Wellness/Fitness program at my fire department as part of the Joint International Association of Firefighters and International Association of Fire Chiefs Wellness Fitness Initiative. After retiring, I launched Trimazing! Health & Lifestyle Coaching, where I help others transition to a whole food, plant-based vegan eating to help them achieve their best selves.”
Find out more about becoming vegan, and sticking with it with our advice on how to succeed at staying vegan long-term!
More Articles You Might Like
