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Sometimes I cannot believe it has been 3 years since I started my new plant-based life! It has been quite a journey. Please celebrate my veganniversary with me! I promise it will be an interesting celebration!
3 Year Veganniversary – The Good, The Bad and The Delicious
My journey to veganism was an unplanned switch, as many things in my life. I used to work with a girl who had been vegan for many years. One day we had a lunch together and I started to ask her questions. Some were silly but I really wanted to know what veganism was about.
She told me she became vegan because she loved animals. And she had mentioned how cruel animal and dairy farming industry is. She didn’t go into many details and said that if I wanted to learn more about it I could just watch Youtube videos about it.
A couple of weeks later, during the New Year’s break, I finally got a chance to check 2 Youtube videos.
Those 2 videos were more than enough.
I was sitting and crying.
I was shocked how we, humans, could be so inhuman.
I went to the bed very late that night. I woke up the next morning and told my husband that I want to be vegan.
And this was a beginning of my new life.
The Good
I have “met” so many awesome and supportive vegans through my blog! There are hundreds of talented vegan bloggers, athletes, gardeners, coaches, and dieticians who are passionate about what they are doing.
Being vegan is not only about eating plant-based food. It is so much more!
It is about caring for your planet.
This is one of the main reasons behind the veganism! Environmental concerns, climate change, animals’ welfare, fair trade, and respect for people around you – all these just a part of the vegan idea of living well on our only planet!
Yes, we love our planet. Yes, we support organic agriculture. We try and buy local. We try to live a minimalistic life when possible. And we want our kids to learn and be compassionate.
Compassion – is something that many of us sometimes have no time for. It is something that we are trying to teach our kids in churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, but it all starts with us in our own homes.
Love – who doesn’t want to be loved? Who doesn’t want to love?
I haven’t met such a creature.
Respect – we all want and demand to respect us. But many times we forget to respect someone next to us. Who is probably different. But different doesn’t mean less valuable.
Each of us is priceless!
The Bad
Confession time. Despite all my efforts, hundreds of delicious meals, and tons of explanations, I am still the only vegan in my family. My husband has been very supportive and respectful of my decision. He has been helping me with all the cooking. He would even cook any meals that involve animal products so I didn’t need to touch any of those.
But, they are still not ready to completely change to the vegan lifestyle. 🙁
I understand that it must be their own decision. I can try but I cannot make that decision for themselves.
The upside of this, they happily eat my meals every day anyway.
Another thing as I have already mentioned in my previous post, I have been on the vegan diet for three years now. However, I have only switched to using the vegan and cruelty-free products last year.
I know it is better late than never. I wish it was sooner.
I have now discovered so many brands which offer vegan and cruelty-free products. I will be more than happy to share them with you on my blog.
The Delicious
There are sooooo many delicious vegan meals you can make! Many of them take literally less than a half-hour to create! And, yes, I mean create! Don’t you feel even more special now 😉
Isn’t it something that many of you – busy parents, working millennials, workoholics, travelers, living-on-a-budget, healthies, foodies, and athletes – need?
We can all be creators who don’t need to kill hours in their kitchens.
Yes, this is one of many advantages of vegan cooking!
I have been sharing many of my recipes on the blog, and I will be sharing many more!
Please subscribe to my Vegan recipes newsletter if you don’t want to miss any 😉
Many of the dishes we make are coming from our tiny backyard garden! We have been enjoying growing our own veggies! We have been rewarded with an abundance of beans, squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and greens!
We have been canning and enjoying them during the winter months as well! We also grow microgreens during winter months and love them either raw in salads and smoothies or almost raw in the stir-fries and noodles.
And they look so cute on the windowsill!
Know your WHY
Many have asked me if it is difficult to be vegan. The answer is yes and no. It depends on how you look at it.
As with many other things you need at least these two things:
- Know your WHY. What is your reason for doing something you are doing. To me, my love for animals was the main reason. I agree when someone says you cannot say you love animals and cut a steak on your plate. Whether it is a cat, a dog, or a fish in your kid’s aquarium, or a pig in a farm – they all have feelings. And the more you learn about bad farming practices or scientific experiments, the more you want to help. One day, I hope, people will know better and will make better choices. One day, beauty and fashion brands will all switch to a more humane line of business. I believe so. Some may say it is a very contradictory topic. It is not to me.
- Commit to your Purpose – I would lie if I told you it was easy. I used to love cheese. It was the hardest thing for me to give up. But from the Day 1, I have committed to my WHY. I knew I was not doing it for my health or other personal benefits. I was doing it because I wanted to feel better about myself. I wanted to be a better person. A kinder person. I was doing it for all living creatures. Even the smallest one living in the ocean.
So, what do you think? Are you ready for a Veganniversary party?
Gratitude
Remember the vegan girl from work? I need to thank her.
Nina, if you ever come across my blog, please know you have influenced and changed at least one life! And I thank you for doing that! I hope your dreams have come true and you are enjoying your life.
I thank my family, friends, and co-workers for being supportive and accommodating! I am so blessed to have you all in my life!
I thank you, my readers and followers, for your endorsement! Thanks to you all I feel this blog has the Purpose! I appreciate you for stopping by and finding time to comment or share my blog with your friends!
Thank you all!
One more thing. Did you want to get a peak into the 5 talented food bloggers’ kitchen? Check out this Meal Planning webinar 😉
