What It Means To Be a Vegan
By Lauren Singleton Burkert
Age 17
Johnstown, Pennsylvania


As the first anniversary of my becoming vegan approaches, I am now more
aware than ever of how large an impact my decision has on my daily life. My
switch from vegetarianism to veganism has made me so ever more aware of the
ethical, environmental, and health reasons behind veganism. Most of all, my
choice has made me more aware of the feelings of the animals and my own
inner self-discipline.

On December 26, 1997, I began a journey. I remember the day quite clearly.
It was roughly a week before New Year's Day, and I was off of school and
work that evening due to the holiday season. Out of sheer boredom, I began
racking my brain for a New Year's resolution. In the past I, like most
people, had not been so true to my resolutions. For the 1998 year, I wanted
to try out something I considered ideal, but I also did not believe I could
maintain my resolve. (I had an ongoing record of breaking these
resolutions.) I decided I would attempt to become vegan.

I have been a vegetarian since I was ten. My parents were not vegetarians
at the time, although meat was never a staple food in any home cooked meal.
My mother had been a vegetarian in college, and my dad is interested in
macrobiotic cooking and consuming lower on the food chain. Without any
direction from them, I decided to become a vegetarian, which they
supported, although with some hesitation due to the importance of meat in
the typical American diet.

I did not decide to become a vegetarian for health reasons, which I have
subsequently come to understand. At the time, my motivation was purely
ethical. Floating from summer picnic to picnic, I realized that hamburgers
were actually dead cow. Then I began to wonder why everyone, including
myself, ate meat. I knew that in our society it is a twentieth century
decision to include meat in every meal. At the time I did not know about
the protein value of meat or any of the other arguments that I would soon
be confronted with by my peers. I simply eliminated meat and its byproducts
from my diet.

My switch to veganism is similar to my switch to vegetarianism due to the
ethical motivation. I chose to take the final step of vegetarianism because
I am morally opposed to the exploitation of animals for our greedy and
unnecessary consumption. Once alerted, my concern spread to the end of
consumption of milk, eggs, and leather. I still cannot figure out how it is
possible that almost everyone in America does not have a problem with the
whole inhumanity of the situation.

My previous experience with veganism was not strong at all. In ninth grade
I had attempted this diet with my best friend Allison. We lasted as vegans
for about a week. (I held out for a few days longer than she, only because
of my love for green peppers and cucumbers.) Now that a few years have
passed and eating a lowfat diet is becoming increasingly popular, finding
good, vegan food is rarely a problem. Even eating out is also relatively
painless, although I have yet to set foot into Ryan's, Bob Evans, or the
like. Whenever I run into doubt of my eating choice (such as a McDonald's
worker who glares at me in question when I ask if their fries contain beef
fat), I turn to magazines such as Vegetarian Times and The Vegetarian
Resource Group's Vegetarian Journal for their reassurance, along with
excellent recipes, stories, and updates.

My choice to switch to veganism has led me to read broadly about diets, and
my reading has led me to many unexpected revelations. For example, my
father has a polysystic disease, a genetically dominant disease about which
revolutionary research is taking place. Recently released nutritional
findings show that a vegan diet along with regular exercise greatly reduces
the growth of the grape-like cysts that form in the kidneys. Studies show
that a vegan diet also greatly reduces one's risk of having heart disease,
bowel cancer, breast cancer, and many other life-shortening diseases
threatening American society today.

My self-discipline has grown tremendously since my change in diet. I am
amazed by the fact that I have been able not to consume any fish, fowl,
dairy, or egg products knowingly in the last 12 months. Once I had my mind
set on switching to a full-fledged vegan, no matter how tempting the
delight, I easily resisted. Now that I have accomplished it, I feel as
though there is nothing that I could not accomplish if I set my mind on it.

My veganism now plays a major role in my view of the environment. Being an
environmentalist, I believe that the most important part of it is my being
vegan. By avoiding meat, dairy, and eggs in my diet, I do not contribute to
the degradation of the environment. That environmental degradation is from
the wasted use of land for the livestock and the deadly run-off from the
animal farms that pollute streams, harming everything from fish to humans.

I hope to continue my vegan diet for the rest of my life. If I have
children, I will most likely recommend, but not force this regimen on them.
Becoming a vegan has not only made me feel healthier, it has made me feel
like a new person. Since becoming vegan, my asthma, which held me from
effectively competing in running, soccer, and swimming, has greatly
improved. I now hardly ever need to use my inhaler. I credit this new
healthier me to my vegan diet.

courtesy of http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000mar/2000maressay.htm

--

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting
to improve the world." -- Anne Frank

"Mr Smith" > wrote in message
...
>
> What It Means To Be a Vegan
> By Lauren Singleton Burkert
> Age 17

She don't eat meat but she sure likes the bone.