why I went vegan

To be honest, I used to roll my eyes at vegans/vegetarians—I thought people who chose not to eat meat were picky at best, and judgmental and self-righteous at worst. I never thought twice about eating meat, and prided myself in my adventurous palate. But one summer I picked up a book called Eating Animals by one of my favorite novelists, Jonathan Safran Foer; mostly out of boredom, since I wasn’t really interested in animal rights. It was a work of nonfiction, but by the end of it I wished it were fiction, because I was utterly horrified by what it revealed about the meat, eggs, and dairy I had been so blithely consuming.

That 99% of the animal products we eat today in the U.S.— over sixty billion animals a year— are bred in factory farms in conditions so appalling and with practices so repulsive they are virtually torture, that they have been genetically engineered over the decades for the sake of profit maximization (chickens altered to grow breasts so large they can barely stand upright) by giant corporations with disregard for either the animals or the health of those consuming them. That disease and infection run rampant in the majority of these farms necessitating the use of 80 percent of all the antibiotics produced in this country.

How factory farming ranks among the top two causes of water pollution and climate change in the world and creates 18% more greenhouse gases than the combined transportation sector, and that the staggering combined human cost of factory farming, from a human rights, human health, and environmental damage standpoint is probably the worst of any industry in existence. And this doesn’t even mention the ethics surrounding the use of animals for human consumption in the first place, and the hypocritical way we value and treasure certain animals (dogs and cats) while deeming other equally intelligent/sentient living beings as mere products— objects that we can breed and cut up and package and consume without a second thought.

I found it impossible to continue without questioning my complicit support of the entire system. And I had been supporting it this whole time, through my food choices and through my spending. To be fair, it really wasn’t my fault that I didn’t know; in this society it’s so easy for us as consumers to just not question certain things. Most of us never know how our food gets to our tables, and sometimes we don’t really want to know, because we have an inkling it’s horrible and the information would force us to change our behavior, and that would be inconvenient. But how irresponsible is it to simply decide we don’t want to know where our food comes from? Choosing to do nothing is still a choice. For me, the way animal protein was produced today was intrinsically and inexcusably wrong, and I knew I could no longer justify my consumption of it. I also realized how much power I actually had to play a role in the future of this planet, besides passively complaining about the direction it was heading in. I’d always tried to recycle and use less electricity and drive less and whatnot, but all that paled in comparison to the impact I could be making. For instance, to save the same amount of water I could either stop taking showers for three straight months or forego a single burger. The choice was clear, and I could choose to do it daily. After four years of going vegan I can say that it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I understand that food is intensely personal and part of each of our narratives, and is contingent on countless different factors. There is a reason we tend to get defensive about what we eat. Food is deeply rooted in culture and thousands of years of tradition; it brings us together and is a beautiful, vital part of our humanity. But tradition doesn’t remove us from complicity in how our food is produced, and it doesn’t excuse us. My parents grew up in China in a time where food was scarce, where being able to afford meat was a privilege and a luxury. The idea that meat is good and that meat is necessary for health is ingrained in us. But our skyrocketing demand for animal protein in the past twenty years has created an industry that is no longer sustainable, and no longer justifiable— as Foer puts it, “Since the world has changed so much, the same values don’t lead to the same choices anymore.” In our quest for cheap, fast meat we’ve pushed everything else to the side. Supply is driven by demand, and as much as it’s inconvenient to admit this, we are singularly responsible for what the future holds by what we choose to do with our money and what we choose to put on our plates.

I do recognize that having this choice is a privilege, and I’m aware that not everyone has ready access to fresh food and produce. But for those of us who do— which is most of us— it’s completely doable. In our developed world, we certainly don’t need to eat meat to survive, and most doctors in fact now advocate a plant-based diet. There are so many kinds of foods available to us and restaurant options to choose from that there really is no reason to at the very least reduce our consumption of it. And to learn. Just being aware is a start.

Speaking of health, I didn’t approach veganism first from a health standpoint, but it’s now one of the biggest reasons I am committed to this lifestyle. I feel the best eating plants, period; I have never slept better or felt more energetic or alive, and this has radically improved the way I interact with the people around me. I did go through phases: the junk food vegan, raw vegan, oil-free, 80/10/10, high carb low fat, etc. but now I’ve dropped those labels and restrictions and just eat what is delicious and makes me feel good, and with all the possibilities, I can honestly say I don’t miss eating animal products at all. I know this is getting long (thanks for reading this far) but it’s something I care deeply about and part of the reason I started my Instagram and blog in the first place. Because I love what I get to eat and want to show how abundant eating can be while still being compassionate, and without sacrificing flavor or culture.

Everyone is on their own journey and I’m so glad you’re interested in learning about mine. I hope the recipes on this blog inspire and help you— shoot me an email if you ever have thoughts or questions!

Love,

Hannah

Books and Resources

If you have only a few minutes I highly recommend watching one of the Youtube clips below!

Books:

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
How Not To Die by Michael Greger

Videos:

Documentaries (available on Netflix):