Why I Became Vegan

I know that the majority of you are probably asking "Is it hard to be vegan?" The answer is "no" to me. All it takes is baby steps. (Step 1: Pescetarian; Step 2: Flexitarian; Step 3: Vegetarian; and finally, Step 4: Vegan).

Not only did I became a vegan as a choice, for both my love for animals and a healthy reason, it's really my life-saver. Throughout my teen years, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder (bulimia / anorexia) and it almost took my life. By the time my adolescence is over, I was able to battle this deadly disease by using a flexitarian and vegetarian diet.

In the summer of 2014, I chose to get rid of all meat-related foods; my vegetarian diet ended quickly than I expected as soon as I found out about the animal cruelty going on in farms: cows, sheep, horses, pigs and goats, both adults and babies, are being slaughtered for meat and leather; chickens are being forced to lay eggs much to their pain; cows are hurt from all that milking; rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats are being used for chemical testing. Seeing all of these animal tortures really broke my heart into pieces.

I used to love eating sushi.But ever since I saw the movie "The Cove," a really sad, traumatizing documentary about dolphins being murdered by the Japanese, I was so outraged and distraught about what those heartless people are doing to those poor, innocent and intelligent sea creatures. Did you know that dolphin flesh is really in sushi and sashimi? Would you eat that? That's when I realized I refused to eat sushi ever again.

Speaking of the Japanese, I may be Chinese by blood, but I am truly and utterly disgusted about what my own ethnicity has done to those animals for cuisines. I understand that the Chinese and other Asian cultures eat dog as a cuisine. I think it's fucking wrong! Dogs are meant to be loyal pets, not food! I, for one, refuse to accept this "ritual." And it's not just dogs... in Chinese markets, I've seen turtles getting their shells ripped apart while they're still alive; cows being castrated; ducks having their tongues cut off; shall I keep going? I even find the idea of boiling lobsters and crabs alive really traumatizing.

Even fast food restaurants have dark sides to their menus, especially McDonald's. Would you rather see cows and chickens get ground alive into machinery?

Did you know that gelatin (yes, I'm referring to your favorite Jello and gummy bears) is really made from animals? Their main ingredients are animal bones, muscles, tendons, skin and ligaments. I know... gross. It's no wonder I hate Jello and marshmallows. And even though they're "fruit-flavored," gelatin is hardly vegetarian at all.

Would you rather see your favorite animals, like tigers, wolves and even cute little chinchillas, get killed and skinned for their fur and leather?

Now that my personal animal cruelty issues are out of the way, my vegetarian diet altered drastically after only two months. Because I now despise meat, seafood and milk products, that was the day I decided to become vegan. I even gave up honey when I found out about bees being slaughtered alive. I may hate insects--EXCEPT butterflies--in real life, but seeing any living creatures with a face getting slaughtered is still heartbreaking for me.

Now, I know there are people out there who hate vegetarians and vegans in real life because "they think we're all superior and we like to make these meat-eaters feel guilty." Well, guess what, haters? That's not always fucking true! Being vegetarians and vegans to save the environment and animals is our choice. And with that said...

I'm not afraid to admit to others, even my own friends and family, that I am proud of my choice to become an animal-loving vegan.

And I'm definitely not alone. There are famous faces--including your favorites--in real life who are vegans as well:

-Brad Pitt
-Ellen DeGeneres
-Portia de Rossi
-Avril Lavigne
-Daniella Monet
-Pamela Anderson
-Carrie Underwood
-Usher
-and even Steve-O from "Jackass"

No joke, guys! Look it up.

I don't care what the haters think of veganism. I will always be proud of choosing this as my new part of life.

xoxoxo
-Misery Severity