Revealing my NY Resolution for 2018!
That’s right, you guessed it, I’m going Vegan. And before you close this page and sigh and think “there goes another good one”, take a minute to read why I chose to do this, and why I think it’s in line with my ethics. It’s not just because it’s becoming trendy!
Hello 2018, Good Bye CARNISM.
I grew up with one idea of the world, and now I’ve realised that I was wrong. I thought that I had no choice but to eat animals, that I needed the protein, that it was ok to kill animals, that I was a strong and healthy viking meat lover….
But then, during the summer of 2017 I indulged myself with several huge feasts while staying in a summer house in the Costa Brava: Meat and Fish BBQ’s, cheese, lattes, wine, beer, ice creams, cakes… I even posted the picture below on Instagram and many of my fans and followers were commenting, saying things like “a plate of dead animals, not sexy at all” 😬 Those comments started to make me feel a little uncomfortable, and I couldn’t get them out of my head. Also lately many of the performers I usually work with have been advocating for a plant based diet.
Then the summer ended and I realized I was feeling quite tired, inflamed, grumpy, and pretty much my whole digestive system was feeling kind of funny. A good friend told me to visit a Nutrition and Medical Center in Barcelona, and voilà: After only two weeks of getting rid of several things, the main ones being meat and diary, I really truly felt like a whole new person.
This TED Talk by Melanie Joy and the documentary WHAT THE HEALTH by Kip Andersen solidified my desire to do something about my diet.
If you have any chronic conditions, and the doctors can’t help you, I would encourage you and everyone else to give this a try. Try it for a few weeks, and if it does not work, you can always go back to Carnism. You have very little to lose! Plus, you don’t need to fully commit to a new way of life if you are not ready, like Graham Hill explained here back in 2010, or like the great Veganuary initiative.
Besides, I think that being respectful towards animals and nature goes hand in hand with many of my main believes, especially when it comes to feminism. I can’t believe that it took so long for me to awaken!
My experience so far is amazing, for me, like Gary Francione once said, Veganism is not a sacrifice, it’s a joy.
Are you up for this challenge?
Amazing news! Way to go 🥂
Awesome Erika! You’ll have the chance to keep inspiring people with veganism as well, great news! It’s the right path 🙂
Good for you! It really is fun once you see it like this and not as if it’s giving something up.
Hi Erika! This is such awesome news. I love to see people go vegan for ethical reasons and not just for health. I’m glad you found a way of living that aligns with your values. 🙂
My boyfriend & I saw you on a documentary and really agreed with everything you had to say.
If you need help with recipes or anything else, I have 2.5 years worth of recipes on my blog and Instagram. Feel free to reach out for anything! Good luck!
I applaud you on your decision to become vegan! You are absolutely correct to equate veganism with feminism, since so many of the abuses that nonhumans are subjected to are directly related to the sex of the individual.
Michael.
Does semen and virginal juice qualify as vegan?
“Veganism is not a sacrifice, it’s a joy.” – I totally agree with that! I was like you, ate a lot of meat and it was just natural for me. But a couple of years ago I switched my mind. Resulting in the same situation you predict in your opening words: My social environment said: “there goes another good one”.
But in the meanwhile many of my friends reduced their meat consumption as well and became more open minded towards veganism and the ethic and healthy aspects about it.
Since my switch I lost a lot of body-fat and became much more fit. So I am totally fond of your decision. Good luck and stay strong!
Neat!
I stopped eating meat about 10 years ago, in my early twenties. Each year I take a blood test that is called “perfil bioquímico” in Spanish. This one tells you about the levels of vitamins, proteins and lipids your system has, every year the doctor says: “estas de libro”, which means I’m a book’s sample hahah
It’s really a sign of hope to me to see that more people are waking up to the abuse that we may do to our younger brothers, as I see animals… something that occurred to me is that food is not the only concern nowadays, but recycling, using products that haven’t abused of animals and so on… it’s a marvelous path of joy and learning, my best wishes from Chile!
Wow! That’s great! Congratulations 🙂
Erika,
If you have favorite recipes, or other quick/easy meals for beginner vegetarians/ vegans, please post. Healthy body and mind = a healthy soul!
Thank you for everything you do.
-josh
Hallo Erika!
Ich kann deine Entscheidung nur befürworten und finde Sie sehr gut. Ich selber bin seit einem halben Jahr Veganer und fühle mich seitdem viel gesünder, der Sex ist noch besser geworden und es müssen wegen mir auch keine Tiere mehr sterben.
Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland 😉. Andreas
Very good! Being vegan is so much sexier!! Not only to mention it being ethical, food tastes better, is more creative and is so much better for health and environment!
Woow! I have just found ur work on netflix and I loved it. When u said we are more thoughtful when buying eggs or meat, I said, “she is vegan too” lol! U will loooooove eating no animals, my husband and I really enjoy it. It may be difficult at first but it is great. Love from Argentina!!!
Annnd it is “trendy” because we have now information. My parents did not.
Great Resolution Erika,
I wish you the best of luck in your quest. You will feel much better in your body and your mind, and it make positive change for the environment and for the animals. I hope your followers will follow you.
So, no more leather accessories in your movies? Our world is absolutely wrong… animal products are everywhere. Curiously, latex clothing contains also animal products. Even the condom industry uses casein to make them more silky. 🙁 After feminist porn movie, why not first full ethical porn movies (obviously vegan)? There have definitely a place for that! It would be inspirational! Good luck with everything!