I'm Saying Goodbye to Carnism, and Hello to Veganism

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!

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…

Until 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.

The TED Talk Toward Rational, Authentic Food Choices 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?