At age 19, four years ago, I decided spur of the moment on 3rd January to try Veganuary the next day. I had never been vegetarian, or expressed a desire to not eat meat before, so understandably my friends and family were doubtful it would last. I hadn’t realised that one decision, years later, would steer me to my dream career.
I hadn’t realised that one decision, years later, would steer me to my dream career
I went out that night and bought everything vegan I could find, armed with shopping list recommendations I found on Instagram and YouTube. I bought every freezer vegan meat replacement, tins of chickpeas and lentils, fresh veg and a vegan cookbook, then headed to the kitchen to prepare my first vegan meal: vegan fajitas.
I poured myself into research, blogs, content from vegan Instagram and YouTube influencers, Veganuary resources, The Vegan Society tips and blogs – I signed up for everything and learned as much as I could as fast as I could, and after a week I knew there was no going back for me.
I didn’t really understand why I was suddenly so passionate, but then after a binge-watching session of vegan documentaries, it all clicked for me, that the reason I only ever ate breaded or processed meat was because I wanted to keep a firm arm’s length away from the reality of what I was eating. That cognitive dissonance allowed me to avoid making that connection, for nearly 20 years because it was so normal in my family and society that animals were there for our consumption.
My body knew before I did that a vegan lifestyle was exactly what I’d always been aligned with.
Perhaps this is why it was so easy for me to literally go vegan overnight – my body knew before I did that a vegan lifestyle was exactly what I’d always been aligned with. I don’t want to oversell the benefits of course, but I found my asthma eased, my acne cleared, and I felt better in myself than I ever had. I also found joy in cooking for the first time, and found a community of vegan friends at my uni vegan society where I managed social media and general organising.
Veganism has become an inextricable part of me
Since then, veganism has become an inextricable part of me, scanning labels has become second nature, I can make a fantastic vegan cheese sauce, I don’t even question how to replace eggs in cakes, my bathroom is filled with vegan cosmetics, and when my old boots fell apart, I replaced them with vegan Doc Martens.
Now at 23, I am working at the Vegan Society as a Brand Marketing Officer and love that I get to put out content I know I craved in those first few months of trying to understand everything. If you’re even curious about a vegan lifestyle, check out The Vegan Society’s resources, you absolutely won’t regret making that choice for the animals, yourself, and of course – the planet.
Words by Charis Collier - Brand Marketing Officer at The Vegan Society.
For more information, visit www.vegansociety.com
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