world vegan day

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I'm in a super festive mood today because not only was yesterday Halloween, today is World Vegan Day (the 67th anniversary of the term "vegan") and also the two year anniversary of me following a vegan lifestyle wooo!! All this definitely calls for celebration...a giant vegan lower-back tattoo perhaps? Ummm I think I'll try a less permanent and painful means of commemorating this awesome day by reflecting a bit on why I chose a vegan diet and why I've stuck with it.

I don't remember the exact day I "officially became a vegan" but I do remember visiting my best friend at her college for Halloween weekend and even though it was definitely an inconvenience to find options in her cafeteria or the small college town she lived in, I distinctly remember not making any exceptions. One of the biggest struggles of becoming vegan was feeling like an inconvenience when it came to feeding time. From family dinners, staying with friends and even going out on a date, I often found myself apologizing for my restrictions. Over the past two years I've learned to stop feeling sorry and started sharing all the information and food I have learned since begging this journey. Pretty much everyone I approach with confidence (and samples!) has been extremely receptive and appreciative. All of my roommates have adopted a vegan diet for the most part and the craziest thing is- I never once asked any of them to even try to go vegan. Keep your cheese in fridge, have an egg in the morning, I don't mind. But I think (and what I've been told) is that by simply observing how simple (and inexpensive!) it is to be vegan and healthy and thus reap all the amazing benefits, making the switch to a vegan lifestyle ends up being the obvious reaction.

For me, I started dabbling in veganism when I moved back to New York from Southern California (ironically enough) and was living on my own rather than in a dorm or with my mom. I had the opportunity for a fresh start and complete control over what I would fill my refrigerator and stock my cabinets with. I have always had an interest in health but at this time I also became increasingly interested in food politics and veganism seemed to be the answer to my search for the most ethical, environmentally sound and most importantly, healthy lifestyle choice.

a glimpse at my pantry- what more could you need?