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First place

My sister and I went to see Peaceable Kingdom

I gave up beef and pork many years ago, but that was as far as I got, as I didn't think I was strong enough to give up poultry and fish. I heard about a documentary showing in T.O. called Peaceable Kingdom, and decided I was now ready to take the next step and start educating myself. My sister and I went to see the movie, and it has definitely changed my life! I had no idea how bad the farming industry actually was, and was totally shocked at the dairy and egg industry. That night I read through all the literature they gave out, (cried a lot) and knew I could not go back to my old way of living. I am now living a totally vegan life, and cannot imagine ever ingesting animal products again.

I have gotten many different reactions to my new lifestyle, not all of them positive (which baffles me) some people think I am being self righteous even though I explained this is just my personal choice, and I am not giving them a hard time about their personal choices. I guess some people can't accept anything that is different from their choices. Some people have even commented that at my age (38) it seems kind of late in life to be making such a drastic change. None of this will deter me however, actually it just makes my will stronger!!

My 12 year old daughter is also starting to make changes in her life too, which just impresses me soooo much, as I am not pushing this on her, these are her choices, and I am slowly educating her also. She now reads labels right along with me, and won't use any products (shampoo etc.) unless it says "not tested on animals".
– Candace, 30's,
from Mostly vegetarian to Vegan

Click on the image to find out more about Peaceable Kingdom and to view the trailer.

Second place (tied)

Stealth vegetarian, then two veggie pregnancies

Vegetarianism was something that "happened" to me because while in university I started dating a guy who was trying to be a vegetarian. Seriously, it kind of crept up when I wasn't looking! In supporting this guy and spending so much time with him, I found that I ate less meat -- because we were in school, we were ALWAYS broke so we shared a plate when we ate out so it had to be a veggie meal. I ate meat (had a burger, etc.) when I was by myself but this guy was always hanging around so I rarely had time to be alone with my meat-eating ways! Of course I thought he was weird (I still do) but he seemed harmless. He never pressed me to change, he just did his own thing and I did mine. I appreciated that because, you know, I needed my meat! Or so I thought.

The next thing I knew, I hadn't eaten meat in weeks, then months, and I didn't even miss it. This guy was slick, he just kept taking up all my time and using all his masculine wiles; I didn't even realize how much meat I WASN'T eating any more. I just stopped having it around the house (that darned guy never went home anyway!). First I gave up pork; then a few years later beef got cut out too. The truth is I had long stopped eating it. The hard part was just admitting that I wasn't going to eat it any more.

Becoming a vegetarian is one thing; SAYING SO is something else again. I was probably a closet-veggie for a long time before I would talk about it. When I went out with other friends I made a point of eating meat even when it didn't appeal to me because I didn't want to be the odd-veggie-out. Eventually I had to face the Hard Truth (gasp!): I was becoming a VEGETARIAN.

Friends and family were skeptical (they still are) but eventually it just became another "weird" thing that they could accept about me and my then boyfriend (now husband!). Sometimes it's really hard because Caribbean culture places a whole lot of value on meat! But as time goes on, I find my family is becoming more accommodating now that they realize it's more than just eating salad!

The really BIG changes came when we got pregnant with our first child. During that pregnancy, a lot of things just didn't appeal to me any more. I still tried to eat chicken and fish (I had made an agreement with my husband that I would not eat shrimp while pregnant or nursing -- THAT was hard!) but I found that fruits and vegetables were easier to eat and faster to cook (because my RAVENOUS appetite meant I had to get my meals done in a hurry!). Another big issue was eggs: I found I could not even stomach the idea of eggs any more -- my own unborn child REBELLED against even the thought of eating a chicken's unborn child! (AUGH!)

We had an easy pregnancy, a super FAST labour and a very healthy baby and I believe (as do others) that it was largely a result of my healthy diet. We had another boy two and half years later and, after another super FAST delivery, I found that some of my friends were open to take some advice on vegetarianism -- just in case it was actually a factor!

Having children is really what has caused me to make a commitment to try living a vegan lifestyle. Like their father, these boys are always hanging around! So if I don't want them to eat certain things, I can't eat them myself either. I gave up chicken before having my second son (it was time -- and the CBC documentary "Chickens Are People Too" helped a lot!) and fish has really lost its appeal. Having a family has opened my mind to the fact that animals have families too; they are not just born to service my dinner table. I have even joined PETA to keep informed on issues and I teach my children to respect animals and the world around them.

If you had told me less than ten years ago that I would be thinking and living like this, I would have said you were crazy! Vegetarianism and animal activism was something for hippies, Birkenstock-wearers, grungers and weirdos -- definitely not for someone like me! I know now that if I could become a vegetarian, it can happen for anybody! I look and feel better, sexier (yes, I DO have it going on!) and healthier than I ever have in my life.
– enoje, 30's, from Mostly vegetarian to Mostly vegan

Second place (tied)

Becoming vegan has been... bumpy

I've never been a huge meat eater, but I did enjoy regular amounts of chicken and occasional amounts of steak. I didn't think much of animal cruelty or the environmental problems associated with factory farming and GMO foods, until a co-worker, who was an ardent Vegan, lent me her copy of The Food Revolution.

I would describe myself as an intelligent, well educated person with tendencies for deep, critical thought on subjects that interest me. I'm not swayed by emotional arguments, or pseudo-science, so I expected the worst from this book, mostly because my co-worker seemed to use a lot of emotional and pseudo-science arguments for Veganism. I had already positioned it in the same place in my mind as all the other diet books my friends had fallen prey too (Atkins, The Zone, South Beach, etc.). The diet industry, to me, was a tax on people who weren't happy with themselves; a 13 billion dollar money-tree with no end of profits (unhappy people) in sight.

This book was different, of course. John Robbins seemed to do his homework, and cite long running, large sample base research to back up everything he said. The evidence of health problems, unnecessary cruelty and environmental damage from animal based diets was staggering and very hard to ignore. I decided at that point, it was time to try this Plant Based Diet.

My experience with becoming Vegan has been... bumpy. My wife was very upset with me at first, for reasons I didn't understand. After she explained it a few times, and used at least one puppet show, I understood why this was such a big deal to her. It comes down to making multiple meals for multiple diets, and more importantly: loosing a pattern of very good meals prepared with loving attention to detail that she's built up over the years. She also believed that I would have to eat meat as to not insult my family during holidays. To her, it was a grave insult to not eat what is lovingly prepared, regardless of the content of the meal.

These issues were only the beginning of the "fight" (it was a fight to tell the truth). My friends, family and co-workers were quite critical of the dietary change (except the Vegan of course, she was delighted). They all know me as an "easy going guy" with an appetite for pretty much anything (everything). Self imposed dietary restriction was something they wouldn't have expected from me, it was quite a shock. The meat lovers gave it their best go at trying to convince me that this dietary change would not only unbalance my diet, it was downright unhealthy! Yes folks, I got the "make yourself sick diet" speech from guys on Akins-esq diets...

Time marches on, and the initial all-around criticism fades. My wife now eats a mostly vegetarian diet, my mother is thinking of becoming vegetarian, my grandmother understands that chicken and fish are not part of a vegetarian's diet and my good friend is on the same diet as I am. This wasn't due to soapbox preaching, that failed miserably of course. I think it's more of a "lead by example" situation: If the last person you imagine can do something like this, and you respect that person's opinion, maybe you should try it.

This isn't just a diet for the fruity (no pun intended) flower children hippies that everyone associates Vegetarians to be. Nor just for the eco-terrorists who mock you for wearing leather that people imagine Vegans to be. It's a diet for everyone, and it's not that hard to switch to. I feel better now than I have ever felt in my entire life. I've lost weight, increased my endurance, and shaken the gastro-intestinal problems that plagued me for the last few years. I've also noticed a marked reduction in my environmental allergies. I'm happy on this diet. I'm not going back.
– Pat Wendorf, 20's, from Meat-centered to Vegan

Third place

My grandfather was a butcher

Wow - What an experience! First and foremost a great big Thank You for this year's vegetarian food fair. It was an excellent experience that I introduced my entire family to (Being the cook I have a little clout!!!)

It was an eye opening moment: the Article "Downers" in the Vegetarian starter kit scared me to death - My grandfather was a butcher and I never ever saw him mistreating animals growing up and that article absolutely revolted and appalled me - I was truly totally ignorant of what really goes on - For the past year I have been humming and hahing about becoming a vegetarian but a major stumbling block has been what to eat and how to stay healthy and keep my family loving me - Bad Tofu can many enemies make! Well I'm happy to say they're lovin it, I enjoy cooking again and we look forward to each new recipe. I am happy to say that this is a permanent lifestyle change on many levels for all of us and we have been enjoying it since September 13th and still going strong (October 4th today).

We are fortunate in that our friends have been totally supportive (probably because they inherited a freezer full of meat ;) and a couple have started reducing their meat intake (more veggies to come) - We entertain often and I take pleasure in introducing our friends to healthy tasty meals that they rave about (this has been GREAT for my ego too!!). The part that has amazed me the most is the variety of foods available to vegans/vegetarians that are great tasting and nutritious. We have had one serious major challenge however - it's all so good that all I want to do is cook and eat :-) Thank you for this wonderful introduction to a healthier lifestyle and some very tasty treats!
– Joy, 30's, from Meat-centered to Mostly vegan

Honorable mention

While growing up on a farm in Alberta, I developed a close relationship with an animal destined for the slaughterhouse

This challenge is an interesting way to take another step down the road I've been traveling for many years. I grew up on a cattle & grain farm in Alberta. When I was a youth I found this issue very confusing. The culture's message was that it was manly to kill animals like coyotes that are viewed as pests, and to eat lots of steak to support my parents' livelihood. On the other hand, I had the personal experience of raising, grooming and showing a steer ("Herbie") in the 4H club. It was bizarre to develop a close relationship with an animal knowing that I would be sending it to the slaughterhouse.

Later I went to university and tackled the issues directly in a philosophy of Ethics course. Here I encountered the writings of Peter Singer, of animal rights fame. The mental struggle was difficult, though eventually I found the rationality of his argument undeniable. I then began to give up the eating of animals abused the worst, pigs and chickens. I was in my early twenties. By my late twenties I had finally met other like-minded people, concerned about ecology and animals. This helped me take the step of giving up other forms of meat.

In this challenge I have tried to push myself further, to give up cheese and free-range eggs. So far it is difficult, especially in restaurants. I see that it will require more planning to choose a good restaurant than I had been accustomed to doing. At home the situation is easier since I have found that there are tasty soy-based cheeses and other interesting foods that are vegan.
– Perry, 30's, from Meat-centered to Vegetarian

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