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| Winning stories: March 2005 |
| Thursday, 31 March 2005 | |
First place
To explain why I became vegetarian has always been difficult, because, at first, I didn’t even know why. At first, I simply woke up one February morning and decided that I would no longer eat meat. The first reason that happened to find its way into my mind was the fact that the meat was really dead. And being dead, I had absolutely no way of knowing exactly how it had died; whether it had died of natural causes, disease, abuse, poisoning, on accident, etc. Furthermore, it is even harder to know how long the animal had been dead before I processed and ate its flesh or how long it had been sitting outside before being moved to a refrigerator. In reality, these animals made of flesh, bones and blood are really just decomposing corpses. Continue reading Katherine's story. Also see her article on starting a school club and other way to help animals and promote vegetarianism. Second place (tied)
I've been interested in vegetarianism and veganism for several years but have never felt well suited to either for a few reasons: • I enjoy weightlifting and didn't know how to get a high protein diet without meat. • My food tastes have traditionally been very limited. I was allergic to many things growing up so I developed a very limited diet, often living off junk food and occasional fruit as a teenager. As a result there are very few vegetable or legumes that I like to eat. • I eat a lot of calories, many meals a day and I've had little imagination, cooking experience or patience to do a lot of food preparation. • Soy always seems to be a big thing for non-meat eaters and I'm not a fan. I question the safety of eating that much unfermented soy, along with not wanting to support the soy industry that is 80% GMO. The main reason for getting meat out of my diet now is that I study food issues for a living. You quickly learn that much of the commercially produced non-organic food we consume supports environmental degradation, factory farming, genetic modification, the weakening of local economies, poor labour practices, the unsustainable consumption of natural resources, and a dangerous dependence on cheap oil for its production, processing and transportation. Vegetarianism doesn't so much appeal to me for health reasons although I'm happy to learn how to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet. For me it's simply that I don't want to give these companies that run confined animal feed operations my money anymore. To avoid pesticides and large scale monoculture farming I also buy fruits and veggies that are local and/or organic as much as possible. It's definitely a struggle for me personally given my food preferences to stick to a vegetarian diet, even with eggs and cheese. With my picky tastes, big appetite, and knowledge of the food industry it's very easy to find myself staring aimlessly into an open fridge thinking that the only food groups that are left to rely on are gum and alcohol!! But if I can find a way, anybody can. Second place (tied)
I have always been interested in vegetarianism, but never had the guts to be the first guy I know to give up meat. I had toyed with the idea a few times, once even going meatless for 3 weeks before the presence of my friends and the smell of a barbequed burger brought be back to the dark side. Then, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a book titled "Ishmael" written by Daniel Quinn [see Ishmael.com]. Third place (tied)
I had always been a fervent supporter of meat and protein from meat for all of my 19 years on this earth. I consider myself a very scientifically oriented person, and I am always looking at nutrition news and SCIENTIFIC studies to better take care of myself. Until about a week ago though I had absolutely NO intention of ridding my diet of meat. My roommate attended nutritionist Deanna Latson's seminar at our school and came back both moved, and holding John Robbins' book, Food Revolution. My roommate was rambling off vegetarian statistics and numerous other things he had learned, but he said he still wasn’t giving up meat, just cutting back on some things. I was pretty amazed that he would even suggest vegetarianism in any form, so I decided to check out MR. I was amazed at the book, I couldn't put it down, it was like an obsession. I was astounded by the science and research that went into it, and I was stunned to see the devastation and pollution that the meat industry is causing. I read the book in 2 days, and I swore a solemn vow on that second day to give up meat. I was never a fan of Atkins, or any other radical diet, but I certainly had never considered vegetarianism, which was just for hippies and flower children who loved cows. Well after the book I must say the transition has been quite easy, in terms of my self regulation. I think this is almost fated for me, I have always seen fruits, nuts, and vegetables as the most wholesome foods, but I could never imagine taking meat out until recently. Despite this, my friends have made this process very difficult. Imagine a former meat loving man coming to the table one day with a tofu burger and a bean salad, and then imagine what his friends might say...interesting to say the least. It has been a battle, but I am committed to this way of life for myself and for the environment. If it was supported by Buddha, Gandhi, and Einstein, it must be good (and it is!)! Third place (tied)
I started my vegetarian movement when I turned 15. (November 6th of this year! YAY!) Ahh.. Yes.. The 'free fifteen' years (I was never really interested in vegetarianism). At first I thought vegetarians and vegans were the saddest beings on the planet. I looked up the link about 'MEET YOUR MEAT' on PeTA.com [click on image to watch]. I watched the 4 minute clip. Ever since I picked up that fork during dinner time the fact that eating a miserable chicken's corpse haunted me.. Not only did that affect my joy of eating Mom's fried chicken but I noticed people always observe me. I know that their predictions were right about me. How I would always eat so much meat and carbs then get (the evil 'F' word) – FAT! I really didn't want to believe in that word even though the reality was that I was overweight. AND ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'M IN MY TEEN YEARS! I made sure from previous experiences with vegetarian wannabe's that I'd check up with the family nutritionist if I would be 'capable' and ready to go vegetarian. Dr. Inandan said I should try BUT had the nerve to say I couldn't last until dinner. (I mean wow! I swear nutritionists would never say stuff like that! Especially to a puberty-stricken teen like moi) I started cutting out my meat portions from my weekly servings – SLOWLY & consistently. It's impossible and emotionally unhealthy to start going vegetarian in one day! (Motivation won't last forever! Especially when it comes to depriving yourself from meat the next day) NUH-UH! Knowing this I started adding more servings of fruit and veggies one week than I usually would eat.. The next week I added 4 more servings to the daily portion.. Then so on.. Week after week – Until I had at least 16-18 servings to fruit/vegetables daily and 20 servings of daily fibre! But losing excess fat doesn't work with vegetarian diet alone! Exercise is essential! After 3 weeks of practice & the right exercise I lost 10 pounds! (YAY!) At this point in time I learned FAT was a 'good word'. Kids like me especially at the end of my growth spurt need fat in our bodies! I get 'fat' from dairy products and omega3 acids (GO ice cream and gelato!) Today friends compliment me not only on the new me (I'm more energetic). I hear uplifting comments during lunch about my motif of going vegetarian! (No one believed I'd become one) They asked me crazy questions like how many hours I had to exercise daily? Three days ago a girl in my class claimed I 'inspired' her to switch to vegetarianism for 2 weeks. I talked to that girl 5 minutes ago on the phone – she said she never felt stronger about her healthy lifestyle thanks to animal compassion. I got my family into eating more vegetables too! They made fun of me at first but now it's like HEY MOM HI DAD! Guess who's laughing now?! Controlled healthy eating here! Honorable mention
Veganism has actually added variety to my diet rather than take it away My interest in vegetarianism began with articles and reports I had read about the various issues with mad cow and vCJD. After looking for some more resources, I actually came across more material that showed the detriments of drinking milk and eating dairy. After double-checking some sources and looking deeper into milk and dairy, I officially decided to get off of those products cold turkey. I had not made my mind up about meat though, so I decided to read more about that issue. And although I was satisfied that mad cow, or vCJD, is a somewhat reasonable risk to take when eating meat, I came across reports that showed the inescapable dangers that eating meat presents. Thus, I decided to go vegan. I found avoiding meat and dairy to be pretty easy actually. After reading about the long list of health risks, as well as watching the "Meet Your Meat" movie, I couldn't stand the sight of meat or dairy. The difficulty was initially setting up a diet that gave me the right nutrients, which led to a little monotony for the first week or so. After looking around websites and brainstorming I was able to get a better idea of what to eat and what not to eat, which has allowed for a lot more variety. Having been a big meat eater, my family and friends were rather shocked to find out I had turned to a vegan diet. But they were also very interested in the idea, and many very eager to hear about the dangers of eating meat and dairy. Since I gave up meat and dairy, I have not eaten either, and am feeling healthier. Also, veganism has actually added variety to my diet rather than take it away. Since I have to peel and chop the vegetables anyways, I usually make the most of it and try out new ideas and recipes. Honorable mention
Does a ring mean you love someone forever... or does changing your life to live longer with them mean more? My girlfriend made a silly joke about how she will go vegetarian, and then said she was having an avocado sandwich. Ever since I met her a lot of things in my life have improved. Going vegetarian was something I always wanted to try. Does a ring mean you love someone forever... or does changing your life to live longer with someone mean you really love them because you love yourself? It is these thoughts that fueled my desire to try it. Ever since the new year I have been a vegetarian. My health seems to have improved dramatically which is surprising to me as I do not understand the relationship. I had an avocado sandwich for the first time yesterday something I never even heard of – and I am 26 years old. Odd but this feels good for many reasons that go beyond food perhaps. This website helps me to see Toronto’s eating in a whole new perspective. Honorable mention
It is worth it when you weigh the options; torture an animal vs eating unhealthy junk food My partner was mostly vegetarian when we met and I ate mostly animal based foods – lots of meat and lots of dairy. Ethically I liked the idea of vegetarianism but didn’t want to give up a diet of foods I enjoyed for foods I didn’t really like such as salads and lentils. I enjoy cooking and while making special date night dinners for my partner I discovered what vegetarian foods could really taste delicious. When I made the switch to a full vegetarian diet it was pretty easy. Over about a month long period I just chose more and more non-animal food choices. I felt much better about myself and how my food choices affected the environment and the lives of animals. For the veggie challenge my partner and I eliminated dairy and eggs from our diet. I have been a big dairy consumer especially ice cream. At the veg food fair this year I saw a cooking demo for 'vice cream' and it was delicious. It gave me hope that maybe I could find alternatives for dairy foods. The treatment of dairy cows and battery hens is unbelievable cruel and not something that I want to support. So we experimented with store bought vegan cheese, made some cheese sauce from nuts and nutritional yeast, baked without eggs and made a vegan brunch feast. It was all delicious. After a week of eating this way my partner and I gave away all of the foods in the house that contained eggs and dairy and we are going to continue eating a vegan diet. The only real challenge is that it is more difficult to buy pre-made foods or go to restaurants. It seems that eggs and dairy are in everything: all of the choices that we had as vegetarians – pizza, pasta alfredo, etc are no longer options. Even our favourite candy bars have milk in them and no more butter tarts. It is worth it though when you weigh the options; torture an animal vs have some store bought unhealthy junk food. |
I woke up one morning and decided that I would no longer eat meat
short answer to it. 
If I can find a way, anybody can.
I was stunned to see the devastation and pollution that the meat industry is causing
