5 Reasons You’re Scared to be Vegan
Yes, I said it. You are scared to give up the flesh and turn to the plant. No not you, I’m talking about other people.
After countless people telling me that they would love to be vegan but just can’t for one reason or another, it’s easy to see how attached we as a society are to food. Especially MEAT, CHEESE and other animal delicacies. Shit, I write about my food choices and blab them all over the place. Food, food, food. It’s the focal point of what we do socially.
With that being said, if food is such a big part of our lives, wouldn’t it make sense to take the healthiest, most ethical, environmentally sound approach? This is where fear comes in.
Here is what I see as the Top 5 Fears for not giving up the cow:
1. Where will I ever get my protein from?
It’s well documented that one of the major contributors to Western diseases is the over-consumption of animal protein. Americans consume may times (often 5-10 times) the necessary amount of protein that leads to our most common health issues.
Read The China Study
2. What will I eat?
It cracks me up when meat eaters ask me what I eat if I don’t eat animal products. It’s as if there are no other foods on the planet for vegans to eat. Fact is, the world of food is wide open to the plant based diet. Most restaurants allow for vegan substitutions and many are now offering vegan and gluten-free menu options. Furthermore, vegan cooking has become a passion of mine and to the surprise of friends and family, my meals are just as tasty, if not more, as meat and dairy filled dishes.
Check out my favorite vegan cookbook: Veganomicon
3. I will smell funny
I’ve heard people say that vegans smell funny. True, some vegans choose not to wear deodorant or keep up with regular hygiene practices due to personal beliefs or just out of pure laziness. In my experience, this phenomenon is not limited to the veg crew. People in general, who choose to not take care of themselves, stink. So this fear is just nonsensical. If anything, the cleanliness of your body, system and skin will make you stink less, sweat less and weigh less. These all lead to less stank.
4. People will make fun of me
This is often an internal fear that, ironically, people are fearful of expressing. Yes, people will make fun of you. People make fun of me all the time. Literally. Every work place I’ve been in, most of my friends and to many family members make jabs, poke fun and at times are down right rude. Here’s my approach: Fuck ‘em. It’s a choice I make and I am damn proud of it. I have purpose behind what I put in my body. I have passion for my lifestyle. Most can’t say that. Most don’t know why, or worse yet, what they are putting in there bodies as they shovel crap down there throats. Make a choice for you. Not for your family, spouse, kids, co-workers or the jack ass server at a restaurant. Stay true. There have been many times when a company I’ve worked for has had an employee luncheon(basically a crap fest of free food. BTW, thanks boss for contributing the the erosion of your teams health. You’re such a team player.) and I’ve strolled in with my salad and fruit to the sneers of my co-workers. Trust me, they judge themselves, not me, for choosing to not eat healthy that day.
5. I will become a tree hugger
Yep, you are correct. You will begin hugging trees, hugging animals, actually caring about Earth Day and might even start composting. Holy shit! Your entire world will begin to crumble. But when you choose the plant based path, you automatically begin to care more about your planet, your animals and the entire movement. You might even become a liberal. Oh my god!
Whatever the reason may be, do yourself, the planet and the animals a favor and start choosing plants over animals.
Nate
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