I am 20-years-old, and as a 20-year-old would do, I often go out to eat with friends and peers. I often find myself explaining why I can't share food and go halfsies with others' meals, or why I would rather not taste what they've ordered, and their reactions are always priceless. As a vegan, I do not believe in consuming animals or animal products. I made this choice because initially I wanted to pursue a career in working with animals, and I began to do extensive research on the meat and dairy industries and the way animals are treated before they are butchered, canned and served on a plate. It did not sit right with me. What amazes me is how people are so offended by my choice. After answering questions and giving reasons for not eating animal products, people are always more than ready to combat the choice I've made and my lifestyle, and it is hilarious. Here are five things I am tired of hearing about being a vegan:

1. "So, do you just eat leaves and grass?"

Yes. After a long day at work or classes, I cannot wait to come home and enjoy a bowl full of grass and leaves freshly picked from bushes on the side of the road. This is the most frequent question I get and my favorite to answer. My reply is always, "Do I look like I just eat leaves and grass all day?" This is probably the biggest misconception about veganism—that the menu is limited to just vegetables and plants. In reality, there are countless vegan recipes and substitutions for "regular" products. There are also more websites than I can count which promote veganism and provide recipes, food lists and overall help with being a part of the vegan minority.

2. "How do you live without meat?"

Well, I just do it. How do you eat something with a face? How do you eat something that feeds and raises their young, much like we do? Who said we have to eat meat? People are always fascinated by my "great deal of self-control" and discipline. Actually, once I found out the truth about meat and dairy industries, I was not able to look at meat and animal products the same. So, it is not a matter of having self-control; it is that I don't want to support such a greedy industry. Before I became a vegan, I was a vegetarian for seven years. Before that, I never thought to imagine a life without chicken nuggets and burgers. Once I tried it, it stuck.

3. "You need meat and milk to survive! Where do you get your protein?"

Too often the image that quickly comes to our imaginations when we think about vegans is a skinny, kinda dirty person with messy hair. In fact, vegans are very strong and full of energy due to a plant-based diet. There are several sources of protein that vegans receive in their diet and our insides are far better off than those who consume flesh. For example, before I stopped eating meat, I was dealing with high cholesterol, blood pressure and juvenile obesity much too young. After a year of a vegetarian diet, all those things were regulated and decreased to healthy levels, I had more energy than ever before, and I was able to sleep better at night.

4. "Your people eat meat, so why don't you?"

First of all, that's dripping in racist microaggression. Secondly, there are thousands of vegans who are a part of the African diaspora in America. Dr. Sebi has been able to reverse major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and leukemia based on a vegan diet and holistic remedies. Celebrities such as artist Erykah Badu and mogul Russel Simmons live vegan lifestyles and widely advocate it to their audiences.

5. "Is it because of your religion?"

No, I am not obligated to refrain from eating certain things due to my religious beliefs (not that I am aware of, at least). However, I do believe that what we put in our bodies has much spiritual significance. Personally, I do not believe in consuming dead things as a woman because my body was meant to bring life. I do not understand why people think that living a lifestyle outside of what is "mainstream" has to do with religious beliefs and choices.

Here are my questions for the people who are so angry about the vegan lifestyle: Why are you tired after you eat? Why do you feel as if you cannot give up meat and animal products? What does that say about the food you're being fed? Why do you eat meat? Why does it offend you that I don't? How would you feel if your milk was taken to feed someone else?

Just some plant-based, non-slaughtered food for thought.