When a conversation about food comes up, and I mention that I don't eat animal products, there are lots of different responses. Most people look at me like I'm crazy, but a few are genuinely curious.

The most common answer is "I could never do that, I love ____ too much."

These are the folks who immediately dismiss the thought of a plant-based diet simply because it's different. They don't feel like changing and there's probably nothing I can say to make them consider it. But the truth is, you can find a vegan version of ANY food these days, and your love of cheese is the easy way out of this conversation.

I never, ever in a million years thought I could give up ice cream, but when I realized what my diet was doing to this beautiful Earth and all of the intricate, living beings created by God, ice cream just didn't seem very important anymore. The benefits far outweigh what I have chosen to give up. Plant based diets can cure anything from chronic acne to diabetes. Americans have got to stop looking at illness as if there is nothing they can do to prevent it. Yes, we can be genetically predisposed to certain cancers or diseases, but every bite we take either fights disease or feeds it.

Then there's the "Where do you get your protein?" response

The answer is PLANTS! As long as you are eating enough calories, it is virtually impossible to be protein deficient. Protein has been shoved down our throats, and anything with the label "good source of protein" is considered healthy. Please, I beg of you, do not buy into this money-making lie. Being an athlete doesn't change things. Serena Williams is vegan, and she doesn't seem to have a protein issue. So is Kendrick Farris, who actually moved up a weight class since switching to a vegan diet.

I mean look at those quads!!

"You know humans are made to eat meat right? We are natural Omnivores!"

Sometimes there is a person who is extremely well educated and can rattle off studies about how meat is good for us and we need it to survive. Contrary to popular belief, I love these people! I love talking with them because they know their stuff and so do I. Even though we don't see eye to eye, they are willing to argue logically and in a civil manner, and I feel we both leave the conversation with new things to think about. I'll be sure to talk about the "omnivore's dilemma" in a different blog post.

But the statement that makes me cringe is the "You're missing out! I feel sorry for you."

Don't worry folks, I've tasted cheese and I've had bacon and eggs for breakfast. I've had my fair share of wedding cake and I've gorged myself with copious amounts of ice cream. I know exactly what I am "missing."

I say "no" to animal products because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. Don't feel sorry for me, I love the food I eat, and I love my life. I feel sorry for the people who are living longer but living sicker. I feel sorry for the 787,000 Americans who will die of heart disease THIS YEAR ALONE because they weren't aware that changing their diet could actually reverse their condition.

I didn't go vegan because it's the cool new weight loss fad these days. I'm not starving myself, and I am in no way deprived of delicious food.

In fact, I bet vegans have a much more diverse menu than 90% of omnivores. Think about what you eat on a daily basis, do you roughly have the same thing for breakfast every day? And when you go out to eat, how often do you order a burger, pasta, or pizza? Of all the options in your college dining hall, are you usually at the same stand every day at lunch?

According to Simran Sethi, who wrote a book about the decreasing biodiversity in the foods we eat, 3/4 of all the food we consume comes from a mere 12 plants and 5 animal species! I don't think vegans are suffering from eating the same old foods every day, the whole world is.Thinking about what I ate today, I counted 22 different plants and probably missed some.

It's actually quite funny how afraid of new food we are. Kids hate trying new things... and so does my grandfather.The misconceptions about a vegan diet are plentiful, and those who are crazy enough to try it are few, but I hope that reading this has warded off a few of your fears about eating plants. I promise they won't hurt ya!

"Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance, is perhaps the most profound enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure, we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend." -Wendell Berry

Further Reading:

How not to Die by Michael Greger

Proteinaholic by Garth Davis

Bread, Wine, Chocolate by Simran Sethi