I am a vegan, and today, I'm going to stray from my usually strict science topics (though I will mention some scientific studies) to talk about why. I want to share my experiences with veganism, because I think they show that you should fight for what you love. I am not here to try to offend you or to convince you to be vegan, but instead to explain myself, to all those who remain confused, and to show that you can devote yourself to what you believe in, and come out happier and stronger on the other side.

What is veganism?

I live in New York City, where the majority of people have at least heard of veganism. I'm in a kind of vegan bubble. I'm always surprised when people don't know what veganism is, but my bubble has certainly been burst a few times. For example, some restaurants confuse "vegan" with "gluten-free," or veganism is a completely foreign concept altogether. So, for clarification's sake, a vegan is a person who consumes and uses only products that have not been produced by animals. This includes foods such as meats and dairy, but it also includes things that people might not think of right away, such as honey. Vegans also don't wear silks, wool, or leather, and buy makeup products that not only contain no animal products, but also have not been tested on animals. It sounds very complicated, and it did take me lots of research and lots of trial and error to learn, but now, veganism is second nature to me.

How I became a vegan

I have been a vegetarian most of my life. It began one day in an elevator. I was about five, my sister was ten, and she was talking about dissecting owl pellets and finding rat bones in them for her science class. I remember saying something like "ew" and she said, "Rebecca, that's what you're doing every day when you eat meat." I thought about it, and she was right. So that day, I decided to become a vegetarian, just like her. My sister proudly announced to the whole house, "We have another vegetarian in the house!" I kept up with it for three and half years, until an ill-fated hospital hot dog wore me down at my sister's birthday party. I returned to eating meat for a while, and, believe me, I understand the appeal. I alway liked meat and especially cheese, and never did I think about going vegan. For the next few years, I was an on-again off-again vegetarian, never fully committing to it. Then, one day in high school, my history teacher began our lecture on the history of capitalism. We learned about Walmart, and fast food restaurants. That's when my history teacher, still one of my favorite teachers of all time, introduced me to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. I think I read the whole book in about a week, because the history of food in our country is long and sometimes shocking in its inhumanity towards both animals and people. From then on, I began to slowly research veganism. My sister had become vegan a few years before, and she was always my role model in my moral compass, how I should treat the world like I treat my family. This time, though, I wanted to make an informed decision. What convinced me in the end was an hour-long YouTube video I watched one afternoon. It was a lecture by Gary Yourofsky, a famous animal rights activist, given at Georgia Tech in 2010, and was called "Best Speech You Will Ever Hear." And for me, it was. On that one rainy afternoon sitting on my sofa, Gary Yourofsky convinced me of the power of words to move people, and the power of actions to change the world. I officially went vegan in June 2014. I was 17, and I began packing vegan lunches for my internship at the New York Aquarium. Since then, not much has changed. I've gotten a lot better at being a vegan. I know which brands work for me and how to always get the proper nutrition. It's become second nature by now, and I don't see it ever changing for me.

Why I became a vegan

I do feel that I need to give some brief background on the evidence that ultimately persuaded me to go vegan. For me, it has always been about animal rights. I have loved animals since I was little, and my dad, my sister, and I picked up a bird with a broken wing on the street in New York City and nursed it back to health. So it just made logical sense for me to become vegan, a change I could make in my daily life.

In the U.S., factory farming of animals is inhumane. For example, hens are packed in such tight quarters that they can't turn around or lie down. They're bred to have a huge amount of breast meat, which is not proportional to the rest of their body, which can make them unstable on their feet. And any baby chicks that are laid are not useful for egg production, so they are killed (without getting graphic: in a cruel way, with no pain killers). I won't go into the specifics of the problems associated with the farming of eggs and dairy, in addition to meat itself. But if you want to do your own research, Peta's website has a lot of resources (http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/f...). These are the main reasons why I became vegan.

A lot of people don't know that there are several kinds of vegans, though. There are also vegans who adopted the lifestyle in order to help the environment. Producing meat and animal products require a huge amount of land and water, in addition to the chemicals poured into the environment for their production. This inefficient use of our resources is only worsening global hunger and climate change. For more, see Your Daily Vegan.com (http://www.yourdailyvegan.com/environment/)

Many people also go vegan for their health. In a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewing the health effects of veganism, Winston J Craig found that vegans tend to be thinner, have lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. He does mention the risk of nutritional deficiencies, but if vegans keep up with the supplements, just like non-vegans should, it can certainly lead to a healthier diet and a healthier life.

Misconceptions about veganism

Quickly, I want to dispel some of the common misconceptions I hear about vegans.

1. We get no protein: This is not at all the case. There's protein in everything, from peas to soymilk. A lot of vegans eat a lot of beans because they're a really reliable natural source of protein.

2. Vegans are preachy: There's the common adage: "How do you know if someone is a vegan? Don't worry, they'll tell you." I prefer: "How can you tell if someone is vegan? Don't worry, when you offer them meat, they will say 'no thanks,' then you can ask them a bunch of questions about it which they will answer politely, then you can get upset about it for no reason." (https://www.vegansociety.com/whats-new/blog/13-myt...). I have not found vegans to be preachy in particular, and I do my best to not be myself. I really want to encourage a curiosity in people, not make them angry by shoving my beliefs down their throat.

3. Veganism is hard: The transition can be difficult, but it's pretty easy to get used to. You have to forgive yourself for any mistakes you make. Especially now, there are so many vegan alternatives. It can be inconvenient, especially in restaurants, but for the most part, it just takes time and practice. There are also lots of online resources to help you into the transition.

4. Vegans can't be athletes: Similar to the no-protein myth, there are a ton of vegans who can prove this one wrong. For example, ask Fiona Oakes, a vegan holder of 3 World Marathon titles. Ask Cam Awesome, an eight time super heavyweight boxing champion (and vegan). For that matter, ask Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of all time, and also a vegan.

5. Vegans only eat salads: Not true in any way, shape, or form. Vegans eat all kinds of things. I myself am a big fan of vegan mac and cheese, and vegan BLTs. Again, there are a ton of options available for vegans (and more coming all the time) that are just waiting for your patronage.

Why it's hard to be a vegan, and why I ultimately love it

It's not hard for the reasons you think (see #3 above). The problems mostly come in my interactions with other people. Now, most of the people I have met are interested and curious about veganism, and incredibly respectful. I am so grateful for those people, because they always make up for the few exceptions. But those few exceptions certainly stick out in my mind. For example, when I told one of my friends in high school that I was a vegetarian (even before my vegan days), he said he was "offended" by it. I said nothing to insinuate he should become a vegetarian or a vegan, I just said what I was going to do. My choices became offensive to him, even though they were my choices for my life. Then, over the summer before college (I was already a vegan), that same "friend" always insisted on picking the restaurant my group of friends went to, so we often went to places where I couldn't eat very much. I never wanted my choices to affect anyone else, so I went along with it. At the place that my "friend" decided was our staple, The Meatball Shop, the only thing I could really eat off the menu were some radishes with olive oil and salt. Not the most appetizing thing in the world. Then, at our last dinner before we left for our respective colleges, he insisted on going to an Italian restaurant downtown. I was nervous about finding vegan things there, and I never wanted to ask for something vegan in front of them, because I thought they would judge me or roll their eyes. One of my other friends offered some of her salad to me, but when I said "No thank you" because I was worried that the dressing might have dairy in it, she said to the others, "What's the big deal? There's nothing in here she can't eat." Later, my "friend" who had brought us all there made jokes about feeding me chicken nuggets while I was asleep so I could get some protein. I finally started to fight back, saying that protein was a bone of contention for vegans, and that I got more than enough protein. He shut me down and told me I was overreacting. Since that night, I haven't really considered that "friend" a friend anymore. All of my current friends have been incredibly kind and supportive of my veganism. I plan to keep my friend group that way.

Another time, I sat down to eat lunch with one of these kind friends in the dining hall at Dartmouth and one of her other friends joined us. My friend mentioned that I was vegan, and the newcomer immediately started asking a bunch of obnoxious questions, like, "Do vegans believe in daylight savings time?" After maybe five or so like this, I replied, "You know, vegans aren't aliens. Maybe some random vegans don't believe in daylight savings time, but we're just normal people." It's the only bad experience I've had with anyone at Dartmouth.

On one last occasion back in high school, I was sitting in environmental science class and my teacher brought up vegetarianism. One of my fellow classmates said, "I just don't think one person can make a difference." If those weren't words to keep me fighting, I don't know what would be. For one thing, if everyone thought that way, there would never be any change in our world. So I kind of pity this fellow student of mine for his ignorance. But another thing: I have an image saved on my desktop that sometimes keeps me going through difficult days. It says: "A person who is vegan will save 1100 pounds of water, 20 pounds of CO2 equivalent, 30 square feet of forest lands, 45 pounds of grain, and one sentient animal's life every day." For me, veganism does help me change the world. Every day.

I need people to understand that veganism is my choice. I am not a person who would try to force my veganism on anyone. I believe everyone has the right to make their own choices in life - I don't judge anyone else's choices, and so they shouldn't judge mine. And most people don't, which I am truly grateful for. I'm always excited when I meet a new person and they want to ask me questions about veganism. That's when I'm happiest being a vegan. It can be lonely, because a very small percentage of the U.S. population is vegan. The only person I'm close with who is (my sister) lives on the other side of the country. So sometimes it feels like I'm alone in my own fight. But I'm still lucky to have found people who support me even though veganism isn't their cause.

I hope whoever reads this article (if anyone does) comes to understand why a person would become vegan, but also some of the struggles associated with it. And I hope it terrifies you less, and instead opens your mind to the possibility of changing your life for what you care about. For example, I feel that I could never be one of those people who produces no waste. That seems impossible to me! But there are people who do it and do it well, because it's what they believe in. The goal of this blog post is not to necessarily make you want to become vegan, but for you to understand the thought process behind doing something you're truly passionate about, and sticking to it. I hope whoever reads this finds that thing they believe in, and follows it to the end.