It has been one year since I decided to consume an entirely whole-food, plant-based diet. The idea had marinated in my mind for years before I finally decided to execute it.
Since then, many people have asked the question, ‘why?’. Of course my reasoning has been – a direct focus on health, decreasing the destruction and harmful practices that negatively impact our environment, to not contribute to the abuse of animals etc.. BUT, not until a few days ago did I realize the ACTUAL reason. Crazy huh? I visited NuVegan in Richmond, Va and the girl behind the counter asked why I decided to become vegan and that is when the light bulb flashed. I thought to myself, “… wait, why did I?”
The reason I decided to become vegan is because I wanted more control over my choices. We live in a world where information (usually biased) is shoved down our throat EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. We are on information OVERLOAD. Buy this car, listen to this music, eat this food, watch this reality show, spend your time doing this, spend your money on this. So many of us make choices based off convenience. We eat food based off an ad we see, we listen to music that’s easily accessible on the radio, we purchase a car that everyone else has – we follow the societal path. Why? Because it’s comfortable, because it seems n o r m a l ~ that dreaded, six letter word, [that doesn’t actually hold merit].
ANYWAY – the moral of the story is, we are being taken advantage of. We are being told how to think. Consumers are being capitalized on for the sole advantage of big industry payouts. Most of us believe milk builds strong bones because of a few ads we saw back in the day, produced by the milk industry. You best believe we will stand by that belief ’til death do us part! Why you might ask? Ah, because.. I mean, why would they lie to us? Can they lie to us? Would they do that?
Why would we believe anything from someone whose sole interest is to make money (at the expense of others)? We actually think they give a damn about us? I’ll stop here and refrain from going off on a tangent.
Right now let’s ask ourselves, what is the societal benchmark across American lives? Spending an enormous amount on rent so that we can live in a nice apartment? Doing a job we strongly dislike to make a decent amount of money? Working 9-5? Appeasing our family? Eating the American Diet? Watching TV? You see, all of these things have been normalized in American society. However that doesn’t necessarily mean we all should participate. Personally, anything that is considered conventional, I try to stay away from.
In my next blog I will discuss why NOT consuming meat/dairy is beneficial to our bodies and to the earth in a more factual context. Here, I just wanted to touch on why I had made the decision for myself.
By not consuming meat and eliminating 90% of dairy, I have made a difference. I have chosen how to live my life. I am not consuming food simply because it is advertised on a billboard or commercial. I am making my own decisions based off of personal experience and what I have learned. Corporations are not in business to ensure our longevity or to positively impact the environment. They want to make money. Lots of it. We shouldn’t allow them to influence our decisions.
I have chosen to be vegan, I have chosen to not have a Tv in my house, I have chosen to not listen to Top 40 music, among many other things.
Make a choice for yourself today. It doesn’t have to be food related. It can be anything.
We need to be intentional. From the moment we wake up until the second we fall asleep. Try it for yourself – make every decision with intent and reason, for one whole day. Question your motive. I bet you become more self aware. Let me know how/why this impacts your day!
As Always –
Much Love
Gypsea Soul