Growing up, I always had a passion for animals. Ever since I was little, I always felt the urge to help others around me: the environment, insects, and four-legged furry creatures. My family can still tell stories of how I went about rescuing turtles on the side of the road or tried to bring home every cat that I saw.
Living with this passion led me to wanting to help in just about any way that I could. Through this need, I found the vegetarian lifestyle.
Not only does it benefit animals, this diet helps the environment and a human’s overall health. According to health.harvard.edu, becoming a vegetarian can protect an individual from major diseases such as, heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Through all of the positives that come with this, challenges still occur. Living around this area, I find it hard to find places to eat that offer very many vegetarian-friendly options without ordering something such as a salad or even a side order of fries.
A helpful tool that I have access to is the internet. Whenever I feel like it, I am able to research recipes or look to others on their lives. They go into details about cooking or they express their opinions on the positive impact of making this choice. A lot of them discuss the options of veganism as well.
If being a vegetarian can be complicated, a vegan diet can be even more difficult. Besides in larger cities, there are very few places that provide dishes that don’t contain any animal-based products within it.
Someday I believe that I will progress my diet to becoming a vegan, such as when I am in college. This will be easier overall, considering I will be on my own in a city and not living with a complete animal-product eating family.
In a sense, I could be considered an outsider to my family when it comes to food. However, I can agree that I am fortunate enough to have a household of people that support my decisions even though they may disagree with it.
Truly, this past year I have learned a lot about myself and that it is okay to be different. Not to mention how crucial it is to avoid judging others. We aren’t all meant to be the same and the most important thing to remember is that no matter what others think, it is always important to be true to ourselves and what we believe in.
FHS X-Ray 