The Young Vegan
What made you decide
to become Vegan?
The animals. Eating
something that tastes good
will never be worth the
cost of a creature’s life, it
just won’t. I was oblivious
to the way animals were being treated,
and the way they were being so brutally
killed, until a friend of mine who wanted
to be vegan (and is now) told me about
it. I think it’s crazy that you’re not told
about what people do in the animal
industry. I think they hide the truth of
what really happens to animals, which
is sickening. All people really think about
is what’s put on their plate, but there’s
so much more to it than that.
How old were you when you chose
Veganism?
I was 11 when I chose to be vegan.
I went vegan on the 18th of January
2017, so now I’m almost 2 years vegan,
hooray!
What do your family and friends
think of your decision?
I am completely supported by my
family which is lucky and I’m extremely
grateful. I know a lot of friends who say
their parents would never allow them to
be vegan, so the fact that I have freedom
to choose what I believe is right, is
very lucky. My parents buy the foods I
need, they cook for me, they’re open to
having conversations with me about it.
It makes me able to fully be proud of the
decision I made. My friends support me
too, some are still sceptical, but I’m open
to chat about it. They’re open to trying
the foods that I eat, and they all seem to
like it, particularly acai bowls. Jokes are
thrown around sometimes, but I don’t
mind too much. If it’s just a joke it’s all
sweet, some are pretty funny too.
What changes in yourself have you
observed since becoming a Vegan?
I think mentally I’ve become
stronger. I’ve dealt with people who
couldn’t understand, rather didn’t
want to understand being vegan. I’ve
been able to stand up for myself or
even completely ignore it if it becomes
something that isn’t worth my time.
Which was something I wasn’t usually
able to do. Standing up for myself was
something quite hard to do when I was
younger, but it isn’t at all now. Being
vegan has also just made me feel really
good, I’m not too sure why. I
think I’m more confident in the
foods I eat now, and it makes
me feel good that I’m a part of
fighting for a great cause.
Is there a lot of food
planning required?
At the start there certainly was. It’s
60 Complete Health
kind of awkward when you first start
being vegan. Even after research, it’s
hard to get into the groove of it. It kind of
felt as if I was on some sort of diet, but
being vegan isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle.
And soon enough I learned that. Now its
much easier, I’ve found the foods I love,
I know how to cook and what foods are
good to mix and match with.
is there anything you miss since
becoming a Vegan?
I’ve been asked this question a lot,
and I’ve come to the conclusion that
honestly the only thing I miss is haloumi.
Kind of a strange thing to miss, but I
just remember it tasting so good. But
I survived without it. I’ll still continue
to admire it as a tasty food, but would
certainly never not be vegan just for
haloumi. My 5 minutes of consumption
of haloumi will never add up to a life.
What if any has been the most
difficult aspect of being Vegan?
Probably people. In the past almost
2 years I’ve met a lot of people who
really disliked the idea of veganism.
There was a time where I particularly
publicized being vegan, which I think
made people who ate animal products
feel bad about themselves and therefore
start drama. I learned from that and
decided not to do so again because the
drama really wasn’t necessary. I could
eat what I want and other kids could
eat what they want. Talking about such
a serious issue at a school is probably
not the right place to do so. Even so I
dealt with people who just really
couldn’t stand me being vegan
and actually tried to convince me
to eat food that wasn’t vegan.
The more I think about it the sillier
it seems. I really think veganism should
be seen as a positive thing, because
what we’re trying to do is positive,
we’re trying to save creatures and take
a stand against animal cruelty. I think
some people are so desperate to find a
way to make us look bad, but it’s really
not necessary and I hope peers have
something better to do then look for
ways to downgrade someone.
Have you decided what you want to
do when you eventually leave school?
I’ve had a lot of different ideas over
the years. At one stage it was an artist,
another stage it was an animator, then
I wanted to go into an
organization and be
an activist. But now I
honestly have no idea.
If you could do one thing to help
change the world around you, what
would it be?
Choosing one thing is hard. But
honestly, I think spreading awareness
about different issues is really important.
Like myself, I’m sure many other people
have or had no idea about what goes on
behind meat production, or the fleeing
immigrants from war torn countries,
or people who are in financial crisis
or poor. I think we need to start
being more open minded to different
issues to make our world a better
place, not for just one group of
people, but for everyone. We often
look for answers through our eyes, but
we don’t take the opportunity to hear. It’s
like that saying, don’t judge a book by its
cover, because there’s usually more to
what meets the eye.
What are your hopes and dreams for
the future?
Hopefully to make some sort of
significant change in the world. It
doesn’t have to be to big nor too small,
as long as I do my part.