Why Am I A Vegan?
You are a what?
Or,
Where do you get your protein from?
Or,
Is that even safe?
Or,
How do you know you are actually saving the planet?
Or,
You? No F*cking way!
Veganism is a concept that is new to some and those who know about it have their own idea of what veganism is, it kind of reminds me of the idea we have of spiritual people, hippies with dreadlocks, living in the woods and drinking ayahuasca on a regular basis!
It is easier to talk to people about same sex relationships (and even sex!) than to explain veganism! Some people don’t get it and that is OK.
What I wanted to do today was to tell you why I am a vegan and perhaps educate you a bit further and help you to understand people’s choices and decisions without any judgement. Doesn’t that sound good to you?
Before I go any further I want to take you back to 2003 when I heard of the term vegan/veganism for the first time, it was at college when I was learning catering and hospitality. Bear in mind English isn’t my first language and I had just (almost literally!) landed I thought what the hell is that, who wouldn’t want to eat meat?
We cooked some dishes and they were brilliant! I ate them all… In fact, I am known for always eating EVERYTHING!!!
I tried the “vegetarian thing” in ’05 and at the time I was in a relationship with a huge meat eater he said to me you won’t last and I said: watch me!
First night I couldn’t NOT eat meat, I cooked his dinner and I cheated immediately!!! He laughed and simply said: Told ya!!!
I kept at it (without cheating) for two more weeks and I failed miserably, it was tough, and I loved meat too much to give it up.
Then, a vegan came into my life and she looked like hell!!! I mean she looked anaemic, unhealthy and she wasn’t advertising veganism very well.
We became really good friends so good that we travelled together, and she’d tolerate me eating animal flesh in front to her without judging me (that is huge!). In 2010 we travelled together to the Czech Republic and she witnessed how I devoured 1 kg of pure Argentinian fillet steak (trying to prove how macho I was!) and then watched how I vomited it back onto the platter it was delivered in!
I was born to be a meat eater! No kidding… You should feel how sharp my teeth are!!!
Come on, when you come from a developing country you know you aren’t that poor when you are eating meat, and boy did my parents work hard so we always had meat on our plates, it’d be a small piece, a token that we weren’t that poor.
So, when I made it to the first world, I had to eat tons of meat, right?
2013 arrived and it was a funny year, I had been on a journey (of self-discovery) and I had tried veganism for a short while (before attending a shamanic gathering) and I wanted to become more connected to source, god and humans so I made the decision to become a vegan!
You are reading well, the guy who thought eating meat was cool because it meant you weren’t poor.
At first, I felt amazing, I was definitely getting what I wanted which was connection and affinity to others. I could see auras and sense people’s feelings and emotions, it was great. By then, I had a new partner (and still together) and we had a very social life, always out and that meant restaurant dinners, alcohol and it felt awkward going out because I wanted what everybody else was having, but I was a vegan, so I wouldn’t.
I’d be teased and I’d end up arguing back and it wasn’t pleasant. I hated every second of it.
Towards the end of the year (I’d only been a vegan for 5 months by then), I was being attuned to Reiki and I said to my Reiki Master I hate being a vegan, it feels I am punishing myself by not eating what I want to eat, to which she replied:
Then don’t do it!
So, that was my veganism gone out the window. I went back to eating meat and did I catch up or what!!!
The next couple of years I’d be eating without a care and stuffing my face (and gut) with whatever animal product or by-product I could find AND you’d be surprised to hear how easy to find they are!!! Almost as if they wanted you to have them… (no comments there!!!)
Towards the end of 2015, beginning of 2016 I’d be telling my partner, almost as if I was craving it, I wanted to go vegan (again!) and I wanted his support and he’d say: nah! Waste of time, see what happened last time…
He was right! It was very likely I’d end up eating meat again.
As you can see there was no way on this planet (or universe) I’d end up being a vegan again.
I had, however noticed how many more vegan options there were compared to when I was a vegan (it had improved a great deal), also tons and tons of information about animal cruelty and side effects of eating dairy and animal products.
Then 2017 was here, the beginning of the year was testing me I had some rubbish news (more of that at another time), I was also concerned about my liver and its enzymes levels.
I was off to Panama and I was partying a lot, so lots of alcohol (24/7), eating lots of animal products and by-products (also 24/7). Met my partner in New Orleans (highly recommend it, will deffo go back there soon!) and more alcohol and more animal products.
By this point I was at my heaviest and I was not happy with the size of my belly and how round my face looked, didn’t mind my big butt, though!
Back in the UK, from the 27th to the 30th of April 2017 I was attending a live seminar in London, UPW – Unleash the Power Within with Tony Robbins and the last day (30th of April), was a pivotal moment in my life!
I had the veil removed from face, the blindfold behind this veil taken off and for the first time, EVER, I was able to see how I had been poisoning my body, my life and my soul.
The information shared on the last day, showed and scientifically proved how having animal products, animal by-products, refined sugars, processed foods, coffee and alcohol are NOT good for us but instead LETHAL to us.
Once this information was given to us and a 10-day challenge too, I was up for it. I was going to give these 10 days my all, and I even thought of going EVERYTHING free for a whole month!
End of month one, 1 st lost and I felt amazing; so I rolled onto my second month and still going now, on my 9th month… I think I am due a “vegan baby” soon!!!
What I took away from that event is that I had not been informed/educated about the health benefits of a plant-based/vegan lifestyle.
Please, notice how I used the word LIFESTYLE, veganism is not a diet, it is a lifestyle, a way of being where your choices are for the benefit of others and yourself; AND this includes of peace of mind.
Previously, on my first vegan attempt I failed because it was ALL ABOUT ME! I didn’t see the bigger picture about being a vegan or veganism.
I did my due diligence (which I highly encourage you to do too!!!), and I was shocked to learn what I did.
All my life I have been very fortunate, I am truly blessed and I have taken my education very seriously so I was in a position where I could see and understand how I was conditioned to be and act in a specific way and quite frankly I was not ever given the choice to be a meat eater or something else, like a veggie or a vegan.
Many slogans and phrases tell us to eat and consume animal products and by-products and that is OK, I have no problem with it, we all make our own decisions.
I have made mine, too!
When I started this journey, I started as a plant-based vegan, and what that means is I was doing it for health reasons or to drop a few pounds, which I did by the way, all 28 of them.
In case you were wondering about my liver, I was told (very coldly, by the way!):
You have a fatty liver, if you carry on doing what you were doing you are going to kill yourself!
(Oh, she knew how to deliver that!)
So, she continued…
Just in case you don’t understand what that means… you have a foi gras as a liver!
God, she knew how to paint that picture!!!
I got these news on my 3rd month as a vegan (or first trimester – if my vegan baby is coming!) and I dread to imagine what these results had been like if hadn’t been doing something different.
The more and more I learned the more I was able to see the bigger picture…
As a plant-based vegan I was NOT making any difference at all!
Wearing leather, wearing fur (which I did have till not so long ago!) is still encouraging industries to rear animals and that that is NOT who I want to be, a promoter of cruelty and destruction.
I also understood that as a spiritual person, healer and someone in personal development encouraging these industries was against what I was promoting, against the brand I want to be/have, in terms of health and morality!
I felt cheap and a hypocrite to have leather and fur in my wardrobe and call myself a vegan.
Yes, I get some people’s arguments; the animal is dead and all of that…
The truth is…
NOONE WINS!!!
Did you know we are overfishing and killing fish that are too small or have no use for us?
Did you know it takes tons and tons of animal feed to feed these animals and the same space could be used to feed the starving people in the world?
Did you know we are killing the planet by taking away forests so we can have food and space for these animals?
I can’t give exact figures… but use your imagination, it is a lot of animals and a lot of space.
It gets worse… (sorry not my intention!)
We are killing ourselves when we eat animal flesh (that is what it is!), and animal by-products… they take energy from us!!! The nutritional value is NOT worth the hassle.
Then we go onto the pollution… our greed and lack of sensitivity have caused us to throw our waste and rubbish everywhere… punishing little selfless animals and people who have done nothing to deserve it!!!
I even laugh when I watch people asking for money to save an endangered species… WE have driven that animal to almost become extinct by messing its environment and then ask for £3/per month to save it???
Does that even make sense?
To save those animals we have got to STOP messing with their environment and killing them because they may eat our “meat”…
WE do not make sense…!!!
There are countless other examples that have made my desire to continue this lifestyle for ever because I do not wish to contribute to the extinction of our planet, not on my watch or on this lifetime.
We talk about love, loving our neighbours, loving our children, loving pets, loving god and the truth is: OUR ACTIONS DEMONSTRATE THE OPPOSSITE!
I am not here to judge or criticise, I am here to share with you why a meat eater like I used to be, in fact many of my friends say: you were the biggest meat eater I knew; I am here to shine a light onto what it means being a vegan and why reducing the amount of animal products or even becoming vegan can be the solution to many of our human problems.
I swore I’d never be one of “them” vegans, and here I am now proud to be one of THEM, because these were visionaries who decades ago saw what was coming and we have failed to put a stop to it.
It is NOT too late, we can turn things around and start living greener and healthier lives; I am 100% here to promote the salvation of humanity’s health and our planet.
I have met many people who think their actions don’t matter and they are wrong, ALL of our actions matter AND it is the compounded effect of all us doing something that can make a huge difference, starting today!
WE ALL MATTER and I am here to remind you of that!
I am here to tell you that you can save not only the planet but BILLIONS of lives, including yours.
That my dears is why I AM A VEGAN!
Thank you for reading and please share this post,
With all my love,
Jorge
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