Going vegan is a huge change for many people. For many of them, it is not only the change of diet but also the beginning of a spiritual journey. It leads you to a world of compassion towards each and every being, not based on speciesism.
If you need some inspiration on your vegan journey feel free to continue reading this article or watch my video below:
You might wonder where to start. What if you go vegan and become protein deficient? What if your B12 level drops drastically? Well, first, nothing like that happens overnight. But each decision that we make should be conscious. And definitely, you need to keep using your common sense.
I would advise you to start with your ‘WHY’. This is fundamental. Going vegan does not mean switching to a plant-based diet. It is also embracing a new way of perceiving the world, that people can be kind to animals and they don’t need to kill them.
It is great to start with the video of Melanie Joy’ The Secret Reason We Eat Meat’. It is essential to realize how much our way of thinking has been shaped by our culture and surrounding.
How very deeply programmed our minds can be, right? That we choose one animal to love and another one to kill, without any sadness or remorse.
I am aware that a path toward veganism might be full of watching disturbing content. And as human beings, we rather avoid seeing the pain of other creatures. I would advise you to watch as much as you need to educate yourself. If you keep seeing footage of slaughterhouses, you might become traumatized. This is not the point. Watch high-quality documentaries so you will understand the reality of treating farmed animals. If you don’t see reality, you will not be able to relate to it fully.
I would suggest you start with Cowspiracy. This documentary focuses on the environmental aspect of farming animals. You can watch it on Netflix.
Then, you can follow the trend and continue with Seaspiracy. The main focus is the ocean and our impact on it. How unaware most of us are about the true cost of eating fish nowadays! You can also find it on Netflix.
Now, let’s move on to the health aspects. All of us want to be healthy, right? Or at least most of us. The sad truth is that currently there are more sick people than healthy ones. Obesity, cancers, strokes… and we cannot deny the state of our body depends on the food we eat.
There is a great documentary WHAT THE HEALTH. Consuming a plant-based whole and rich food is the best thing we can do for ourselves. You can watch it on Youtube.
Ok, let’s focus a bit more on health. What about athletes who stopped eating meat and it actually improved their performance and they started achieving outstanding results? Time for THE GAME CHANGERS. You can watch it on Netflix or YouTube.
Great. Now you know about our programmed mentality of speciesism and you can choose if you agree with it. You found out about the environmental results of farming and consuming animals, on the land and in the oceans. You have better knowledge of the plant-based diet on our health. Well done!
Time for the next step.
DOMINION. This film literally made me cry and promise myself that I will do my best for these small innocent baby animals who are dying without a reason. I believe that for many people this film can be a milestone on their path toward veganism. Because nothing is as strong as the feeling inside that you are powerful and your decision of not using animals really matters. And what is more, it makes you feel morally consistent.
This step was harsh, I know. Now time some something lighter. Do you know Okja? It is a lovely film focused on a friendship between a girl and a super-pig. This film is rather a beautiful imaginary story, where you can admire many beautiful landscapes. It is one of my favorite films. You can watch it on Netflix.
The last documentary I would recommend for the beginning (of course, there are many more to watch later) is H.O.P.E. What You Eat Matters. It is a recap of what you found out before about the impacts of a typical Western diet on human health.
Sometimes going vegan might make people feel lonely. They no longer really enjoy eating pizza with friends, which they adored in the past. Because they start having the awareness that this piece of meat was a living creature in the past. Maybe it was a mother pig who gave birth and all of their babies were slaughtered. Or maybe a male pig who was castrated with no anesthetics, whose tail has been just cut off, and after a short life in agony, he got killed. After becoming aware, there is nothing like ‘a piece of pork on the pizza’ anymore.
There is good news, there are thousands of people going vegan each month! You can check Veganuary and sign up. You will receive high-quality content and you will find out much about veganism. Do you know that only in the 2022 campaign more than a half million people, from 228 countries joined? How awesome is that!
Moreover, if you would need some social support, join Challenge 22. For 22 days there is a new challenge and a new portion of knowledge. For sure you will learn there about the needed intake of B12, how to diversify your diet, and much more. There will be mentors ready to answer your questions as well as dietitians.
If you made a decision to go vegan, you might need to confront other people who might not necessarily like your choice. They might be your friends or family members. It is good to be ready. Let Earthling Ed help you. He wrote a free e-book about non-vegan excuses and how to respond to them. You can find it here (it is for free): https://earthlinged.org/ebook
Remember, the vegan journey is not only full of sad pictures of slaughtered animals. It might be a true awakening and bringing love in the place of suffering. Have you heard of animal sanctuaries? If not, let me recommend you another documentary – Called to Rescue. You can see there many rescued animals who found a peaceful place here on earth. You will be able to notice how different personalities all of them have. How lovable creatures they are.
You can also read another article of mine about Finca Arkadia, one animal sanctuary and how a typical day looks there.
In my opinion, embracing veganism is a big challenge however when you get there, you feel that it was worth it. You see the world differently. You can practice compassion fully.
I wish you all the best on your path and I hope this article was useful for you!