Became Vegan Overnight

by Penny
(Lincoln, NE, USA)

I Became Vegan Overnight

I thought I had been a healthy eater for many years by eating a low fat, high protein diet with fruits and vegetables. When I was 60 years old, my total cholesterol was 213 and the doctor told me I must go on medication unless I could control it with weight and exercise. I just couldn't get it down in the 3 months she gave me and I went on medication. I just hated taking that cholesterol pill every day.

A year later at age 61, a friend told me about The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I read it in two days and immediately went vegan. I just couldn't ignore all of the research and evidence for a plant based diet. I went on to read other books: Diet for a New America by John Robbins, some of the John Mcdougall books and also books by Joel Fuhrman. I read and read and read. The more I read, the more determined I was to follow a plant based diet.

This lead to learning about the whole industrial agricultural system and how damaging it is to the environment and to the feedlot and confinement workers, the cruelty of producing meat, dairy, and eggs.

I live in a state with 7 million feedlot cattle! That is more than the population of the state. Our economy is based on industrial agriculture. It is challenging to explain my diet to friends and relatives, many of whom are in the business.

I like to cook and have tried hundreds of new recipes during the two years I've been a vegan. There has been a learning curve with new ingredients and techniques. Most of it is delicious.

Following a plant based diet makes me feel good because I am eating a healthy diet and it makes me feel good about what I am doing which I think is the right thing to do.

src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">

src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">