Why Veganism? Some Honesty and Thoughts

(For an interesting read, scroll to the bottom of my post for a link to a great article!)

I'm not normally the type to make posts about "veganism" as it pertains to morals, ethics, and a way of life.
I relate mostly to the "health" approach because of how I see my own health showing improvements since adopting a "plant based diet". I'm also obsessed with food; it's one of my passions - so I tend to talk to people about food when they ask me about "vegan" things. I have lost count of how many people have asked me about baking as a vegan. (Vegan baking is super easy!)
Some have said it's a selfish way to be, to not only talk about the animal rights aspect of it all, but I firmly believe that the only way a person can change something in their life is if they truly believe that it will be something that is right for them.

Yes, being "vegan for the animals" is important. Very important.
But so is being vegan for the earth, or vegan for yourself.
After all, you're the one consuming that food - so you need to consider your health in all of it. You need to know that what you're doing is right for you, or you won't continue with it. At least that's how it works for me, and many people I've met... 

To the bizarre disdain of some vegans I've met over the years who have gone vegan primarily "for the animals" (not that I'm disagreeing with that reason leading to veganism), my first steps to veganism was heavily influenced by health reasons. I'm grateful for the health issues that brought me to veganism (goodbye, Asthma!), because I don't know if I would've been passionate enough about animal rights to stay vegan for those reasons alone. I may get slack for admitting that, but at least I'm honest.

I simply couldn't grasp the concept of eating certain foods once I had seen for myself how they were produced - so many unhealthy things present in animal products... You can't unlearn this stuff... I can't even look at milk without feeling sick...

Then, this health obsession lead me to researching how animals are treated, the process of meat/dairy production, and all of that other stuff that I don't want to get into on my own blog...  
Let's just say: I won't even eat honey anymore, that's how far it's gotten for me.

Here are where the morals/ethics element kicked in for me. After I started allowing myself to be conscious of what I was putting into my own body, I learned how horrible animals were treated to produce "food" that wasn't even necessary. Then I started learning about how we burden the environment with all of this unnecessary "meat production".
I learned that for "only health reasons", I could live life as a vegetarian - but being vegan and giving up all animal products - for the animals as well as myself - just felt right for me. Knowing that I'm doing my personal best to ensure I don't contribute to the meat/dairy/etc. industries, and everything they do, is what became important to me.

Eventually, I got to the point where clothing or accessories that I purchase no longer have animal products. Sure, I still have items that have wool or are down-filled. I also have some items lingering around that have leather/suede. However, I take the initiative of not purchasing items now that have anything from animals. When a person is newly vegan, and they look through their closet and realize "shyte, I have a whole bunch of animal parts up in here...", they face that moment of inner-conflict:

• Do they throw out the items or donate them because they can't stand the thought of wearing them? 
• Or do they continue to wear out the items because it's disrespectful to the animal to just waste what's already been made? 

I've heard so much back and forth on this, and I opt for the second option - to an extent. (I can't bring myself to wear certain items, and I am at a loss as for what to do with them...)

So for me, what started as a health approach - turned into a combination of many elements.

Being vegan isn't about being perfect, or fitting some other person's standard of how you should live. It's not about yelling and screaming at someone wearing fur, or eating a steak. (Hello!? Do you like being yelled at? I sure don't...) It's not about being "preachy" and pushy. It's not about judging other vegans, and saying they're not "vegan enough" by your standards.
Some things it IS about, is doing as little damage as possible, and consuming food that isn't from animals. It's about realizing that just because animals can't stop us from eating them doesn't mean that we have a right to. It's about being conscious about what you put into your body, where it comes from, and what it takes to provide you with that food you're consuming. It's about constantly learning, and constantly questioning. It's about sharing information with others who are curious, and being open to discussion, instead of getting mad at them for what they eat.

 So, those are some of my thoughts on veganism, and a little insight as to my beginnings with it all.

All that being said, I do read a lot of articles/posts about veganism for morals/ethics, and try to read through as many of the comments/debates as I can regarding "humane" meat consumption and the constant debate between omnivores and vegans. It's always very interesting to see where people stand on this, and how they defend their arguments.I generally try to stay out of debates about it all.

This is basically a post for my random thoughts. The most recent article I've read about veganism was really interesting. Not just for the article, but for the comments and debate that happens after the article. To see what I'm talking about, click here to check out the original article/post that I had read, and check out the comments section.