Why I went vegan, which may be why you should go vegan too.
Hey my Sweet V's, it's The Sweetest Vegan here. Today on the show, I am going to be answering one of my most frequently
asked questions. Why are you vegan? I never made a whole video about it before, my dog is scratching, stop scratching. Shh.
I never made a whole video about it before, because I just didn't think it was important enough
to fill up a whole video, but a lot of people want to know and some people even think I was keeping it secret
for some reason. But it's really straight and dry. Straight and Dry? It's really not that complicated. I'll start back when I
was in middle school. I stayed at home with my Grandmother a lot. Like I didn't go to camp or anything like that,
so I started to gain weight because I wasn't outside exercising like a normal child. I just sat around the house and watched TV
and ate hot dogs, and I didn't get obese or overweight, but I went to the Doctor. I convinced my Grandmother
to take me to the Doctor for an annual check up because I don't think I had ever had one before.
Not since I was like a baby, and I came back with high cholesterol. So, my grandmother didn't think it was that important,
she did the best she could raising me, but some things older people really don't take that serious.
So I knew as an 8th grader that I was going to have to take my health into my own hands.
So, when I went to high school, I started running track, then I ran summer track and field, which is like club track. It is
really fun. Then I came back to school and I ran cross country. So I did 3 years of track and field, 3 years of cross country,
and 3 years of summer track. I lost every single race, but I got my weight down to 115 pounds,
no cholesterol issues, no blood pressure issues, and I was a healthy 115 pounds. I am only 5'2
So, I was like muscle-y, well I wan't muscle-y, but I was nice trim, toned up, like I was a nice 115 pounds.
So then I went to college. College I went back to my old lifestyle, sat around, ate all the time, watched a lot of TV.
I studied a lot too, which is why I am so smart. Just playing. I studied a lot too, but I just didn't do much physically.
with myself. Especially my junior year, when I moved off campus. So I would drive to campus,
then catch the shuttle bus to the center of campus, so I never had to walk as far as I did when I stayed on campus where
I would have to walk to my apartment or dorm to class, to eat, to everywhere. So I really started to see myself gain weight
my junior year. So that summer after Junior year, I read this book. It's called Skinny Bitch.
And, I was drawn to it because the lady was skinny and the title and I just started reading the beginning
and it was talking about what you should and shouldn't eat. So I read it and I was like wow.
I was agreeing with everything it was saying, and it was basically agreeing with everything it was saying.
So I said I would try it for 30 days and I would exercise. And I did see weight loss. It really worked.
So that was the thing. It was just the vegan diet. I wasn't giving up other animal products, like leather purses and stuff like
that. Or hair products, or cosmetics, or anything. So like a lot of make up you see me wear is really old.
Because it is not animal friendly. I am about to invest in some new makeup and hair products, and stuff but we will get into
that later. I wavered back and forth after I lost that weight, and every time I would go to vegetarianism or
pesco-vegetarian, I would always see myself gain weight again. So it's really just about restricting yourself,
and having self-control. having self-control about what you eat and I just found that a vegan diet was the best thing for me.
Especially that next summer I read, it was another book. By Any Greens Necessary by Tracye McQuiter,
those are my two favorite books on veganism. They are the only two book I've read on veganism.
So don't take that to critically because those are the only two books I have read on veganism.
I really like them and they taught me a lot, and with By Any Greens Necessary, I got a whole nother layer of reasons,
why you should be vegan. So that is when I stopped purchasing leather goods. I started looking for no animal tested products.
I started to try to live a cleaner greener more eco friendly life and I still have my faults. And I do fail on my vegan diet
from time to time. I am not afraid to admit it. It is really hard. And it is usually during a time when I am really stressed,
traveling, really poor, and I am eating what is available to me. But what I do, I figure out why
I failed myself and my diet and veganism. How I can correct it and do better the next time.
Like I learned with traveling. As soon as you get where you are going, or before, buy fresh fruit, granola bars, all those
non perishable items before you go. Like fruit, vegetables, granola bars, nuts, and then once you get there
go and buy your frozen vegetables. I eat mostly frozen vegetables. I sautee them, I boil them, I steam them.
And that is really my diet, as for dinner and things like that. Even beans. Buy those, then get a chance to cook them
once I can. Does that make sense? Then cook them at the people's house, or at the hotel room,
because I get a lot of suites. I don't even stay at hotels that often. But I am usually at somebodies house
cook them, explain to them what I am doing, and why and traveling has become a lot lot easier.
Or you can do like people on other diets have this problem too. It's not just veganism.
That is the problem with veganism. People think vegans are the only ones who restrict themselves and the only ones who
practice this strict diet and have these problems. No. People on Jenny Craig have to pack those meals
in the little things and take them with them to where they are going. So if you have to pre make your meals and pack them
in the little cooler bag thing with the ice and take them with you, and pop them in the oven
or whatever once you get there, then do it. And that is about it. As for eating out a restaurants, I try to eat before I go
and once I get there, I like sides. I like vegetables. So I will get broccoli or rice. I try to get a lot of vegetables.
I am trying to get into more salads and there to again, vegans are not the only ones with specialty diets
and people who can't have certain things at a restaurant. So don't be afraid to ask. Even people on cosmetic diets like
paleo. Like the vegan diet started out to be purely cosmetic for me too, but people of the paleo diet,
gluten free, people who are allergic to things; nuts, milk eggs, wheat. We all have to go to restaurants and grill
the waitress about whats vegan and whats nut free and all those type of things. So don't feel bad
just do it with a smile. Don't be a grumpy puss. And that is about it. That is my advice for life.
Do it with a smile not with a grumpy puss. That's it for today. Bye.
Why I went vegan, which may be why you should go vegan too.