By Alafair Turner
a. Riley Howard, Senior
b. Tinu Afolabi, Junior
c. Emily Rigby, Sophomore
d. Zoe Pham, Senior
For how long have you been vegan?
Riley: About three years.
Tinu: I've been vegan for
about 11 months. I started at the beginning of this year
but I made some slip ups early on.
but I made some slip ups early on.
Emily: For almost two months
now!
Zoe I've been vegan for 11
months.
What made you decide to go vegan?
Riley: I’ve been a vegetarian
since third grade, so that’s around 8 years. It was easy for me to tell myself
that veganism was too extreme, and that I was doing enough to help by not
eating meat. After watching some videos investigations of dairy farms, I
realized that if I wanted to be true to myself and really do good as an
activist, I would have to stop supporting all the other animal industries as
well.
Tinu: I went vegan because I
had already been vegetarian for a few years and some days I
would find myself eating
completely vegan without even realizing it. After I saw how easy being vegan
can be, I did some research about all the positive health and environmental
impacts veganism has, and I couldn't find a serious reason to not go vegan.
Besides, meat is pretty nasty—don’t even get me started.
Emily: I was interested in
going vegan for a long time, but I really always just assumed it would be too
inconvenient and challenging for me to ever maintain. However, through watching
about a million documentaries and talking to others about their positive
experiences, I gradually became more educated and open to actually pursuing the
idea. This support from everyone else was really the tipping point in my
decision to make the change.
Zoe: Watching videos that
expose the truth about the meat process really scared me. I love animals and I
think that when we are all living on earth, we and other animals are all
co-existing. We are not superior or have more power or rights to hurt them just
as they don't hurt us.
Did you
notice any changes after going vegan, and if so, what were they?
Riley: The biggest change
I’ve noticed is my happiness. When your morals and actions are in line, you
feel much more centered.
Tinu: After going vegan I
noticed I had so much more energy throughout the day. Samina
always tells me that she
remembers the first day I went vegan because I was basically
bouncing off the walls and
filled with energy. I also noticed that my hair and nails grow so much faster.
My hair has never grown quickly and it's so curly that I never really notice anyway,
but now I have to get my hair trimmed regularly because it's actually growing! The
fast growth of my nails is more annoying than nice because I gotta keep my
nails looking fresh with some regular appointments. Overall I just feel better.
I feel lighter and more energized and it's nice to know that I'm putting
healthy foods into my body.
Emily: The biggest difference
I've noticed is definitely my energy levels directly after eating a meal.
Rather than being lethargic or can't-even-move full, I always feel refreshed, energized,
and clean.
Zoe: After becoming a vegan,
I feel so much healthier and happier! It was weird at first when I changed my
diet—I was just hungry all the time. It took like 4 months for me to adjust to it,
but after that my skin and hair both got better. And because I have to watch
what I eat when I'm vegan, I can balance the nutrition that I need.
What do you generally eat on a daily basis?
Riley: I’ll have a fruit and
veggie smoothie for breakfast consisting of kale, mango, bananas, and whatever
else I want to add. For lunch I usually just grab leftovers from dinner the night
before, which can be anything from chili to quinoa salad. I’ll snack on fruit throughout
the day. Recently I’ve been into making soup for dinner, since it’s been so cold
out.
Tinu: I'm obsessed with
fruit, bananas in particular, and for breakfast on school days I'll usually just
bring some bananas with me for convenience. For lunch I'll make a smoothie but
it's more realistically a snack throughout the day because I'm never hungry
enough at lunch to drink it. My favorite smoothie is apples, bananas and dates
because it tastes like
dessert. For dinner I'll eat
anything I can find. Sushi, Thai food, Chipotle, rice and
veggies, pasta, pizza—vegan
anything. On the weekends I'll eat more starches than
fruits because I can't eat
sweet things all the time.
Emily: For breakfast, I
typically eat oatmeal or have a smoothie, and I'll usually make some sort of
soup, salad, or veggie sandwich for lunch. My favorite meal to eat for dinner
is definitely just a simple rice and vegetable stir fry, and I also love
avocado rolls. Snack-
wise, I practically inhale
guacamole, and have probably eaten 64 bags of clementines in
the past month.
Zoe: Bread is like my go-to
snack and food! That’s life in the Dayal House, bread is
everywhere and so when I'm
hungry I just grab toasted bread or a bagel. Other than
that, I drink a lot of
smoothies, they’re so good! Tofu and sweet potato are yummy, too.
What's the most challenging part of being
vegan?
Riley: For me, the hardest part is keeping my cool
around people who are very anti-veganism. It’s easy to get caught up in your
own world, thinking veganism is the only right way to do things. In reality, it
really doesn’t help the animals at all if you're not open minded with your
activism. I have to ask myself constantly, what will benefit the animals the
most?
Tinu: The most challenging part about being vegan is
having other people try to tell me how I should be eating. If you are not a
doctor, why would I listen to you? If you haven't done any research about the
topic, why would I listen to you? People hear “I don't eat meat” and their
first question is how I get protein. Fun fact: you don't need to slaughter an innocent
cow and eat its flesh in order to get protein. That thinking is so outdated and
inaccurate that I don't even
know how to respectfully argue with them. The second most
challenging part about being
vegan for me is having to make special requests. Whether
I’m at a restaurant or at a
friends house, I don't want anyone to go out of their way to
accommodate me because I
don't like to be a bother and because I don't want them to
think veganism is a high
maintenance lifestyle; it definitely isn't. It's cheap and easy and
healthy. Did I mention people
trying to tell me what to eat as if they've already given me
a full checkup and know
everything that's wrong with me? Because that annoys me
more than anything else.
Emily: Before going vegan, I thought I would face
constant struggles. In reality, it gets easier and easier every single day as
it becomes more familiar to me. The only part I'd say is a challenge right now
would be dealing with figuring out how and what to order at restaurants. I'm
definitely still trying to get the hang of that.
Zoe: The most challenging
part must be missing chocolate and ice cream... but vegan ice
creams and dark chocolates
are just as good!
What's the most rewarding part of being vegan?
Riley: Seeing change in
others is so rewarding. It keeps me going to know that I’m really
making a change. Also, vegan
brownies are to-die-for.
Tinu: The most rewarding part
about being vegan is having a respectful discussion with
someone who isn't vegan about
our different lifestyles. We don't have to agree with each
other about everything, but
it's nice to not be looked down upon or judged. Also, hearing
other people say they liked a
vegan meal or that they want to go vegan because they've
seen how easy it is for me is
great.
Emily: The most rewarding
part of being vegan is simply the knowledge that I'm no longer allowing myself
to be hypocritical by supporting an industry that I've always so strongly disagreed
with. It's so refreshing to know that I am taking a stand for a cause that I am
passionate about. That alone is reason enough for me to never look back.
Zoe: Knowing that more
animals are being saved everyday!!!
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