Updated: April 26th, 2019.

Why did I choose to stop eating animals?

That’s the question I usually hear when I say that I have made the decision to eliminate meat from my diet.

For as long as I can remember, I always enjoyed eating it. No one in my family or circle of friends is a vegetarian, nor did I ever really know much about the diet. I did have my occasional moments while prepping chicken for dinner when I would think – this piece of meat was once living, but with that being said, I selfishly continued to eat it. I enjoyed a nice steak at a steak house, pork chops from Spanish restaurants, hot dogs and hamburgers at summer barbecues but it was this one article that changed my way of thinking forever. Included in this article was a video that revealed the ugly side of meat consumption, the side of this industry that most people don’t ever stop to think about or understand. The video showed the waste from animals having no place to go and essentially being sprayed into the air, similar to a garden hose spraying water. A few of these slaughterhouses were located near people’s homes!

Fortunately, I also read an article stating that they are looking into a solution to this problem, but when? That one article encouraged me to read and watch similar articles and videos, images of slaughterhouses, filthy factories that animals are being confined in while being abused, and chemicals that are put into our food.

Now, that’s just one video that explains the horrific effects of what this is doing to our environment, the air we breathe and our health but what about the exploitation of animals?

My plan is to eat as “vegan” as possible. I’m really not a fan of “labels” because everyone should find the diet that works best for them. As for myself, I do eat fish twice a month if that and have completely eliminated all dairy from my diet except for cheese which I eat very rarely and opt for vegan cheese as much as possible. No milk, eggs, yogurt, butter, or ice cream, unless it’s a vegan alternative which tastes just as good, if not better!

I’m satisfied with this diet and it works for me. I feel healthy and happy.

My point of updating this blog post is to suggest you find the diet that best suits YOU and makes YOU happy because at the end of the day, what may work for one person, may not work for the next. But also keep in mind how your diet is affecting the world we live in.

So, here it is, my top 3 reasons for omitting meat from my diet:

1. My Health
2. The Environment
3. Animal Cruelty

And that is more than enough reason for me to turn my back on meat for good. I’m definitely not writing this post to convince nor persuade anyone to eliminate meat from their diet but rather bring light to these issues and make it clear that we must be responsible for our actions – for humanity and for the future, we need to address these problems.

What am I doing to help? Well, I’m working on informing people, as much as I can, without ruffling any feathers. I’ve noticed that this topic makes a lot of people uncomfortable and deep down, I know exactly why. You can take heed or walk away from it but I think we can all agree that we need to do better.

My theory is — if you don’t need meat to survive or to be healthy, why eat it?

So, with that being said, I am EXTREMELY excited to begin sharing with you all the meatless meals that I will be cooking and eating on my travels!

My next stop is New Orleans – stay tuned!