“Where do you get your protein?”

For some reason this is often the first thing people ask me when I tell them that I am Vegan. This is probably because they think meat is the only source of protein, or because people think that we need way more protein than we actually do. Either way, it seems that most really don’t know the truth about being vegan.
My family became vegetarian back in 2005, when I was about 5 years old. They began this new diet for health reasons, mostly. Then they tried eating less dairy, too after my dad watched some PETA(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) videos. I didn’t completely understand veganism until a few years later, when I watched “Earthlings”, which is a documentary narrated by Joaquin Pheonix. The film exposes the suffering endured by animals at factory farms, research labs, puppy mills and more. Since then, I’ve believed in veganism.

Veganism is much more than just not eating meat and dairy. The definition of veganism is, “A way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

Vegans and veganism is very misunderstood. People might not become vegan because it’s different, they’re afraid of what people will think. When I do tell people that I’m vegan, they all usually respond the same way. “That’s too hard,” “I could never do it,” “How do you do it?” And, of course, “Where do you get your protein?” Most Americans are actually getting way more protein than they need. A human only needs about 50 grams of protein per day. There’s protein in every fruit and vegetable, and vegans get a lot of theirs from beans.

Not every vegan is preachy, and they won’t just attack people for eating meat. Vegans are vegans because they care about the Earth, the animals with whom they share the Earth, and their own health.

I believe in veganism.