Being Kind: Living A Plant-Based Lifestyle

In a previous post, I made a list of all the things I am doing to make my year of 2022 a kind one. Now I went into detail about my unhappiness at work and the pain I had in my knees. In this article, I am going to go in more depth about how living a plant-based diet has inspired me to become a kinder person to the animals, the environment and also to myself.

Signing up to Veganuary helped me make informative choices about the foods I am eating. In turn, I was able to shed some weight off which I thought was impossible due to how long I’ve had it for. Even though I’ve lost weight around my stomach, I have more or less maintained the same body size.

Saving money

Most plant-based meals are cheaper than meat ones when eating out or getting a take away. You can get fruit and vegetables at good prices in supermarkets and at farm markets. I really enjoy cooking my meals from scratch so will buy some vegetables, herbs and spices and make something out of it. Fruit and vegetables are also very versatile and can be cooked in various ways.

My favourite meals are good are hearty meals like walnut and pomegranate stew (also known as fesejoon). I also like making vegetable curries which a lovely with rice, quinoa or on their own.

Saving water

It really blew my mind how much water went into making one beef burger patty. With all the facts presented before me, it was a no brainier to opt for the veggie option. Vegans already find it hard to look for vegan-friendly menus and when I eat out I always try to pick the vegan version so that why they know that there is a demand for vegan products and other vegans will not have to struggle to find meals that they will like. Some places are better than this than others though.

Saving the animals

Before the pandemic, seafood was one of my favourites. I loved salmon, tuna and pretty much any fish. Fish and chips is one of the most popular meals in the UK. But after catching COVID, my taste buds changed and I no longer found it appetising. I started trying vegan and vegetarian meals eating out and really enjoyed them.

I haven’t eaten any meat since August after attending Vegan Camp Out. I don’t miss it all. Every time I see the meat isle in a supermarket, I walk away from it.

After watching Viva’s documentary about factory farming and a video (which has now been deleted) about a dog meat farm in China, I couldn’t bring myself to eat it anymore.

Animals have much better roles on this planet other than being meat to the slaughter. They can be pets, friends and be allowed to live freely. I still think farmers can earn a suistanable income with the animals without meat like animal sanctuaries.

Saving the planet

Even if I have one vegan meal a week, I have already saved gallons of water and soya. Nearly 75% of the world’s soya goes to animals that are bulked up for meat.

We could save trees from being deforested too. I also don’t get why they can’t just plant more trees too or just cut a portion of the tree and not the whole tree. Paper is easily recycled.

I hope with the rise of vegetarian and vegan diets that it will reduce the need for trees to be cut down and trees will be able to grow back at a faster rate.

Saving my sanity

These actions whilst they seem small all contribute to making the planet a better place to live in. I feel a lot more confident in myself as well. My skin is clearer. I have less mood swings and bouts of anxiety and depression. I also cry a lot less as well.

Animals can’t speak for themselves like we can, that’s why I feel like I am a kinder and better person by going on a long plant-based diet.