What does vegan mean to me? This is a question I had not really asked myself before. Only being vegan for a couple months, I guess it never crossed my mind. What does it really mean to me? When I first switched to being vegan, it meant a new health journey. I wanted to stop eating things that were harming my body! Now as I sit here and think about what vegan really means, I realize that it means so much more than health, even to me, a girl who began her journey only to be healthier!
When I first found out that eating meat was more cancerous than smoking, I knew I had to stop! What would have been the point of me quitting smoking if I was still going to continue eating garbage. I watched a documentary called "What the Health", and from that moment my life changed forever. This food the government promotes is killing us! Of course from there came a lot more research. This is where I started to learn the real disturbing facts of things that are in our food. This is also when I became my own chef! I stopped eating out and switched to full vegan. This was just the beginning.
During my research I came across a documentary called "Earthlings". This is when I actually learned how inhumane these animals we use, were treated. I was so disgusted after everything that we made the full switch. I decided at this point I was no longer going to support any corporation that treats animals badly. I of course had to switch all my soaps and everything. I do not mind though! I wouldn't want someone treating another person like that, and an animal is no different in my eyes!
Being vegan also means making right choices for our environment as well. This is one of my last switch overs. I am slowly starting to walk more places. I try and buy recycled or earth friendly materials at all costs. We also try and support local! Anything that is making our planet a better place is part of being vegan in my eyes. We can not just worry about one aspect and forget the things that really matter!
Overall, vegan means a variety of things. It of course means better health, happy animals and a longer lasting environment, but it still means so much more. It means long hours in the kitchen. It means having string will power and veing your own advocate. It means exploring new recipes. It means standing up for your children and to your children to provide them a better life. It means a whole new lifestyle. It means getting involved to make the world a better place. It means failed and successful new recipe attempts! There are literally so many things vegan means to me, that I could go on forever but I will save those for another time. Thank you @heart-to-heart for putting on this amazing #veganwednesday contest, because it really got me thinking about what vegan means and what it means to be vegan!
If you want to join in on this lovely contest you can check out the original post and rules [here](https://steemit.com/contest/@heart-to-heart/winner-winner-no-dinner-because-it-s-vegan-announcement-week-12).
