Hey everybody! Sorry I have been so M.I.A. lately, school has been keeping me very busy. Fortunately, I am back with another post!

For those of you who don’t already know, I was a vegetarian for the past 10 years of my life. I made the choice to become vegan January 2016. After doing more research on the dairy industry, it didn’t seem much like a choice but more like a responsibility to help protect the animals. After interviewing a couple of my fellow vegan friends, Claudia & Cassidy, I wanted to give you guys a little more insight on the lifestyle. Enjoy!

When asked “why” they became vegan, both Claudia and Cassidy said the primary reason was health. Cassidy said she immediately became more “energized” after switching to a vegan diet, and Claudia said she noticed her skin was more “clear and bright”.

Both girls have plenty of experience with this diet, as they started in middle school. Claudia was in 7th grade when she made the switch and Cassidy was in 8th. They determined that “going vegan was still easy” even in school, because they could bring their own lunches. However, Cassidy mentioned that sleepovers could be a bit more tricky so she usually brought her own dinner to her friends’ houses.

Cassidy also wants people to be more open to the idea of a vegan lifestyle for the sake of  the animals. She is big on vegan “alternatives” in the grocery store that can cure any craving for popular meat and dairy foods, without hurting the animals. Claudia raves about “SO Delicious” non-dairy ice cream (I agree!) and Amy’s mac and (no) cheese. For those people who are still insensitive to the idea, Cassidy says she would like to, “challenge someone to spend a day in the dairy industry,” after describing a disturbing experience at a dairy farm.

The girls have proven that change to a more ethical diet is possible, and they say they’ve even opened their families’ minds to the idea. Cassidy says her parents have been super supportive of her decision. She even has some vegetarian cousins and vegan cousins. Claudia adds that her sister is more open to the idea of vegan food, as well as her Mom.

However, with any new territory, there are always those skeptical, or even worse, close-minded. Veganism is no exception. Both girls said they have had some less than accepting reactions after telling people about being a vegan. They agree that there is a stigma with vegans being pretentious. The idea that “vegans are better than everyone” is simply NOT true. The majority of vegans are “just regular people”, says Claudia, and not “weird” extremists as a percentage of people believe. Then, of course, there is the big debate on Freelee the Banana Girl. Cassidy believes she’s “effective”, while Claudia describes her as “insane”. My opinion of the Rawtil4 Vegan YouTuber lies somewhere in between the two. She is passionate about saving the animals but can be a bit extreme and may offend some people.

The two most FAQs that just about every vegan gets are the ever present, “Where do you get your protein?” and “I want to go vegan but it’s too expensive”. When posed with the former question, Cassidy said succinctly, “beans, legumes, protein powder, and soy.” By the way, did you guys know that there’s no such thing as protein deficiency? When posed with the latter, the girls agreed that it’s “not that expensive” to go vegan, “it depends on what you get”, says Claudia. You can get “salads and a lot of fruit” without breaking the bank. Also, this might be a good place to mention that no, I do not live off of salads, and neither do Cassidy and Claudia.

In terms of the definition of vegan, the girls agree that it extends beyond what food you’re consuming. Both Cassidy and Claudia are against leather and suede; Cassidy only wears vegan makeup. (*Side note: Leave a comment if you want to see a list of my recommended vegan cosmetic brands).

Whatever your choice, believe in it, share you story and support others.

For inspiration & motivation for vegans or aspiring vegans, Cassidy recommends Fully Raw Kristina on YouTube & the documentary Cowspiracy. Claudia also recommends YouTuber Claudia Sulewski. Look down below for my personal fave references…

Vegan References

Documentaries: Cowspiracy (Netflix), Earthlings (YouTube)

YouTubers: Freelee the Banana Girl, Steph Yu (happyandhealthy96), Nina and Randa, Bonnie Rebecca, Stella Rae

Books: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell

**A very special THANK YOU to Claudia and Cassidy for taking the time to chat about life as a vegan! 

xo, Liv