Experience the Stories

Coming of age in the late 60's and early 70's passions ran high and deep. Most especially with heartfelt causes such as large breasted hippie chicks in peasant blouses and prairie skirts. Those being my main point of focus most waking hours of the days and evenings I discovered that after the initial offer of herb tea and a fat shifter I generally got company at my tastefully decorated 'Hippie Hovel'. When my offer of 'something to eat' was accompanied by the casual but confident offhand statement that 'I'm a vegetarian though' the deal was closed.

Upon waking in the morning I would mentally thank the Universe for directing my awareness towards showing respect and appreciation for all living critters and forcing me to make a commitment to honor all life so as to put me in a position to eat only those things that did not have to be dispatched to the 'Great Beyond' and were usually more than willing to be eaten alive!

Thirty one years later I have given up the shifters but I still continue to eat all the same things for all the right reasons...sustenance and pleasure! I hope everyone else has found their personal trip with veganism as fulfilling as mine!

My becoming vegetarian was a slow progression towards holistic health. As a young person I was not a big meat eater (even though it did accompany just about every meal) but fortunately there was a salad at the table just about every night of my life. My mom had a funky period where she did some real creative cooking with a groovy slant towards conscious eating and I think it left a lasting impression in my heart and on my palate. I ended up in Italy doing a work exchange as a vegetarian cook at a retreat centre when I was 23.

By that time I really only ate chicken or fish on occasion but never was there a moment where there was a feeling of lacking or desire for any flesh foods. One day, a month or so after being in Italy, someone brought a roast chicken home and it sat in the fridge for some time. I remember looking at it with an alien feeling. I had absolutely no desire to put it into my body; it didn't even seem like food. It was rather strange being conscious of that feeling for the first time in my life.

So, when I returned home I continued in my vegetarian way that had come so easily. As life passed I became increasingly interested in health which brought me to read extensively and think independently about food, nutrition and compassionate, holistic living. Slowly but surely, I found myself moving in a direction of veganism. Now I have been vegetarian for almost 10 years and vegan for almost 2 and really there is no question that it is the true diet for healthy human beings and a healthy planet.

Kevin Triplett - Texas, USA


I went to live with my brother Timothy and sister-in-law Elaine for 3 months in 1993. Elaine is a wonderful chef from a large Italian family and is so vegan, she doesn't eat anything that casts a shadow! No oils, organic goodies and no animal products.

Can't say I'm a vegan solely for animal rights -- my family has a strong incidence of colon cancer and the latest thought is that fats can store carcinogenic chemicals, hence Elaine's low fat diet with no animal products. But I can say I feel good that I'm not contributing to the inefficient and arguably cruel harvesting of animals.

I believe each person has their own diet that is right for their physiology, but humans can live well from sources of food that are not animal. Our flat teeth and the length of our intestines are more akin to herbivores than carnivores. I think we're just clever monkeys who learned how to burn our food free of micro-organisms. My favorite quote:

"It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull senses." - Mark Twain

Chrissy Flatt - Texas, USA

Fortunately I was born with an aversion to meat which made it easier for me to become a vegetarian as an adult. When I was a child I did not like the taste, the texture or the little hard things (bone) I'd find in hamburger. When I was old enough to realize that meat was a dead animal it really freaked me out!
I loved animals and had moral problems about eating them but for peer and health reasons I did eat a bit of meat...

I was often asked if I was a vegetarian and I since I didn't particularly care for vegetables a whole lot either I said "no". The thing my mother was concerned about was where I would get my B vitamins and since I displayed quite a temper it was apparent I had a lack of them...after some research at the library and questioning some fellow "vegetarians" I found other foods containing these vitamins: almonds, almond butter and flaxseed oil are a few.

But my main reason is the philosophy of "Do unto others". I am a PETA member and have read The Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman (at Blaze's suggestion). What I have learned from my reading is that by being vegetarian or vegan I am not only a healthier, happier spirit but I am also showing compassion to my animal friends and to the earth and humankind as well!

Jenny Lurvey - California, USA

I became vegetarian at age 12 on my own. then I got caught up in the mental health system by my parents and lost it but today I am a Vegan trying to do more raw. I am a big advocate for vegetarian pet food and would like a way I can offer more of it to the community and replace those Alpo commercials on tv. I am not normal, I don't fit in society because I dream beyond the real world of today but I don't care. I am learning to follow my heart and try to get in touch with me.

I like to rescue a calf and name it Daisy and be somewhere green, and quiet where there are no steep hills to ride my three wheel bike. I like a Vegan dog and cat to prove to the world there are healthy alternatives and we can work towards a cruelty-free world. I like to play music and sing. I don't have a voice like an angel but I get by. I like to bring the Gentle world to California.

Phillip - Dallas, TX

I became a vegetarian because I came to see that, in our world today, it is a lifestyle consistent with good stewardship--of my own body, my world, and fellow creatures. As a vegetarian, I see that good stewardship in one of these spheres naturally leads to the other benefits as well--that they are all inter-connected. My body feels healthier, better, and "lighter," and my mind sharper.

Also, I think we need to remind ourselves how much fun we are having. As a total vegetarian, I find myself trying new recipes, and re-discovering the joy in eating. The kitchen is easy to clean, the food bill is usually cheaper, and the palate is much cleaner! I also have a self-respect that comes from taking a stand that is not always popular or understood. So far, this has been a very rewarding journey!

Hi! I've been a vegetarian for over 38 years. Like many others on this site, I was repulsed by dead flesh at a young age, and just stopped eating it little by little. The end to meat eating came when my mother served me some lamb chops and as I looked onto the plate, I had the vision of a field of sheep, all bleating (is that what they say?) and looking at me.(in Technicolor) it was quite an experience and it wasn't because I had smoked something.

After that, I swore off all animal flesh, and eventually dairy, etc. I've raised two vegetarian boys (both quite militant) and most of my family (not because of anything I said) has also become veg. I bore the brunt of much hostility when I was young so I was a very quiet (though militant) vegetarian. Now that it has become more popular, it feels great to speak up and speak out. We are changing the way the world looks at food.

Jay - California, USA

WHAT CAN I DO? How I became a vegetarian activist.
As we heat the Earth everyday with our Global Warming actions, we jeopardize the plants and animals that comprise the natural world. They have adapted to millions of years of climatic conditions and cannot simply get a ride to the climate they are use to. What can I do for the innocent animals?

Before I confront anyone's actions that contribute to Global Warming, I must get my own Global Warming house in order & limit my contributions to an industry that causes pain, suffering and death everyday to millions of animals. To sincerely support animal rights, there's no room for eating animals or animal products. I also gain personally since eliminating animal products from ones diet helps one avoid the diseases and illnesses inherent in the consumption of animal products.

Though the meat and dairy industry don't want you to believe it, your life will actually improve both mentally and physically if you can overcome your psychological dependence on the consumption of animal products. Additionally, the Earth's finite resources won't be burdened supporting animals for slaughter (it takes 28 times the water to produce a pound of beef compared to a pound of potatoes). In summary, the animals, Earth & you all benefit and you've got to love Win, Win, Win situations!

As a kid, I always loved animals. For birthdays we would often go visit a farm where we could pet the cute little chicks & lambs. It didn't take long before I realized, hey, that's the lamb I eat for dinner. So no more lamb. By the time I was 12, I realized that _all_ those animals had feelings & lives of their own, & couldn't bear to even think about their suffering, let alone cause it myself, and so I went veggie.

By the time I was 18, I realized what udder (pun intended) hypocrisy it was to steal mother's milk from a baby calf or eggs from a mama hen, so all of a sudden I found myself a vegan. I got turned onto raw foods by some Essenes in '99, started seriously checking that diet out beginning in 200 & committed myself to 100% living foods in August 2001. That's the story so far.

As a child, from the moment I realized "drumsticks" were an animal's legs, replete with veins, nerves, etc.; I couldn't eat them any more. But I didn't leave meat altogether for many years. It wasn't until I was about age 19 that a sufficiently powerful emotion got my body in line with what my head already knew.

She was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever known or seen an Englishwoman, and the spokesperson for the national anti-vivisection movement (able to speak out publicly against wearing fur and using cosmetics made from or tested on animals). I fell in love. Having a meal with her, if I continued eating meat, seemed like blowing smoke into the face of a non-smoker.

Still, the night I got back to America, a friend offered me roast beef for dinner and I tried a small slice. The next day I was so sick-to-my-stomach; then I threw up and had the runs. Whew! But did I learn? A day later everyone was having bacon for breakfast. God I loved Bacon. I thought "I'll try just half-a-piece." By afternoon I threw up and had the runs again. But did I learn? The meat desire was strong. Later I had a snack of crackers and bologna. How bad can this be, I thought. I had one bite -same results as before. Finally I got it. No more meat for me. I've changed inside.

Now I'm nearly animal product-free. It actually happened without my noticing. I have my body to thank, because a few years ago I was advised to have my gall bladder removed but I didn't do it because I figured my gall bladder has a function, processing fat. So my body instinctively reduced the animal fat and to make life easier for its gall bladder. It's nice to see yourself making the right choices without trying.

I became a vegetarian when I was born. Have you ever seen a human baby eat meat? I haven't either. It never did make any sense to me. Babies have to grow up a lot before they eat meat. Many people are shocked when they are told what that stuff is. They are told, you have to eat this stuff so you will be healthy. But you are already healthy and you haven't been eating it. So, why do I need to start?

I have been looking for a good place to live that there are other vegetarians. Some of the problems that I have encountered is I get moved in next to people who hunt and expect me to hunt and other non-animal friendly things and when I don't to what they do they do wicked things to me and my animals (pets). I would like to meet some vegetarians from Texas.

Well I’m not totally vegetarian yet but I’m almost there! I chose this new way of life because I really love animals and it hurt me every time I would eat a piece of meat so I was motivated to try and stop eating meat and I’m almost meat free now!