I’m not going to lie. The 2010s was a trendy decade. I identify myself as unconventional; I don’t want to get married and I don’t want to have kids. I don’t want to live the traditional life as other people. I want to live the life the way I wanted it to be, which is being a single, independent person pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Philosophy.
Albeit my personal choice to live unconventionally, there was this trend that I decided to follow.
That trend:
Veganism.
I’ve had a history of high cholesterol because it runs in the family. Ever since I was a child, I always hated meat! Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, mutton, I despise all types of meat. The only animal I consumed is fish.
What made me want to become a vegan is that I had colleagues who are vegans and even celebrities followed the vegan diet. I was aware that veganism means no consumption of animal derived foods; no wearing and using leather, fur, wool, and silk; and, perhaps the most convoluted of all, no using products that are tested on animals. I figured the no-animal-tested products is optional, so I became lenient with my usual, everyday body care and home products.
When I went vegetarian in 2013 for only a short amount of time, I thought I’d matriculated to vegan right away due to my sudden hatred for eggs and dairy. In 2014, I went vegan.
So far, everything turned out great when I tried out a multitude of vegan dishes, as well as vegan desserts. They were delicious, I’m not going to lie. I suddenly felt better from eating mostly plant-based foods. I took brief yoga classes and I walked strenuously every day. I evanescently became proactive from the vegan diet.
Starting from 2014, I went vegan throughout the rest of my college years. Fruits, vegetables, quinoa, rice, olive oil, almond milk, and all the vegan substitutes became my staple diet. The main reason why I decided to go vegan is mainly because of animal rights reasons. Whenever I see animals being slaughtered for meat consumption, I get disheartened at the sight of it. I figured that being vegan would stop these types of animal cruelty. I even get disheartened at how leather, fur, and wool were made, but I won’t go into much detail about that out of abhorrence for more animal slaughter for clothing products. Whenever I shopped for new clothes from malls and clothing departments, I always checked their labels to make sure they are not made from animals. That was how strict and serious I was when it comes to being vegan.
My newly-founded vegan rituals and routines lasted for a long time. But then about eight years later, I received the consequences of veganism. Physical consequences, to be exact.
After almost a decade of being vegan, I suddenly felt unwell. My protein, calcium, and even B12 were extremely low. I got dizzy and lightheaded, I couldn’t focus well on my writing, and even my mental health got affected. I realized that I became suddenly depressed and irritable from the lack of animal proteins.
When I went for a physical exam with my physician, I looked through my blood test and it revealed that I was suffering from multiple deficiencies from the vegan diet. Even when I took multivitamins to incorporate with my vegan diet, it was not enough as multivitamins do not provide the sufficient amount.
That became a wake up call for me.
It turned out that veganism is not for me, nor for everyone else. Everybody has different body types that require different diets. Some need meat, some don’t need meat, but not everyone can be vegetarian nor vegan. It’s truly not for everyone. Being vegetarian and vegan are both personal choices and they cannot be forced to anyone else. I learned to tolerate those who do consume meat without being critical about it.
After coming into realization with my multiple deficiencies, I decided to change my diet.
I became a pescatarian instead.
Looking back to all my favorite foods before going vegan, I realized that my favorite food growing up is sushi and my favorite pizza is anchovy (yes, I like fish on my pizza, it’s really good). I then noticed that I couldn’t give up fish for eternity as fish and seafood are my favorite. I love eel and jellyfish, which are Chinese delicacies. I couldn’t even live without lobster and caviar on special dinner occasions, that has been my teenage favorite. I also make really great spinach and cheese omelettes, which are to die for, so I went back to incorporating eggs and dairy into my diet as well. Being pescatarian is a more beneficial diet for me.
After I made the switch to pescatarian, I felt suddenly better! I was able to finish and publish one of my novels that I spent six years working on. I became mentally proactive with writing after eating fish. I guess that fish is really brain food as it is full of omega fatty acids; it literally made my brain work again.
Therefore, I am no longer vegan after eight years and I honestly do not regret giving up being vegetarian or vegan. I love fish and seafood and there is no way I’m giving them up.
Besides, I hate about 75 percent of vegan food, such as vegan cheese and meat analogues. They were very bland and unappetizing.
I am proud to live my healthier lifestyle as a pescatarian. As aforementioned, I still won’t eat red meat, pork, and poultry since I still detest animal flesh. My diet consists of only organic food and fish.
Even though I’m not vegan anymore, I still refuse to wear leather, fur, and wool as I still believe that wearing clothes made from animals is very cruel to me.
That is just enough for me. There is nothing I would change about that.