Why I Became Vegan

HOLY CRAP MADDIE YOUR"E VEGAN AND YOU COOK MEAT FOR CLAY AND CLAY ISN'T VEGAN AND YOU HAVE EATEN A BURGER BEFORE AND YOU WEAR A BRA DAILY AND DON'T PROTEST ANIMAL RIGHTS AND YOU WANT TO BE A MEDICAL DOCTOR SOMEDAY?!?! The amount of shade that is thrown my way on the daily for being vegan is almost as ludicrous as the comments above that are from real people, on multiple occasions. Although runner boy would probably say that my sass level can sometimes rival Khloe Kardashians. I start my story on conversion to veganism this way not to start a dramatically heated debate, but to address the many questions.
My story is not one of the traditional, basic, white girl, who goes vegan for the week and likes it so she sticks with it. I also didn't go vegan because I wanted to save the cows in Iowa or whatever. I went vegan because it simply made me feel better. That is it. That is the big reveal, end of story.

Just kidding there is more. Hopefully the distractingly hilarious food pictures of runner boy and I don't ruin the ambience of the story. But those were some dank ass soft pretzels.
Anyway...
Flashback to college. I was taking a ton a classes, working part time, trying to have a social life (heaven forbid), and stressed out of my mind. I had no idea that the food I was fueling my body with was making me sick, leading to stress/anxiety, and would eventually turn my entire life around.
As a kid I had always been lactose intolerant. Dairy products such as ice cream, cheeses, and milk almost always made me feel like I was going to throw up. I had know this for so long and did what every ignorant medicine ingesting American does, pop a Lactaid and buy a double scoop of ice cream! Wut Wut! I always felt like garbage after! HOW DUMB IS THAT?!?!?! All your friends go to get pizza or ice cream or whatever and you roll with it because who cares right? Doing something you know hurts yourself because it is a societal norm and you just want to fit in.
Now on to meat. Growing up my lovely single mother and I were not huge meat eaters. People always talk about sitting down and enjoying a big steak and quite frankly the taste, smell, and thought of it always kind of made me nauseous. But that was totally my preference! I didn't hate eating meat but I also didn't love it. For me personally I felt like meat didn't play a huge roll in my diet. Many times I would notice that I would go a few days or even a week plus without having any meat at all. But again it came down to my personal preference.

Are you on the edge of your seat yet? Dang my mouth is watering just looking at those snow cones from our college town. #takemeback
Anyway...
Crappy diet plus stress of college resulted in me having five stomach ulcers. Yikes! Poor Clay was there when I had to a liquid based diet, couldn't hold solid food down, and was just straight up hangry/sick. I went to the doctor who told me that I needed to start figuring out a diet that worked for me, my lifestyle, and that I needed to start listening to my body. This began the long journey of reintroducing foods into my diet to see what sat well and what didn't.
All I can say about that experience is that when my body spoke it screamed! I realized how amazing and beautiful our bodies truly are. They simply just want to be listened to, nurtured and taken care of. This process looks different for every person! For me officially eliminating dairy and meat products then slapping the title of vegan on there was how I catered to the needs of my body. For Clay the process of nurturing his body looks vastly different than mine.
​So back to answering a few of the questions at the beginning. Yes, I am a vegan, solely because it makes me feel better. I have been vegan for two years now and will probably be vegan until however long it continues to make me feel good. No, Clay is not vegan, will never be, but I do incorporate meat into the meals I prepare for him because that is the type of diet his body needs to stay fueled. Yes, I have eaten a lot a burgers in my lifetime before going vegan and TBH they all taste the same, nothing special. The last part about wearing a bra and protesting and wanting to be a medical doctor is just controversial sass to throw shade at vegan stigma haha.
Life is about figuring out what works for you and how you can feel your best self. My blog isn't limited to solely vegan recipes or solely what I cook for Clay because at home I cook a combination of the two. Most of the things that I cook for Clay can easily be adapted to be made vegan and my meals can easily be adapted vice versa. Hope I answered the questions. Bottom line, I'm just listening to my body and trying to figure this life thing out one day at a time.