Temporary Vegans?

From the Pregan Department

Scared Straight

In days of yore, evil driving instructors ruled high school Drivers Education class. They forced their teen students to watch movies of car crashes, made lovingly by their friendly Highway Patrol. The brutal aftermath of fatal auto accidents, showed to new drivers on the big screen was believed to be a deterrent to bad driving by the ‘scare them straight’ crowd.

The car crash movie put out by the Missouri Highway Patrol, Death on the Highway was particularly illuminating when shown in my driving class and after blanching at the carnage, turning away in horror as the cameras focused on dead travelers, hearing the gasps from the girls, after it was over, going home and swearing this would never happen to me.

So what happened you schlep, when you DID get your driver license? You forgot all about the highway carnage you saw in the crash movie and carried on like a normal teen idiot behind the wheel, didn’t you?

Ok so, maybe that little story was not the greatest example, car crashes being life and death and all, but I couldn’t help making a comparison to people who were thinking about becoming vegan, watching a powerful, vegan inspired documentary, getting all excited about what they see happening to the animals and the planet, then forgetting about it soon after even though the videos may have made a significant impact on their psyche.

A Vegan is Born from the ashes of aTempveganism

Wanna-be vegans (pregans) teetering on the fence about adopting a plant-based diet or staying a meathead may be emotionally convinced that it’s the right thing to do but still not sure if veganism is right for them.

For some the tipping point comes after watching documentaries about animal abuse. They are abhorred at what they see being done to the animals in slaughterhouses and disgusted at the way they are treated, ultimately destined to the human plate. What they see there resembles nothing they see in the clean, packaged displays of meat and dairy in a grocery store.

Statistics are tossed around (by non-vegans?) about how a high percentage (as much as 80%!) of new vegans return to their meathead ways within a year of adopting a plant-based, whole-foods diet. I believe that veganism is more than a fad and so do a lot of others. The future of veganism looks bright IMO to succeed you must believe that going vegan is a lifestyle more than a diet. And, more importantly, believe that it’s not just about you anymore.

Anyone watching the Game Changers or Cowspiracy will have the same reaction that most people have, ‘OMG look what they are doing to those poor animals’, then and there, swearing off meat forever. Thanks to what is now revealed to them in these videos their hearts go to the right place, what needs to happen after that is to convince the brain and stomach to come to the same conclusion.

The negative impact of animal agriculture to the planet and the environment usually seals the deal. A new vegan is born!

Becoming a true vegan after years of meat and dairy consumption takes some hard work and effort. Those fast-food burgers are out, but thankfully there are a vega-million tasty vegan recipes online. You don’t have to be a Gordon Ramsey to cook great vegan dishes at home either!

The early stages of becoming vegan are not that difficult, conviction overcomes cravings in a matter of a few days. It’s definitely easier than quitting smoking because as of this writing there are no nicotine-like substances added to certain foods to make them addictive. Or are there?

Stay the course, commit to it, and you will be rewarded with better health and your conscience will be clear when no animals were harmed so you could eat.