best things about being vegan:

♡ boycotting horrific animal slaughter practices: if you don't eat/ buy meat, fish, or eggs, you are not supporting an industry of horrific animal slaughter. boycotting it gives you peace of mind for the most part - because, of course, you are just one person.

• number of animals slaughtered in the UK: 1,700 per minute, 102,000 per hour, 2.5 million a day, more than a billion per year (source: PETA vegan free starter kit manual).

♡ boycotting horrific animal slavery practices: if you do not buy eggs, butter, or milk, you don't support an industry that justifies animal slavery. this gives you more peace.

• a vegan saves more than 100 animals per year (PETA vegan free starter kit manual).

♡ being vegan is the best thing that you can do to save the planet!

• acccording to the United Nations, going vegan is one of the most important ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower pollution, stop deforestation and conserve resources. (source: PETA free vegan starter kit manual).
• to shed more light, eighteen vegans could get by on the same amount of resources demanded by just one meat-eater, and feeding massive amounts of grain and water to animals and then killing them and processing, transporting, and storing their flesh isn’t environmentally friendly. also, entire forests—which absorb greenhouse gases—are cut down in order to supply pastureland and grow crops for animals on farms. (source: https://www.peta.org/features/do-plants-feel-pain/). this point is also reinforced in the last episode of The Green Planet, by David Attenborough.

♡ going vegan helps alleviate hunger:

• approximately 925 million people worldwide don't have enough to eat - yet the world's cattle alone consume enough food to meet the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people. according to a 2010 United Nations report more than half of the world's crops are used to feed farmed animals, not humans. (PETA free vegan starter kit manual).

♡ no ickiness! i hated the realities of eating animals because there were often gross things in what i was eating, i.e. veins, skin, poo, eyes, etc. meat replacement is my haven-area because there is none of that in what i eat, it's usually just vegetable protein, so i can fully enjoy my food without inspecting it every second. i also hate the idea of eating "corpses", not to mention, innocent animals.

♡ tastes great! so many meat replacement foods have been yummy! sometimes even yummIER than real meat, like Beyond Meat Burgers, which is honestly the yummiest patty i've ever ate in my life.

♡ healthy diet: living heartily on veg and other foods that provide essential qualities can be really healthy - healthier than a non-vegan-looking diet. some older folk have gone on to express that they lived so long, or were unusually fit and healthy for their age, due to their vegetarian/ vegan diet and regular exercise. it's very possible, too, that due to worrying about missing out on the supposed health benefits of non-vegan food, that you are conscious, and make an effort to eat foods with more beneficial properties. someone who isn't vegan is unlikely to worry about that, which could be to their disadvantage, health-wise.

♡ relating to this point, eating loads of veggies may make it more likely for your body to take in more Omega-3s.

• this source suggests that a plant-based diet may be the most effective at getting enough omega-3s. [...] the fats they do contain are the “perfect amount” to allow ALA to convert to EPA and DHA. (ALA, EPA & DHA are the 3 omegas in question.) (source: https://www.livekindly.co/best-vegan-food-sources-omega-3-fatty-acids/)

♡ furthermore, you can avoid bowel cancer. some studies have linked eating red/ processed meat with bowel cancer. (source: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/does-eating-processed-and-red-meat-cause-cancer)

♡ easier to do now: veganism is becoming more mainstream which makes being vegan SO much easier! most cafes/ restaurants have vegan options these days.

♡ a vegan diet can be cheaper than a non-vegan diet as meat and other items can be pricier. in relation to the previous point, there are more vegan brands now (tesco supposedly offers the most vegan choices), and therefore more choice, which means you can buy the cheapest options if you want to.

>> PETA Free Vegan Starter Kit: https://www.peta.org/living/food/free-vegan-starter-kit/

things to consider:

• expenses: you may pay more for a vegan diet - though this is not exclusively true. tastier options are likely to cost more money, but again, this is not always the case.
• research: you may need to make sure you are getting what is needed/ healthy for your body, to avoid health issues. fruits and vegetables contain an array of vitamins and other health benefits, and you can buy vegan foods that are fortified with extra properties. you can also take supplements.
• can be hard: it can be hard to avoid foods with dairy products, or get good substitutes, but it starts to become second nature pretty quickly. also, the more of us that go vegan, the more our society has to cater to us and it becomes easier. today though, you may sometimes need to plan for situations where there will be no vegan options, inc. at a friend's barbecue etc.
• judgemental people: there may be defensive people who project their insecurities onto you because you bring up their cognitive dissonance. you don't need to believe them, or feel ashamed for making choices that benefit animals, the planet, and people.
• making a change can be hard emotionally and that's okay. sometimes people can have memories around eating meat/ dairy, or perhaps they just love the taste. if your goal is to become a vegan, but you struggle with this, be gentle to yourself and take your time. start small, like eating less meat. perhaps you could start out as a vegetarian or a pescetarian (i did this) and later move on to veganism. this is totally valid. if you are a child who lives with people who do not allow for you to be vegan, that's okay. you aren't a bad person for not being able to be vegan at that current point in time. perhaps you can try to make your own small choices, like getting vegan foods at the shop or at the school canteen. every little helps. just try your best and be kind to yourself :-)