Kelsy
Blogger, Cali Girl, & Vegan
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” -Dalai Lama

Hi guys! Today I was kindly asked to talk about a very important topic to me-- Veganism. But, first I thought I would introduce myself so you get to know me a little better. My name is Kelsy Fogerty, and I’m a teenage girl born and raised in Los Angeles. I became vegan about three years ago after watching an amazing (but very graphic) documentary titled Earthlings. If you asked me a few years ago what veganism meant, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to tell you. But once I discovered a vegan diet consists of nothing derived from animals, I was very interested so I started to research this topic more. Now that I have been vegan for a few years, I gained quite a bit of knowledge that some of you might want to know in case you were thinking about going vegan or if you just need extra help sticking with a vegan diet.

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I often receive a lot of questions about veganism, so I’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions I get. First off, people wonder why I became vegan, and my answer was for ethical reasons, since I don’t want to support animal cruelty in any way. But many people go vegan for environmental and health reasons, since it is one of the healthiest and most environmentally friendly diets out there. If you’re interested, check out Earthlings for ethical reasons, Cowspiracy for environmental reasons, and What the Health for health reasons.

People also have a hard time creating meals that are free of animals. But foods like rice, beans, any vegetable and fruit, some pastas, and veggie burgers are great vegan options. I recommend finding a vegan cookbook you like so that way you always have plenty of options. Going out to eat is also a struggle for some vegans, but usually if you ask the waitress, they will be happy to make adjustments to some items on the menu for you. If you live in Southern California, some of my favorite vegan restaurants are Crossroads, Gracias Madre, True Foods, and Joi Cafe. The trick to maintaining a vegan lifestyle in my opinion is to really think about why you are following a vegan diet and think about how this is helping you, the animals, or the earth in some way. Personally, I feel much better mentally and physically on a vegan diet, and many other people often have the same discovery as well. And it’s ok if you make mistakes when you’re just starting out or if you’re having trouble adjusting-- just go at your own pace and learn from your mistakes.