Interview with a Vegetarian

I decided to interview one of my classmates, Katie, on why she decided to become a vegetarian and how that has impacted her life. Below is a transcript of our interview.

Andre: How long have you been a vegetarian or vegan?
Katie: I have been a vegetarian for about 6 years now and I am a vegan.

Andre: Was it difficult for you to switch to a completely vegan diet, or did you ease into it slowly?
Katie: The hardest part for me was doing the research on the types of foods and products that I would be able to use after becoming a vegan. It wasn't hard for me to give up meats or animal products because I saw the types of things they do to those animals.

Andre: Is that why you decided to become vegan, because of the animal cruelty that surrounds it?
Katie: That was a major reason why I decided to become vegan, but also, I wanted to become healthier person overall and cut out all of the horrible processed foods I'd been eating. 

Andre: Did you notice any changes to your health, positive or negative?
Katie: At first, I found myself with really low energy and a sort of craving for meat. I realized that I had taken the meat out of my diet and not replaced it with anything else and that was a mistake. After I got into a good diet plan, I lost some weight and felt way less lazy than I usually had. 

Andre: How long did it take you to do enough research to come up with a good vegetarian diet for yourself?
Katie: I had to do a lot of research. Thank God for the internet. It took a couple of years to find what works for me. I wasn't trying to create a diet plan because I don't feel like this is a plan, it's a lifestyle for me now. I don't plan out what I'm going to eat everyday, I just have more knowledge of the types of foods I want to put into my body and where to get them at.

Andre: Is the rest of your family vegan? Did you have any influence on their diet?
Katie: At first, my family thought I was going through some sort of phase and that it wouldn't last, but here I am 6 years later. I did try to convert them a couple of times, but they still eat meat. A small victory is that they've cut down on the amount of meat they do eat and I hope it's because of some of the information I've shared with them. 

Andre: Are there any things that you still struggle with being a vegetarian today?
Katie: It is hard for me to go out with my non-vegan friends and have to be the odd girl out. Not because I miss meat or animal products but because at times I feel like I am making it difficult for my friends to accommodate my lifestyle. Also, going out to eat in general is hard because the vegan world is a small section in the restaurant business. 

Andre: Have you ever slipped?
Katie: Oh yea, all the time. Sometimes it's on accident and sometimes I try some things that are non vegan. I don't feel that just because I'm not vegan 100% of the time means that I am not an actual vegan. I hardly feel the need or desire to slip out of my vegan lifestyle. 

Andre: Any advice you would give to someone who wants to be a vegetarian or vegan?
Katie: I would say to make sure you do your research before jumping into a complete lifestyle change. You need to make sure that the diet is right for you and that you are going about it the right way in order to remain healthy. 

Why I Became a Vegetarian - Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram

I watched this video by Kristina Carrillo-Bucarama who decided to live in the Dominican Republic when she was 15-years-old because she wanted to give back to the community and help rebuild a community that had been washed away by a tsunami. She asks the question, "If you had to kill for your own food, would you be able to do so?" While she was in the Dominican Republic, she was asked to kill her chickens in order to prepare dinner for everyone and she was unable to do it. Her YouTube Page consists of tons of video with vegetarian recipes and information videos about things such as why milk is bad for you and contaminated foods. You can find some of her additional videos below.