I know exactly what it feels like to be overwhelmed with the idea of starting vegan life with a family.
When you're consistent and persistence with this lifestyle, I promise it will become easier to stay on track.
I believe the first step in getting started on a vegan journey is determine your why.
Once you think about why you want to go vegan, it's very important to make the decision to do it. There's sooo much power in making this decision because it will open you up to research your options, meal plan and even start cooking vegan meals. Don't worry about being perfect. Just get started!
Just in case you're still not sure why you should start a vegan lifestyle, I want to give you some amazing reasons why vegan life is right for you and the fam.
Here are 5 reasons you should go vegan with your family.....
*Health benefits
When you crowd out meat, dairy and eggs and replace with more vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and seeds; you lower the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain cancers and diabetes.
*Being vegan builds a solid foundation for your children
Most of us grew up drinking tons of dairy milk and eating meat at every meal. We don't have to pass that same lifestyle down to our children. We have the power to change this narrative. Spend some time meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking with your children (I'll give you tips on how to do this in later in this course). You don't have to lecture them daily, but as you learn and grow, pass on that information to them.
*Being vegan saves money on your grocery bill
Once you get the hang of vegan grocery shopping, you will see that you will spend about the same on your grocery bill or even less.
Think about it this way, you're transferring the cost of meat, dairy and eggs (which can all be expensive-especially if you're buying organic) to more affordable options like more leafy greens, potatoes, beans and cashews. Think about how you're transferring the cost- NOT spending more on your grocery bill.
When you buy whole ingredients and get in the kitchen to cook more, you're guaranteed to save money and also eat better.
*Good for the planet
I remember a few years ago there was a lot of talk about how gas guzzling Hummer and SUVs aren't good for the environment but want to know what causes even more devastation? The production and consumption of meat and dairy!
*Silent protest against factory farming
Ultimately, humans take away life. Other animals do not ‘give up their life’ as some people believe – they have not given consent to be slaughtered. In over 95% of cases they are killed prematurely:
-Cows, for example, could live to well over 20 years of age, while on 'dairy' farms they are usually shot between 3-4 years of age when milk production is no longer considered 'profitable'. Cows bred for 'beef' meat are killed sooner.
-Broiler chicks are just 6 weeks old and grown too rapidly to sustain their own weight and heart when they are killed. Chickens could live to 10 years old.
-Pigs are slaughtered when they have reached a certain weight, which will be later in organic systems than in intensive farms, but they are typically killed between 4-6 months of age, while they could reach 15 years.
-Sheep can also live to 15 years but depending on whether they are slaughtered as lambs or later, they are shot and bled between 3-10 months of age.
-Every week 3,000 male calves are killed shortly after birth, usually within days, and over 40 million day-old chicks are killed each year, including those from organic farms. Males do not secrete bodily fluids destined for offspring (cow's milk), or lay eggs like hens do. Calves are either shot or exported alive to where they are kept in small pens to produce veal flesh - deprived of their mothers and their natural food (milk). Source - Vegan Society