A Walk into the Vegan Lifestyle
Regarding my research of the vegan community, I narrowed my focus towards a specific member of the community, Alex McDermott. I met Alex in my sophomore year of high school and she was an idol of mine that inspired me to become a vegetarian. She is a dedicated member of the vegan community and stood out to me as someone who is consistent with their views in every aspect of her life. Alex informed me of her main motives in becoming a vegan, which are centered around animal rights issues, as well as environmental factors. During her two and half year long journey as a vegan, she’s lost seventy pounds eating a plant-based diet and exercising daily. Alex was quick to learn the health benefits associated with eliminating animal by-products from her diet, such as a decrease in saturated fats that are found in large quantities within dairy products and red meats ("Top Food Sources of Saturated Fat in the U.S." Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Her decreased consumption of processed foods allowed her complexion to clear up dramatically and gave her an increase in energy, enabling her to work out more frequently.
Alex is a part of a very interactive and friendly community of people who share common interests through the sphere of the internet such as social media posts like Instagram, YouTube, and personal blogs. She follows an Instagram account called “Fullyrawkristina”, to keep learning new ways to cook vegan recipes and explore the alternative ways to eat without animal products in her diet. Alex follows other inspiring vegan idols such as Ellen Fisher, who posts video logs on YouTube involving her family who are all dedicated vegans who display their daily lifestyles, along with the recipes they swear by. Documentaries such as “Cowspiracy” and “What the Health”, both directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, are also popular to the vegan community in informing viewers of the health risks associated with eating animal by-products. A few of these risks include: the clogging-up of the arteries from fats and cholesterol, and an increased risk of cancer and diabetes (“Morris, Martha Claire, Tangney, Christine C, "Dietary fat composition and dementia risk". Neurobiology of Aging. 2014 Sep; 35 Suppl 2: S59-S64”).
Alex sets an example for people by influencing them to think about the impact of their food choices and how to affects the world around us. She’s influenced a lot of her close friends to change their mindsets about what they put in their bodies and how it directly affects our surrounding environment. The biggest stereotype, Alex claims, is that people assume vegans are always trying to force their ideals amongst others; although she gets her message out by initialing respecting people’s choices and encourages them to live their life in a way that makes them happy. Knowing that she can live a sustainable and healthier life without harming other living species, motivates her to continue her life a part of the vegan community. Although becoming a vegan is challenging at first, Alex has proven it to be worth every ounce of time and energy she’s put into it, consistently presenting her morals throughout every aspect of her life. She loves being able to live a guilt-free lifestyle, always feeling satisfied with herself and her body, knowing she’s consuming foods that are neither bad for body nor the environment.
Comments