Why Vegan?

By: Megan

I went vegan (“a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose) on November 1, 2018 (Veganism). My reason to go vegan is a little bit different than most peoples. Most people watch documentaries such as “Cowspiracy”, “What the Health”, or “Forks over Knives”, and decide they want to adopt veganism for the animals, health, or the environment. Not me though. My story is filled with lost hope and lots of doctors.

In 2013, I started having random bursts of pain. I would always say my back and legs hurt. After a while of having these pains, I talked to my pediatrician about it. She brushed it off as growing pains even though I had, for the most part, stopped growing. I did not mention it for a couple years and just dealt with the pain and complained to friends and family A LOT. In 2017, I began to have constant pain in every part of my body especially my arms and legs. I often said,“My veins hurt.” After going from doctor to doctor and having endless tests done, I ended up seeing a rheumatologist. I was diagnosed with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome, AMPS for short, in 2018. AMPS is a condition in which the pain circuit in the spinal cord sends pain signals to the brain and the body's “fight or flight” nerves (Children’s Hospital). This causes the blood vessels to narrow which causes a decrease in oxygen and an increase in lactic acid which is said to cause the pain (Children’s Hospital). Currently, there is no cure for AMPS, but treatment such as physical therapy and medications can help. I was told to go to CHOP, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where they have a 6 week program to help manage pain. However, I could not just leave school for 6 weeks and my thoughts were that I should not have to go to another state to get treatment. I was determined to find another way. I was constantly researching and reading other peoples stories and I found that a lot of people just dealt with the pain. I vowed to myself that I would not stop trying to find a “cure” no matter how long it took. In the meantime, I went to physical therapy once a week which helped to strengthen my muscles and “manage” the pain. Eventually, it got to the point where I had constant migraines and a loss of appetite. Typically, I would skip breakfast because of nausea, eat a little at lunch, eat a small snack when I got home, and could not eat dinner because of a migraine. This went on for months.  After about a year, I was referred to a sports medicine doctor to see if he could do anything to help because I was having problems with my knees feeling like they were rolling out of socket when I walked. He did a thorough exam moving all of my joints and, at the end, he said that he did not find anything wrong with them and they moved perfectly. “However,” he said, “I think going vegan or plant-based could be beneficial. It has shown to help people with pain syndromes because of the decrease in inflammatory foods.” It was a no-brainer for me. He said to try it for a month to see if it works. I was seen in mid-October and went vegan in November. In only 10 days, I woke up and had no pain. That was when I knew I would be vegan for the rest of my life. But you may be saying, “Well Megan, that means you were plant-based.” Actually, I was not. Plant-based is just where one eats a diet with very few or no animal products. Veganism is a lifestyle where one excludes animal exploitation as much as practically possible; this impacts every part of your lifestyle from food to shampoo to shoes (Veganism).When I was told I would have to go vegan, I knew it would be a struggle for me and thought, “How could I give up cheese and eggs?” I did the only thing I knew how to do; I looked up “vegan” on YouTube. Immediately, tons of videos popped up. I just started watching them. After a while, I came across a video of something called the “Cube of Truth.” It is basically people silently standing in a cube with their backs to each other all holding signs and laptops with videos of different things that happen in the meat, dairy, and egg industries. There are also people to answer any questions and help bystanders process what is going on. When I understood the extent of what was happening, I knew I could no longer support it. Knowing this information pushed me to go vegan instead of just being plant based. Now going vegan still was not the easiest thing in the world and I am constantly having to make decisions and remind myself what is more important to me. 

Veganism has definitely changed my life. Before going vegan I did not know where my future stood and I did not think that I would be able to live a somewhat normal life. Now I am happy, painless (for the most part), and living my best life. Becoming vegan has been the best decision I have ever made for my life. I will never know why AMPS picked me, but I think I put up one hell of a fight. 

Vegan Meal of the Week:

One of the meals I had all of the time as a new vegan was peas and potatoes. It may sound absolutely appalling, but I loved it and still do. I would use some sort of potatoes whether that be fried, mashed, or baked and just use a can of drained and rinsed sweet peas. With some salt and pepper it was able to provide a salty yet sweet combo. This meal is also pretty good nutritionally. Peas are a great source of protein, iron, and many other vitamins and minerals. Potatoes are a source of B-6, and magnesium which is important for many functions of the body.

     Works Cited

Children's Hospital. “Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS).” Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 23 Feb. 2014, www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/amplified-musculoskeletal-pain-syndrome-amps.

“Veganism.” Veganism - Definitions, www.veganpeace.com/veganism/vegan.htm.