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January can find us recovering from holiday indulgences and resolving to be healthier and happier. Eating more plant-based foods is one of the best ways to achieve those resolutions.
Since I went vegan 17 years ago, I haven't experienced it as a restriction at all. It isn't that I can't eat meat, dairy products or eggs.
I choose not to because more than the tastes of those foods, I value a healthier body, the creativity of making vegan meals, and most of all, living in alignment with my values.
Fairness, compassion, abundance, and a flourishing environment: who doesn't want those things? We come closer to achieving them when we stop supporting the raising and killing of animals for food. Animals that we kill for food have the same capacity to suffer and the same desire to live as our dogs and cats.
People have used animals for food for many years, but just because we have done something for a long time doesn't mean that it is good for us or for the world.
Going vegan has brought me more peace and joy than any other change I've made. My only regret about it is that I didn't do it sooner. I'm not a perfect vegan. No one is, but even small steps help. Every time we sit down to eat is an opportunity to choose peace over violence.
Why not try plant-based eating for the rest of this January? Sign up at www.veganuary.com and receive coaching emails. Or join the local vegan group for a meal. Find the Vegan Network of Central Pennsylvania on Meetup.com and Facebook.
Claire Holzner
Huntingdon