Around 3 years of being vegan now, and some thoughts on the subject.

So.. I'm now around 3 years into veganism and haven't paid to have any animals enslaved or harmed or hurt on my behalf in that time.

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Well.. There was one bean burrito I bought right near the very beginning that had some meat in it, but they didn't have a regular bean burrito and that was before I really learned how to properly shop for vegan food and I was starving and wanted a warm cooked meal and couldn't think of any alternatives.

Additionally, there have been a few times I've eaten a few things like cookies that had animal products in it only because I didn't want to waste/make people hate me even more. (PS it grossed me out each time)

Though for the most part.. I've been extremely strict and controlled and as much as some hardcore vegans may want to disparage those few imperfections, I still feel comfortable referring to myself as a vegan.

Oh and.. Despite my few imperfections.. I have zero desire to consume animal products. Unlike many people who get cravings to wanna eat bacon or whatever.. I have none of that. No desire what so ever to consume such. It grosses me out at this point.

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I still find it rather surprising most of the world eats dead bodies and secretions instead of plants.

I thought it was weird even back when I did eat animal products. So so sooo glad I finally got passed that.. Becoming vegan has been one of the most meaningful and important things in my life.

When it comes to the seriousness and sacredness of life, you would think it wouldn't be that difficult for so many others to say similar.. And many can, there's perhaps millions like me, but.. Compared to the billions who continue to exploit animals.. I have to wonder.. How absent is the golden rule in them for them to not consider the lives of other sentient beings in such manner..

The benefits I've experienced have been incredible across virtually all levels. Though I think the thing that feels the best is just the peace of mind of knowing that I'm not contributing to that horror anymore.

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However.. There is at least one concern for me. Teeth health.

I thought I solved this before, though it keeps coming back.. Maybe I'm just not flossing and brushing enough. Does anyone have any experience with a miswak? I think that may be my solution.
Before I tried numerous diff things, coconut oil, swishing with greens and a few other things, but clay helped the most. Bentonite clay.

It seemed like that solved my problem, however.. I haven't been using it to brush every day I only use it when I get some pain somewhere...
So mayb if I used it every day it wouldn't be a problem.

Furthermore.. I've read studies about vegan dental health and done a lot of research and many people seem to handle it just fine. Vegans tend to have better oral health than their counterparts.
But.. I have seen a LOT of vegans complain of teeth issues, so it is a serious issue for some. Some lose their teeth over this.

I sorta feel similar at times.. Like.. They are just teeth, we can get fake teeth. Why kill a sentient being over something you don't need?

And I do think those raw meaters might have better dental health.. That is one thing they might have, cause I don't think meat is as difficult on the teeth as sugar/carbs.. Yet in my personal case.. I had my teeth problems before I went vegan and I couldn't tell you that it made things any worse.

It does make me wonder.. Why so many have so much trouble with their teeth on a plant based diet, and.. Do animals even brush their teeth? I think predator animals use bones to clean their teeth sorta like we use toothpicks, but.. Do other animals do similar?

I'd like to learn more about the animal kingdom and how they take care of their teeth, and I wonder if monkey/ape teeth are falling out early compared to predators, or.. What it is that is going on there.

I'm guessing I just am not flossing/brushing quite right even though I do it every day after I eat.

I dunno.. I feel like there's still something I'm missing and I definitely wanna look into a miswak.. I hear they have excellent oral health in India and they eat tons of plants.

And hey.. Maybe I just need to ditch the toothpaste and start using clay full time.. For whatever dumb reason I still brush with toothpaste most of the time, and even though they are health food brands.. I still don't totally trust them.. There might be something in there that is causing the aggravation.

I'm definitely not in a position where I'm questioning veganism in a broader sense or wanting to quit, yet I admit I am still trying to figure out this one issue in regards to my own life.

Part of it is.. I'm just getting older, the body wears down over time.. But.. I read about the excellent oral health of people in India using the miswak and they are often much older than me with great teeth! I think I'm just doing something wrong. And.. I think I can mostly address and fix this issue if I keep at it!

Anyone have any experience with a miswak? Or just any possibly helpful or insightful information in regards to this? Lemme know!

Oh.. And I just wanted to say.. I'm trying to be more and more open minded these days especially compared to some of the hardcore militant vegans when it comes to differing beliefs, (I'm actually trying to be more open minded in general and more peaceful) and while I'd like to see all animal exploitation gone and extinct and as a bad memory of the human condition, I think it's important and great when people just make a conscious effort to start reducing their impact.

Even if they don't go fully vegan/plant based, or can't reach a similar understanding.. I think things are just way out of balance.. And every little bit helps.

Yeah it sucks vegetarians and others are still hurting and killing animals, but.. At least they are making steps in the right direction. At least they are "trying". And hopefully they and others continue to make more and more progress over time until slaughterhouses and animal exploitation are a thing of the past.

I went through a phase of being extreme in my views and I lost a good amount of friends, I don't regret it.. It was part of my learning experience. It is a pasionate and heart breaking subject and far too few people care, and we often feel like we can make them care more by being in their face and violent with our words and language, but rarely does that work.

Sometimes it does, and if that's your style.. To yell at people. I understand. I do it sometimes too. I'm just trying to be more diplomatic and peaceful as I think that is more effective in the long run, but from time to time I slip up and the "beast" comes out. Heh.

Which I think is a fascinating thing by the way, vegans are so peaceful, but they also have one of the worst reputations I think largely because they compensate for their lack of ability to change things physically by trying to force it mentally and with language.

I mean when someone is killing an animal and laughing about it and joking and rubbing it in your face so to speak, and you don't believe in physical violence.. What else can you do to show them how upset you are other than to spew venom at them? Sometimes it's justified too, maybe it always is.. Yet.. In the end, I think that if we wanna help the animals more we should try to get our point across better and alienate others less.

PS.. Before anyone tries to slander me for the few imperfections I had and for encouraging non vegans to work in this direction even if they can't go 100% as quick as we'd like.. Let me tell you that the main reason I went vegan is for moral reasons.

I get it.. I'm a nature and wildlife photographer, I see and film beautiful animals all the time and I see the beauty and importance in even spiders and snakes the scarier insects and animals and wouldn't want to harm them either.

I get the moral argument coming from a background in politics/human rights, trust me. I just more and more am thinking it's better when possible to try to encourage people in a more positive direction than to discourage and shame them into an even worse one. Peace. <3

Photo by Jinen Shah on Unsplash

As a final thought.. I would like to ask you the reader a question. If you're not a vegan already.. And if you could be just as healthy if not healthier without harming animals.. Why would you continue to harm them?

And if you don't know if you would be just as healthy or if you have doubts about that.. I'm happy to help share information and give you some tips, though the way to find out if something works for you.. Is to try it. Study up and read about it! but.. If it interests you, just please try it.. And see how it works.

I've heard the body/bacteria in your body need something like.. 21 or 22 days something around there to become used to a new type of food, so.. If you're going to try.. Please try for at least that long, I'd say go a month or more.. But.. I'd suggest going for at least like 21 or 22 days. Here's a good link to help you on your journey if you decide to go on that journey. :) Peace.

https://www.challenge22.com/challenge22/

PSPS.. For the people who have tried veganism and claimed it hasn't worked for them.. I just don't understand. I've been fine eating only one meal a day.. One meal a day is difficult at times, but I just think.. If I can do this for three years eating only one plant meal a day.. Why can't others make it work with like 3-5 meals a day or however many?

I was vegetarian when younger, maybe that helped my gut bacteria and made it a lot easier for me? I'm open minded to some kind of unseen thing going on, like bodies becoming adapted in certain ways and such. Perhaps there's some kind of genetic factor.. Though.. I dunno.. If it's not working for you I suggest you just eat more calories in general, that's the most common complaint I've seen and it's pretty easy to remedy in my opinion, especially if you like eating! :D