My Vegan Story

My Vegan Story: How It Started

Hey guys, it’s Jana. Today is a little different. I’m not really answering a specific question like I usually do, but multiple people have asked me to share my vegan story. So, I figured I should do that and let you guys into the reasons I became vegan, what it’s done for my life, and my journey thus far. I’ve been vegan now for a little bit over four years. Originally, I became vegan after being vegetarian and pescatarian for about four years. I went back and forth—sometimes I’d be vegetarian, then I’d eat fish and be pescatarian, and I played around with it because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do.

The New York Acting Dream and a Life-Changing Job

This is where the story really begins. I started working at a vegan restaurant in New York City called Peace Food Cafe on the Upper West Side. The reason I worked there was that I came to New York to be an actress and I needed a job. Like most actors, I thought, “Let me get a job at a restaurant.” But since I didn’t eat meat, I knew that I couldn’t be serving it at all. So I looked for a vegan or vegetarian restaurant and I found Peace Food.

That was my first full-time job in New York City and it was the best job. To this day, it’s still one of the best jobs that I have ever had; the only thing it compares to really is me doing what I do now and working for myself. Peace Food was an incredibly perfect place for me. I met lots of great people working there, including the owner, many of whom were vegan. That’s when I really started learning what “vegan” meant. Before that, I knew vegans didn’t eat any animal products and I knew that they were generally healthier, but that’s pretty much all I knew. I didn’t really understand the connection between animals and I definitely didn’t know anything about the environment back then.

Connecting the Dots: Dairy and Eggs

Working at this restaurant, I started to learn more about the animal agriculture industry and how animals are harmed even when we’re getting dairy from them. At the time, because I was vegetarian, I was still eating dairy and eggs. I thought that because no animal was killed in the process, it was cool—like, why would you need to be vegan if you can just be vegetarian? But I started learning more from my friends at the restaurant and that really affected me because I love animals.

To hear that they were being harmed and that me eating my yogurt, pizza, and cheese was contributing to all these harms—like the veal industry and the exploitation of female animals’ reproductive systems—that drove me nuts. I just felt really freaked out about that. Also, a lot of the people I worked with were telling me about all the health benefits of eating vegan. Everybody there was healthy, had energy, and was really passionate about the lifestyle. So, I started looking more into it. Eventually, I started feeling guilty every time I ate animal products. Every time I had yogurt or New York’s delicious pizza, I felt guilty.

The Turning Point: Research and “The Veganist”

I didn’t know if I should go vegan. I wondered if this guilt was a sign. Even though I knew some stuff about how animals were harmed, I didn’t want to know too much because if I knew the whole story, then I definitely would have to go vegan. Eventually, after a couple of months of feeling guilty while working at this restaurant, I decided to do my research. The first thing I picked up was the book Veganist by Kathy Freston. I picked up that book because Oprah recommended it. I figured if Oprah is recommending it, it’s probably cool and not too “in your face” or graphic.

But I read it, and it was real. Even though Oprah had recommended it, the facts were undeniable. I learned so much about how animals are treated and the ethical reasons for becoming vegan. After that, I knew I just had to become vegan. I knew I couldn’t contribute any longer. That was a little over four years ago, and I’ve been vegan ever since.

Unexpected Health Benefits

The next thing that happened after becoming vegan for ethical reasons was that I started becoming a lot healthier. It wasn’t because I was eating differently necessarily; I just cut out the animal products. I was pretty much eating the same things—lots of vegetables and whole foods. Suddenly, all the digestive problems that I had before vanished. I was feeling a lot healthier because your digestive system is linked to everything: your mood, your immune system, everything. When that corrected itself, I had better energy and a better mood; I wasn’t as angry or thinking about my stomach all the time. My skin cleared up and I started getting compliments on it. Everything was just like, “Wow, this is crazy. I didn’t expect that this would come next.”

From Actress to Personal Chef

Because of all the benefits that I was reaping from being vegan, it solidified my passion for food. I was always really into food, but once I finally became vegan, my passion was ignited. I decided that I didn’t want to be an actress anymore, especially since I had already been struggling with losing my passion for it. I realized, “Wait, maybe I can do something with this instead.” Here I was, feeling healthier, passionate about animals and nutrition, and working at this great restaurant where so many people were benefiting from the food.

I realized I wanted to be a personal chef. Someday down the line—by the way, I had already started my blog as a hobby before I became vegan—I would like to have a cooking show or write cookbooks. So, I figured the first step was to become a personal chef, become a better cook, and make this my job. I started that a little over three years ago.

Reflecting on the Best Decision of My Life

I think that becoming vegan was the best thing I have ever done. It is the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. I’ve become healthier. I feel like I’m contributing something good to the world by not eating animal products and not buying them when I shop for shoes and clothes. I think I’m doing something better for the planet because not eating animals is a huge deal regarding reducing your carbon footprint.

I’m healthier, I’m doing something good for the environment and animals, and I love it. I love how I feel, I love the food, and I love everything about it. Perhaps most importantly, now I’m doing this: I have my vegan blog, I have this platform to talk to you, and I have my job as a personal chef, health coach, and cooking instructor. I am just so grateful for all these things, and the reason I am doing all of them is ultimately because I made that decision four years ago to go vegan.

Share Your Story

So here I am. I think there’s a long way to go, but I’ll continue to be a healthy vegan and reap the rewards. I have great energy, I feel wonderful, and I think my skin looks pretty good! Definitely, this passion of mine just keeps growing.

That’s my vegan story, but I actually would love to hear yours. I get comments from you guys—some saying, “I just became vegan two months ago” or “I just became vegan yesterday”—and I can’t tell you how much I love to read those stories. Whether you’ve already made the transition, you’re thinking about it, or you’ve just started eating a more plant-based lifestyle, I would love to hear your story. Share it in the comments section below, send it to me via email, or even make your own article or post sharing it with us. Your story could inspire someone else to go vegan or get healthier.

If you have any more questions, or if you want to read about a certain topic, let me know in the comment section too. I love you guys so much. Thanks for reading my vegan story. See you next time.