About Me

In my freshman communications class in college, I gave my persuasive speech on animal cruelty. I was devastated by it, yet it did nothing to change my choices. I don’t know why. It did stick with me though, making me hypersensitive to every story of animal cruelty I heard in the mainstream media over the years.

I can’t say a light switch went off in my head one day when I knew I’d never eat meat again. It was more like one of those dimmer switches that took 10 years to light up.

First I quit red meat and pork. A year or so later, chicken and turkey. Another year, fish. Then within just a few months, dairy.

I used to know the exact date when I went vegan but I’ve lost track. In fact, I don’t even know how many years it’s been.

I’m not gonna lie. I still get cravings, though many vegans say just the opposite. In my case though, thank God for the meat substitutes! But as much as these vegan delicacies of mine make being vegan a whole lot easier, I know I’d never stray even if raw vegetables, plain rice and unseasoned tofu were my only options.

The thought of an animal having to suffer and die just to please me for one 10-minute meal of my life is just too much to bear – especially knowing that, contrary to popular opinion, my health does not depend on it.

I’ve heard it suggested that feeding a child a vegan diet is abusive. And it doesn’t help the cause when parents are arrested for starving their children on a “vegan” diet that in no way represents the balanced vegan nutrition that most certainly is achievable at any age.

If you have yet to do so, I invite you to sign The Vegan Pledge with me – a formal declaration of our commitment to showing the world what a healthy vegan lifestyle really means. You will be asked to share your own story if you like (as briefly or lengthy as you please) as well as a link to a blog, website or other online presence of yours that you would like to share (like your Twitter, Facebook or MySpace page).

Given your permission, I will share your story in The Vegan Pledge Blog and add your name and link to The Vegan Pledge Directory.

Finally, if you have friends, family members, colleagues or even casual acquaintances who may share your interest in a vegan lifestyle, please ask them to sign The Vegan Pledge too.

Thank you,

Meredith Simonds
Writer with a Vegan Agenda