Why I am vegan

One day some time in October 2011, on a trip to Germany, I was looking at books in Frankfurt airport and saw a book called “Eating Animals” (by Jonathan Safran Foer). At that point, I had mixed feelings about vegetarianism. I understood there were ethical issues, but it seemed to be going against nature and after all, nature is not always that kind. But I was intrigued to read the arguments of someone who pretended not to be an activist. And indeed, he was not. But boy is this book well written and convincing… I don’t have pets, I am not particularly attracted to cats, dogs, horses or any animal really. But it became clear to me that nobody is in right mind or with the proper information would actually want to eat meat or fish produced in the currently "standard" conditions. I felt that somehow somewhere along the way, we have gotten lost and lost our humanity, lost basic respect. So I decided to shrink my meat consumption drastically. I would only eat organic meat and much less of it. But even that started to feel wrong. Even fish started to feel wrong, even though it is possible to buy fish that has been caught in the wild. Once I made this connection between animal eating and their suffering, it triggered an emotional association that I could not dismiss anymore. At that point, I did not feel like eating animal flesh any longer, in the same way as I did and do not feel like eating insects, dogs or cats. I thought it may come at the expense of my health and I would risk to have iron and protein deficiencies. I knew what the average person would know about the "health dangers of being vegan".

But what do you eat then?

I then became vegetarian. The question is, what do you replace the meat with? Well, cheese in an easy option. So I ate quite a lot of cheese. Many restaurants’ vegetarian option has cheese as a main basis. I was fine with cheese mozzarella made from milk from cows raised organically and so I ate a lot of it. But then I did not feel too good. My digestion did not feel quite right. But I could really not go back… Also, clearly, the dairy industry is not better; the idea that cows are separated at birth from their calves just sounds too cruel. There is a great article in the Guardian written by an academic who presents the facts in a scientific manner: It is clear that cows and their calves are in deep pain when they are separated. One can discuss whether we find this morally acceptable or not, but the fact that they are experiencing tremendous suffering is a fact.  

Healthy at 100

A year later (in 2012), a friend of mine told me about another book called “Healthy at 100”. At the time, I was also reading more about nutrition for my own work on diet. And I learned a lot and read a lot more after that book to learn about the evidence… I don’t think there is a case for saying that eating small amounts of meat is really a killer, but there is certainly enough evidence to put me off meat for health reasons as well. I also read more about dairy, and realised that contrary to my belief, dairy is not that great for you… My conclusion is that the evidence is sufficiently convincing to want to reconsider eating animal products - and this is coming from an experimental / empirical economist obsessed by causal identification...

And then even our great fish is not that healthy anymore because of the conditions it is raised in. In the wild you have the worry about mercury; in farms, we have the same issues as with other animals raised in mass production… So no meat, no fish, no dairy… what can I eat? I started buying vegan cookbooks. I realised there were tons of food I never ate before; I realised there was a great variety of grains, pulses, legumes, seeds, nuts and many other foods I basically completely ruled out of my diet. It was a great discovery. A bit like when you think you have abandoned a beautiful place just to find an even better one immediately after. In fact, the structure of a vegan diet is simple and quite humble. Take some plant-based protein (lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa,…), add vegetables (with garlic and onions, this is something I love) and carbs (brown rice, barley,…) and you get wonderfully tasty simple dishes. Add seeds and nuts everywhere; add pumpkin oil, walnut oil, hemp seed oil… Drink smoothies with coconut milk, blueberries, chia seeds and hemp seed protein. This is incredibly nutritious and tasty…

Long term benefits?

Not only now I love vegan food, but my health has improved dramatically. I thought I was healthy, but in fact I was often tired, I did not digest well, I felt quite stressed. Switching to a vegan diet made me understand what “being healthy” really means… I am now quite addicted to feel good. I am rarely sick. The proof is in the pudding for me and so now I know I will never switch back. The benefits are not long term benefits as we often believe; the benefits are actually much more immediate than I thought...

I know that people are not convinced you can really have tasty vegan food, and many people tell me they could not do without meat or cheese or fish… I’d just say, I am passionate about food, I love tasty foods and like many of us, I did not think I could ever be on a vegan diet. But actually, now a vegan diet seems really “right”, authentic, it is the food that makes me feel good. It is very much possible to have tasty and healthy food at the same time, just try it for a while and see how it feels. Give a chance to the thousands of foods you have not eaten before… Give yourself the chance to experience feeling good. But give it a fair chance, inform yourself on what you should eat. Find good recipes to start, but don’t make your life too complicated either. Start with simple dishes. I know too many people who say “I could not sustain a vegan diet”. I think that once you have understood the principles, it is a simple and “common sense” diet, and the reward is immense. It tastes good, feels good and does you good. What else can we ask?