“What animal are we eating today?”

According to my stepmom, I used to ask this question regularly around the dinner table as a child, glum and defeated about what was on the menu. I distinctly remember picking at my food whenever my parents would serve me chicken breast or steak, carefully eating the veggies and sides, avoiding the main course like a plague. The only meat I would actually eat had been processed into something else — basically the standard kid fare: chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs. But if something looked and tasted like meat, I couldn’t shake the image of the animal who was destined to die in order to fill my belly.

As I got a little older, I started making my own decisions about what was on my plate. My parents were more supportive than one might expect for meat-loving Texans, never protesting when I added frozen Boca Burgers to the grocery cart. They didn’t argue or try to sway me when I experimented with vegetarianism in middle and high school, allowing me the autonomy to stand firm in my own convictions. I appreciated the freedom to make my own choices about what I ate.

By the time I was a young adult, I’d started learning more about the horrors of factory farming and animal slaughter. This exposure only strengthened my belief in animal rights. I became a committed vegetarian at last, swearing off all consumption of animal flesh. It was a natural evolution for me. Given my history of aversion to eating meat in the first place, I didn’t miss it and never regretted my choice.

In 2019, I finally went vegan. If I was truly against factory farming and animal cruelty, I felt I could no longer justify supporting the industry in any capacity. I’m not sure what took me so long, but I remember thinking that I couldn’t possibly live without cheese or eggs. I was still curious, though, and continued to learn more about how these animals products are cultivated. After seeing a video of a mother cow separated from her calf, my reasons for not adopting a fully plant-based diet started to feel selfish and small. I had to follow my heart.

I won’t lie. It was an adjustment at first, even for someone like me who had already been a vegetarian. It was a little overwhelming when I started to think about how many foods I loved to eat contained animal products. I spent a lot more time checking labels at the grocery store. Eating out was much more precarious — while most restaurants could muster together a vegetarian option, I now needed to carefully read their menus online and seek out vegan-friendly dishes in advance.

It wasn’t all a challenge, though. It was a chance to try new foods and discover my new favorite dishes. A vegan friend introduced me to tofu scramble (just pan fry some firm tofu with turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper, along with anything else you’d like to include — more spices, veggies, even peanut butter!). It quickly became a breakfast staple that satisfied my cravings. I used to eat eggs all the time, but between tofu scramble and newer options like JUST Egg, I never even miss them.

I was relieved to learn that plant-based cheese had come a long way since the rubbery, dairy-free shreds I’d tried when I was younger. By the time I went vegan a few years ago, the cheese alternatives had leveled up. They tasted like the real thing — and they actually melted!

Thankfully, my fears about life without eggs and cheese were totally unfounded. Both of these things were easy enough to replace in my diet with some fresh, plant-based options that did not exploit animals.

You may not find it as easy to go vegan as I did if you have a strong taste for meat and animal products. But there are so many products available today that mimic everything from beef tips to lobster. If you haven’t tried vegan “meat” lately, you’re really missing out. Some of it is even so realistic that I don’t like it! It reminds me of the real meat that I never enjoyed growing up. So if you’re a meat lover, it’s for you.

My newfound veganism also brought new people into my life who I might not have met otherwise. One shining example is Sawyer Hofmann, a vegan fitness coach I worked with a couple of years ago to get a handle on my health. Within a short time, he became a good friend. We still talk all the time and see each other whenever we can. He is bold and unapologetic about his veganism, even within the bodybuilding community which doesn’t readily embrace it. I look to him as a role model for how men can show up in the world with more love and compassion for all of those around us, including animals. I admire him and so many other badass vegans I’ve met along my path.

Over the years, I think I’ve influenced others in small ways. My sister sometimes cooks plant-based meals for herself and her spouse, even when I’m not eating with them. Friends and family have joined me countless times for meals together at vegan restaurants. But I have only actually convinced one other person to go vegan: my partner, Colton. He wasn’t vegan when we met, but he was open-minded enough to consider it. After we’d been dating for a few months, he made the decision on his own to embrace a fully vegan lifestyle. It was a wonderful feeling to know that I’d inspired someone else to think about their food choices. Now, we can enjoy a vegan future together.

I’ve never felt challenged by the decision to go vegan. I know that it’s right for me; I also believe that it’s right for everyone. I think the hardest part about being vegan is constantly being surrounded by others, including many people that I respect and love, that don’t seem to understand or share my values. Society has successfully convinced most of us to compartmentalize our love of animals and the cruelty required to produce enough meat and byproducts for the population. But I firmly believe that if more of us stopped to examine our choices, more of us would then decide to remove animal cruelty from our lives.

I have heard all of the arguments from those who refuse veganism. I understand that many animals kill other animals for food. I don’t find the idea itself to be unnatural. But I think there is a major difference between humans hunting animals for food in the early days of our existence and the way we farm them now for their meat. Animals are intelligent, sentient beings. They do not deserve to be crowded into tiny, filthy pens without the ability to turn around or ever see the sun. They don’t deserve to be bred solely for the purpose of mass slaughter. Like all living beings, animals are worthy of compassion and dignity. No naysayer has ever been able to dissuade me from that opinion.

I don’t mind telling people that I’m vegan, but I don’t usually spend a lot of time talking about my reasons. I don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable or judged when they’re around me. But this year, I have decided to be more vocal about it because it’s deeply important to me. Whatever discomfort we feel having these conversations is laughably mild compared to the conditions that animals live and die in every day.

I believe that a vegan future is one that values all life on earth. It is the right choice for the environment and for our health. We can live our lives causing the least amount of harm and suffering to other beings as possible. We do not need to rely on animal cruelty to survive — in fact, we can flourish without it. That’s the kind of future I want to see.

If you’ve ever considered going vegan, I encourage you to try it. Start with a meal. Then try it for a day, a week, a month. It’s okay if you stumble at first. You’ll find your footing and you’ll be happy you did. If I can answer any questions or give you any advice, leave a comment here and let me know. I’m glad to support you as you start the journey.