Getting Vegucated

Yesterday, I told my 5-year-old daughter that we're going to start eating healthy vegetables and asked her to try drinking a vegan milk. I gave her a choice between almond milk or rice milk. I choose not to drink soy milk because of the health risks to growing children. I'm glad that she's excited to try a new milk and on board with me adopting a new vegan lifestyle.

We stumbled upon Vegucated on Netflix, so we decided to watch it. The film was very informative, but I really wish I would have pre-screened it before watching it with my 5-year-old. I had to tell her to close her eyes during the slaughter house scenes. But she was happy when the chickens were taken to the farm animal sanctuary to live happily ever after.

In the film, I really like how Marissa chose three people from different walks of life. I can relate to all of them. Like Ellen, I am a mother with young children who need to eat more vegetables. I can relate with Tesla when she had issues with her family not respecting her choice to become vegan. I'm very certain I will have the same challenges. Brian reminds me a lot of my husband - a guy who's open-minded but may be resistant to change. Like Brian, my husband would hold on to a rack of lamb or plan a trip to Fatburger as a reward for eating vegetables for so long.

In the film, Brian made a comment about vegans being from outer space. A long time ago I was working in a retail store and a woman came into the store and heard me sneeze. Instead of saying the usual "bless you," she started talking to me about raw foods and how that is what I should be eating. The whole time, I kept thinking that this woman is from outer space or trying to get me to join a cult. So I understand how Brian and other people view veganism as something different and weird. I'm conflicted about my daughter being vegan and having to deal with other kids in school. I hate the thought of other kids thinking that she was an alien or belonged to a cult. I welcome any suggestions on how to deal with vegan kids.

After watching Vegucated, I have no interest in consuming animal products. The slaughter house scene of the pig being thrown in the scalding tub alive has been burned in my mind. I signed up for the #YU30 challenge that begins on February 1. I intended to use the time until then to simply transition more vegetables in my diet, but I'm ready to start right now.

I highly recommend Vegucated for anyone who wants more information about a plant-based diet and why it's a good choice for you, for your family, for the animals, and for the planet.