10 Years Vegan: What the Decade Has Taught Me

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day I became vegan.

When I first started, I never imagined I would still be vegan 10 years later. I thought it might be something I would do as a challenge—a few weeks here, a month there—and that eventually I would go back to eating animal products.

Then I actually became vegan, and everything changed.

Once I learned more about what happens to animals in our food system, I knew I didn't want to go back. What started as a dietary challenge became something much bigger. Today, I’m vegan for the animals, my health, and the planet.

Over the past decade, I’ve also experienced tremendous health benefits. I consider myself a whole-food, plant-based vegan, meaning that in addition to avoiding animal products, I try to build my diet around whole plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

I often tell friends that even if eating this way offered me no health benefits at all, I would still be vegan because of the animals. Fortunately, I don’t have to make that choice. A well-planned plant-based diet can be incredibly nutritious, and for me personally, it has been an important part of feeling healthy, energetic, and strong.

I rarely stay sick for long when I catch a cold. I’m able to do intense workouts, and I feel that I recover remarkably well. One recent example has been my recovery from knee surgery. At nearly six months out, there are times when I barely remember I had surgery because my knee feels so good. I know everyone recovers differently, but I’m grateful for how well my recovery has gone, and I believe that eating a diet rich in whole, anti-inflammatory plant foods has helped support my body along the way.

Another thing I’ve learned is that being vegan is anything but boring.

I love trying new foods, and eating this way has actually made me more creative. Instead of thinking about what I “can’t” eat, I think about the enormous variety of foods I can eat. There are countless fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices to discover. Ten years later, I’m still finding foods and combinations I’ve never tried before.

And then there is the environmental impact. Eating more plant foods and fewer animal products can reduce the environmental footprint associated with our diets. That gives me one more reason to feel good about the choice I made a decade ago.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned in these 10 years is that veganism never became something I had to force myself to continue doing. It simply became part of who I am and how I choose to live.

Ten years ago, I thought I was starting a temporary challenge.

I had no idea I was beginning a lifelong journey.