Marie Del Valle explains why she is a PROUD vegan
Written by Marie Del Valle
Embarking on this plant-based adventure has been life changing for me!
About twenty years ago I read a book, which discussed how eating meat brings out negative qualities such as fear, anger and anxiety because we are ingesting the energy of the way animals are treated and slaughtered. I am an animal lover and reading about this made me feel sad and think about how energy that exists everywhere could also be taken in through eating certain foods. At the time, I stopped eating meat altogether, however, I had attempted to become a vegetarian alone, and had absolutely no support. I remember speaking to family members who seemed shocked and were unsupportive of this process.
I grew up in a Puerto Rican household and as a tradition meat—especially chicken and pork—is served with almost every meal. Even without the support of my family, I tried to remain true to how I felt about eating meat…But unfortunately I failed. My journey lasted only two weeks. I thought eating beans and salad would do the trick, but it did not. I had little energy and felt dizzy most of the time. I thought to myself, “Yeah, my family is right, I need to eat meat again to get the protein I need.” You know how we have all of these plant-based options at supermarkets and restaurants today? All that wasn’t so available back when I went vegetarian. So I succumbed to what I knew best at the time and that was to go back to eating meat.
As the weather got warmer in the spring of 2017, I said to myself, “Yes, it’s time to grill!” I was excited about burgers and hot dogs. However, something internally again didn’t feel right to me. I began to educate myself on the treatment of animals and the ingredients that are injected into meat (including dairy) that are not healthy for people to consume. I made a conscious decision that I no longer wanted these unwanted ingredients in my body and that I would no longer eat meat. I felt more confident in this decision than I had in the past. However, I still chose to eat fish and seafood.
I then had a conversation with a friend who informed me that at the rate fish are being killed, within fifty years it is predicted that there would be a massive scarcity of fish in the oceans. This left me with an uneasy feeling, and my compassion for all animals started to haunt me as it had in the past. Despite all of that, I still continued eating seafood with this uneasy feeling. That’s when the Celebration Spiritual Center announced that they would be launching this plant-based adventure! I took this as a sign and the perfect opportunity to try and go completely plant-based with the foods I consumed.
I am amazed of the support of the coaches and everyone involved on this plant-based journey! I’m finding that my food options are endless and that the support from everyone — all of the tips, recipes, recommended vitamins and restaurants—has touched my heart and kept me on track! This was exactly what I needed to really stick to what has always internally felt right for me. It gave me the confidence I lacked twenty years ago and I can now say, “Yes, this is how I choose to live! I only eat plant-based foods!”
I feel healthier and have more energy than I did before starting this process. I no longer hold on to the belief that I need to eat meat for protein and I’ve learned that there are many different plant based options that can nourish me in a better way. I now have the confidence to share my choices with my family about only eating plant-based foods. My beloved mother has also now become one of my biggest supporters. I am a teacher and I have also gained confidence to share my beliefs with my fellow co-workers. It’s been almost a month that I have been on this journey and I have brought plant based lunch meal preps to work, which sparked tremendous curiosity within my colleagues. Remarkably, they have been coming to work with their own concoctions of fruits and vegetable meal preps because of my influence and the stories I’ve shared about my adventure. This effort has touched people in my life beyond a scope that I would have ever imagined. I have learned so much, can in turn share with others, because of this I am grateful!
I respect people’s choices for whatever feels right for them. What I’ve learned and what feels right for me is that it’s never too late to make a change.
I say with conviction, truth in my heart and with a sense of love for all living things…
I AM a PROUD vegan!!!
