Monumental Moment

This narrative is about my journey in not eating red meat that eventually led to me being vegetarian. I always cared for animals, and whenever I passed a farm I would become washed over with sadness for how their life would end. I still ate meat up until 2024, but as I got older I became more aware of how we were raising and killing animals, but even worse, how many we were killing.

In high school, I started to become guilty whenever I ate something that was once bleeding. I went back and forth deciding if I wanted to become vegetarian. I wasn’t sure I could do it, so I started by deciding to stop eating red meat. Because I am a long distance runner, I need the nutrients that are most commonly found in meats more than others. I knew it was possible to be a successful runner on a plant-based diet, but I didn’t research how to get these nutrients in other ways. The consequence of this was me becoming anemic during my last season of high school track.

I started to spiral. I just ruined my last track season. How was I going to run in college without eating meat? I was always told that if I wanted to be a successful long distance runner, I needed to eat meat. That the only way to get nutrients needed to run was through animals, and I am still told this by my college coaches and teammates. How could I afford a healthy, plant-based diet? How would I learn to cook for myself in college? Would I be judged by my future teammates? So I started eating red meat again, and I continued to feel bad about it. After my first year of college, I told myself that if I want to make this happen, and I can put in the work to do it. I researched, met with a dietician, talked to my doctor, and tried different recipes. I figured it out. And I am so happy I did.

These photos are a mixture of reasonings for me becoming vegetarian, but also the hardships I had to face and continue to face in my choosing to live this way.