In 1995, a very famous movie called “Babe” was released. The movie, starring James Cromwell and one pink piggy, Babe, was an awakening. Like the Buddha reaching enlightenment or the apple that had fallen on the head of Thomas Edison, I knew then that for me, my life was about to change. Though only eight years old, I’d decided never again to eat another animal. I looked at my food in a new way, and realized that pork, for example, was not merely a food product, but was once a living, sentient being. I reasoned that animals, like humans, can feel sadness, happiness and pain. From this broad comparison, the line dividing humans and animals is diminished.

At the age of eight, it was obvious that my primary concern and reasoning for going herbivorous was the animals. Animals raised for human consumption are done so in such a vast quantity that we have veered drastically away from the Old-Macdonald-had-a-farm ideal. Cruel practices are inevitable, and include pumping animals with growth hormones and antibiotics (which end up in trace amounts in your food), cramped housing (six chickens to a single, petite cage) and physical abuse (castration without anesthetics). Many people, however, turn vegetarian for the bountiful health aspects. Personally, I have become a healthier, fitter individual as a result of my lifestyle switch, and have never felt better. Being a vegan, I can look forward to a life extended at least six years - and a life free of health woes, at that.

The second question, “What do you eat?” has been asked of me so many times that I often find it hard to keep my cool when innocent people await a response. I guess it is because of the lack of awareness of this lifestyle - many people have the image of the vegetarian surviving solely on carrots, celery and apples. Naturally, to discover that my diet is much more diverse than that of a rabbit, many are curious. In fact, I find that I eat more of a variety now that I am vegan than when I ate animal products. My mom and I stock up on vegetarian cookbooks, subscribe to Vegetarian Times Magazine, and sample recipes from several cultures. No meal is ever the same, and every meal is always delicious. Meals can range from something elaborate and exotic (like “Tempeh en Croûte with Dilled “Cream” Sauce”) to old, familiar and veganized favorites (such as soy Mac n’ “Cheese” or Veggie Burgers). The meat and dairy substitutes are so readily available, numerous and delicious that cooking a great, plant-based meal is fool-proof.

Over the course of about a year, I had gradually reduced the meat in my diet until I was completely vegetarian. In January of 2004 at age fifteen, I had reached a point where I felt as if I needed to reduce my contribution to animal suffering even further. Consequently, I went vegan. And I’ve never looked back. Through the process I have learned that you can never underestimate the power and influence you hold within your very self. In the process of switching to a purely plant-based diet, my mother, father, brother, sister-in-law and aunt have become vegetarian. I learned that being vegetarian or vegan is so much more than changing your meals. It is altering your mindset, improving your health and increasing your compassion, so that each day is a new opportunity to reduce suffering, educate others, and work towards a better tomorrow.

--Jessica is a vegan and a frequent contributor to Vegetarianteen.com Online Magazine. She and her family live in Canada along with their horse, five cats, and two golden retrievers. Jessica became vegetarian at the age of eight after watching the movie "Babe" and has been vegan since 2004.