I know that I am making a difference

Profile of a new vegan: Krystal Kay started on her journey to veganism at age 12. Here is her vegan story.

My journey towards veganism began when I was 12 years old; I signed an online pledge to never eat pigs again. From there I cut out all meat except fish. A year later my parents and two brothers made the decision to go pescetarian as well, it wasn't until 3 years ago that I cut out all meat.

I have now been vegan for 5 months and will never go back. I reached a point where I could no longer live with knowing I was accepting the cruelty that is the animal agriculture industry by consuming animal products.

How could I continue to say I loved animals but eat them? How could I say I couldn't go vegan because I would have to give up cheese? How does taste justify cruelty and death? I kept justifying these things to myself while knowing there was no real justification. I knew that animals felt pain and I was supporting this but it was "normal" to accept it so I did.

I watched 'Cowspiracy' and 'Forks over Knives', which pushed me to see a nutritionist. I wanted to ensure that after going vegan I would stay that way with a healthy diet. The first nutritionist I saw told me that it would be 'too hard' to go vegan and that I needed eggs and dairy to be healthy. I decided to consult another after doing some research of my own. I had already decided that the death and torture of a sentient being was something I could not be a part of, but, I wanted to ensure I could be healthy as well. The next lady I saw was very encouraging and provided me with information on how easy it was to receive adequate nutrients when vegan. I then made the switch.

I feel healthier, lighter, my skin is clearer, I have more energy, and my soul is happy. I know that I am making a difference. My family, once again, has followed suit as well as my partner. I listened to James Aspey talk at the Perth Vegan Festival and something he said really stuck with me, going Vegan isn't actually helping animals, it's just not hurting them. To help them we need to spread awareness, we need to lead the way for others to take the kinder path and stop exploiting animals. The Vegans in Perth group has been so supportive through my journey and kept me going when I've felt any weakness.