In August of 1996 I made the decision to give up meat, dairy, and the use of all animal products. I was 17 years old.
Now, in August of 2026, I am 47 years old and still don’t eat meat or dairy, nor do I use animal products of any kind.
This is my 30th anniversary of going vegan.
What prompted me to give this lifestyle a try was an article written in my high school newspaper. It was a 2-page spread written by a fellow student about why he had decided to go vegan. It not only cited the horrible conditions in which many animals are brutally treated and slaughtered, but the plant-based alternatives to attaining nutrients like protein that many assume are only acquired through meat consumption.
That article changed my life.
I’d always considered myself an animal lover but had never considered giving up meat and dairy. I, like so many others, assumed that there were nutrients only found in an omnivorous diet. But when the conditions of factory farms were spelled out in that article, alongside healthy and sustainable ways to get around meat consumption, something clicked and I knew I had to try it.
There are two things I remember about those first days of my decision to go vegan. The first is something my dad thought he needed to warn me about. He said, “You can try this out but I’ve got to warn you; tofu tastes like shit.” I still think about that warning today, as I happily consume tofu in all its glorious-tasting varieties.
The other was the very first vegan meal my mother prepared for me. She didn’t go crazy with it, because for all she knew this was going to be a teenager’s short-lived experiment, but I have strong memories of having black beans and rice from a specific brand in specific packaging.
I remember being very nervous about that first bite. Everything was going to hinge upon how much I enjoyed having a meal without meat or dairy, which in a household that was very New York Italian in its meals was most of what I’d consumed for 17 years.
I loved it. For years, whenever I had beans and rice, I would go after that specific brand in its specific packaging. Nowadays I make my own, and it’s a staple dinner for me and my vegetarian son.
Once my mother realized I was into this, she took it upon herself to start going crazy with my meals… but that’s a story for the next blog entry about my thirtieth anniversary of being totally plant-based.