A look into a vegan life

November is well known for many things, but what most people don’t know is that it’s World Vegan Month. The month raises awareness and finds joy in the accomplishments made to end animal and earth cruelty. Being a vegan means you don’t eat foods that come from animals, such as dairy, meat, eggs, and things tested on animals – basically, anything produced by or that was once part of an animal. 

Fallston junior Lena Wurz has been a vegan since June of 2021 and was 15 when she made the switch. She became vegan because of her care for animals and the environment. She doesn’t need animals to stay alive and likes eating other things provided by the earth. She also says the production of meat and milk is very harmful for the environment. She says it’s one of those things where “If I don’t need to do it then why should I.” In terms of the environmental impact, she states, “Animal processing produces more carbon dioxide than all the modes of transport together and the production of one burger requires 660 gallons of water.” 

As a result of the transition Lena says she has been able to find so many tasty recipes and learned so many things. As a result, “I proved to myself that I don’t need to abuse animals to be happy,” she says. 

However, the transition hasn’t been without its struggles. Sometimes she has had trouble finding things to eat in her home country of Italy. She says there aren’t nearly as many options for vegans in every restaurant. This made it such a surprise for her when she came to America and was able to find many vegan options in the stores.  

Speaking of options, Lena adds that there are many substitutes for regular food and in fact many of them taste just like dairy and meat products or better. Some of the substitutes taste better than others. So, it seems like you just have to find the right one. 

With all those substitutes, there is only one thing missing: homemade lasagna. It’s one of those things that her mom makes in a peculiar way you can’t just go out and buy. However, Lena already is making that her next mission: making her mom’s lasagna recipe vegan. 

Lena adds, World Vegan Month to her is to raise awareness and for people to see being vegan is not as challenging as they may think. “This month could be a great opportunity to try vegan recipes and find joy experimenting with new food,” she says.