halloween from a 14 year old's point of view...

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My friend Zoe Giordano wrote a blog for all of you about what it's like for her to be a vegan especially during Halloween. I have known Zoe since she was a little under 2 years old. She was adorable then and is adorable now! She's always been a smarty pants. Check it out:

"I am a 14 year old girl and have been vegan my entire life.  People always ask me 'Why are you vegan? Isn't it so hard?' But the truth is it's so easy to be vegan. Maybe that's because it's been my lifestyle for 14 years who knows? Sure there have been times when I've walked past a dessert store and have seen delicious cakes but I know that if I took one bite of any of those cakes it wouldn't appeal to me. I think that's because I grew up without that kind of food and I'm not used to it so it just doesn't sound good to me.

So many people say things like 'I could never be vegan because I hate soy milk and fake meat' but I think that those people think that way because they're not used to those foods the same way that I'm not used to dairy-filled cakes.  

People always think that as a vegan your food options are so minimal but that is because those people haven't actually tried to be vegan when in fact it's so easy to find vegan options.

As the holidays come around I am asked the same questions. Especially around Halloween kids wave around Kit Kats Snickers Hershey's chocolate bars and other various sweets in my face saying 'Oooohhhh too bad you can't have this stuff!' But the truth is I have no cravings for those sweets and there are so many other options – much healthier options. On Halloween parents always think that it's OK to let their kids eat all of those sweets because it's just for one night. But one night can change a life – there are poisons and chemicals moving throughout the body as people digest these unsafe treats.  

I spend my Halloweens just like any other kid going around to each house asking for candy.  But at the end of the night instead of eating all of that candy I give it to my friends.

It is so easy for me and it's my own personal life choice – my parents aren't forcing this lifestyle on me; it's my decision. I remember when my dad sat me down once and said 'Sweetie if you ever decide to go another direction with your diet just tell me first.'  He was probably saying that so that he would be able to talk me out of it but now I see that I won't need to have that conversation with him because it's my life choice and my life choice is to be vegan."