Guest Post: Top 10 Reasons To LOVE Being Vegan!

I would describe my diet as 95% vegan working towards 100%. Here is a guest post from Tess Challis --vegan chef, author, wellness coach, healthy cooking instructor, meditation instructor, and weight loss coach. Her website is Radiant Health Inner Wealth.

This post was inspired by all the wonderful New Years Resolvers (A word? Not a word?) who are new to being vegan. I've received countless messages from folks who are making veganism their New Year's Resolution this year! So, I thought they might enjoy hearing why a seasoned (19 years of spice) vegan loves it so much!

So here goes...

The Top Ten Reasons Being Vegan Rocks:

1. The food tastes amazing! Who could possibly feel deprived while eating "Chocolate Bliss Pie" or "Soba Noodles with Vegetable Tempura and Ginger-Daikon Sauce?"

2. The health benefits are profound. For example: Not only did my acne and chronic health conditions clear up when I went vegan almost two decades ago, but they have never returned!

3. Being vegan brings a peace and harmony to your whole being. Basing a diet on plant foods reduces the "bad karma" that arises from eating animal foods, as well as elevates your state of consciousness. Yes, I know this sounds new-agey! But I also know it's true. Try it for yourself - give up animal foods for a month and observe the difference in your state of mind.

4. You'll end up spending less money in the long run. Yes, I know organic produce can cost a small fortune. But, when you're not shelling out big bucks at the doctor's office, you'll still come out ahead!

5. You'll discover a whole new world (a delicious and fun one!). Have you ever used things like coconut butter, cacao nibs, shiitake mushrooms, or bean thread noodles? You will now, and your taste buds will give you that long overdue trophy.

6. Being vegan automatically reduces (drastically at that) your risk for all kinds of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

7. It's just good clean fun. When you "lighten your load" with your diet, you begin to feel lighter in all aspects. You feel better. You wake up energized. You enjoy life more and more on every level!

8. It's the most versatile diet on the planet! Sounds crazy, but once you stop thinking about all the things you "can't" have, you'll be amazed at how much more varied your diet will actually be! Thinking back to what I ate in my pre-vegan days, it all sounds so boring to me now. Chicken nuggets and burgers don't hold a candle to Thai Spring Rolls and Chili-Lime Noodles (two foods I knew nothing about before going vegan)!

9. With all the great products on the market these days, you won't miss a thing! Even if you want to keep eating basic things like "chicken nuggets" and "cheese pizza," it's no problem! There are delicious vegan options for anything you can think of these days. Try some Daiya cheese on your quesadilla or some crumbled tempeh in your chili. It will still please the palate, while simultaneously keeping you happy and healthy!

10. My 6-yr-old contributed this last reason. She's been vegan all her life and loves it too! In her words, "Lots of reasons. But I guess mostly just cuz I don't want to hurt animals."