Early in 2012 I started reaching out to vegan friends on twitter to ask them to share their testimonials. My hope was that by getting vegans to share their stories we could educate and inspire others and give people first hand accounts to replace perceptions or stereotypes. I’m incredibly grateful to those that have participated. Their stories speak for themselves! If you enjoy the series please let us know!

Some of Samantha's Favorite Food!

I was first introduced to veganism by my friend who asked her friends to ‘be vegan for a week’ as a Christmas present to her. I thought this would be a perfect gift to her, as she really would appreciate it, so I did it.

I had a little trouble at first, because I’m coeliac as well (gluten free), but after researching on the Internet and looking at all the products in my supermarket, I found it so easy. After only a couple of days I felt so healthy; no bloating after meals, my skin looked clear and glowing… I thought, hey, this is doing me good!

After a week, I had no urge whatsoever to eat meat. (Yuck!) I was even disgusted by the smell and look of it. In my research I’d had a good look at all the animal welfare websites like PETA and Unleashed, and saw all the horrible things humans do to animals just for food! I decided to be vegetarian at this point.

Three months on, I still really wanted to be vegan. So I kept up my research and found local support. After having some awful cheese and egg experiences, I made the decision. I AM GOING TO BE VEGAN.

My friends and family were all for it! I am so glad that my parents understand and support me fully. I have a few wonderful vegan friends who were more than willing to take me under their wings and help me with nutrition and other information.

One of the things that I didn’t even realise before was that there is still huge amounts of animal testing going on. I remember learning about this as a child when my mum would only buy things that weren’t tested on animals, and I thought why on earth would people test things on ANIMALS? Luckily, most of the cosmetics and skincare I use are all natural and when I looked them up, I saw that they’re not tested on animals and contain no animal derivatives (phew). But now I am so conscious about what may have been tested on the poor animals that I look up any product before I think about buying. I have successfully educated my boyfriend about animal testing (he had no idea it still happened so much either) and now I’m on the lookout for animal-friendly men’s products for him. Win!

I am so grateful for all the support that the vegan community gives you when you become a vegan. Both in Australia and throughout the world, via twitter. etc! All the people I have met want to help me be the healthiest, happiest vegan I can be Thanks!!

Thank you so much for sharing your story Samantha! Be sure to let Samantha know how much you appreciated her sharing her testimonial! You can also follow her on twitter @wtf_everything. 

If you’re feeling inspired and want to submit your own vegan testimonial please read this post. There are also some interviews about the Vegan Testimonials Project that you may enjoy. Kasey Minnis (@veggiemightee)  interviewed me for This Dish is Veg. Ashley Flitter also interviewed me about the project on The Unintentional Vegan.