Pepe was the name of a pig that one of the workers in the property we live brought once, he was a baby still. I saw Pepe grow from the size of a papaya, to the size of huge gas tank.
Our dog, also a baby back then, became good friends with Pepe, they played together all the time. Me and my wife also started to feel compassion towards him. It became like another pet for us. Later I learned that pigs are more smart than dogs and they have feelings as well.
This when our dog and Pepe started their friendship
One day we did not see Pepe anymore, so I asked the worker where he was. He proudly said that “he killed him, and that he has saved body parts for everyone”.
In that moment I felt that cold in the soul when you get either scared of something or impressed. It was a very sad afternoon for all of us, including our dog who was searching for Pepe to play with.
That was the day I decided to stop eating pork and also red meat.
Several years have passed and it wasn't until a few months ago that I also stopped eating chicken.
Now my diet is based on vegetables, fruits, roots, grains and nuts. I can't eat seafood because I am allergic since I was a kid, however I can eat fish, and fish is something I still eat but very irregularly, although deeply inside I know that would be my next step, to aslo stop eating fish.
Is it for health reasons or out of compassion?
Definitely, I decided to stop eating meat out of compassion, I am sure no animal wants to die especially in the way they are killed for the meat industry. It is a reality that most people don't know what happened to that dead body they are about to eat before it came to the table, but what impressed me the most, is that out of all these people, many of them simply don't want to know.
If you are a person that still eats animals, please do not take personal this post because it is about why I became vegetarian and my personal opinion.
I come from Panama, and I discovered by reading the news, that there are 3 most common diseases that my people here suffer from. Those are diabetes, obesity, and gastric problems. You don't need to be a doctor to know that all these start with what you put in your body.
"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."
In the latin culture, if there is no rice and meat in your plate then it’s not called food. That is exactly how I grew up, but it wasn't until I got married when I discovered new types of food, recipes and diets thanks to my lovely wife 
For me, there is no “I became vegetarian” overnight, it has been a process and a very interesting journey because of all the new things you learn.
Difficulties and frustrations:
It is not easy, especially in the culture I live, when I go to a restaurant sometimes I have to stick with what they call vegetarian option, which is basically tomato and lettuce, or rice with lentils.
But the most difficult part for me has been having to explain myself to friends, family members, who make remarks or judge me when I am sitting at the table to have a meal during a get together.
A couple of weeks ago, I got very sick with a lung infection that put me in the hospital for a week. When the doctor asked me the protocol questions, he wanted to know about my diet so I told him I am vegetarian. Right away he made the remark, that usually vegetarians have their immune system low, and that I should make sure to visit a nutritionist.
During that week, family members like my aunt also made remarks about me not eating meat and that I needed my nutrients and my proteins to help my body become stronger. Of course I argued with her about that, but I was never going to change the mind of my 60 year old aunt that has been eating meat with my uncle for decades.
Another friend of the family, also a Doctor, came to tell me I needed to eat better. I knew he was referring to me not eating meat.
The funny thing is that all these doctors used to take their kids to McDonalds on the weekends.
What I had, has nothing to do with my diet. Luckyly, after all the exams they did on me, my Doctor acknowledge I have my organs in good shape (knock on wood).
During dinner at a local indian restaurant in Panama City with some of my friends:
We were 7, only I asked for a vegetarian dish, and that is how the conversation started. I enjoyed arguing with some of them about my transformation, and it made me realize there is to much misinformation and that also, the majority of meat eaters I know don't care about health, unconsciously they only care about their taste buds.
My friend Carlos: You became vegetarian, what make you think that plants, vegetables don't feel anything when you cut them from the tree?
Me: It is good you bring this up here with us, and not in front of people you don't know well, because you could ended up like a big ignorant. There is no scientific proof that plants can feel pain, plants do not have central nervous system, they react to stimulation.
My friend Migue: But you like the taste of the meat don't you?
Me: as I remember, of course I do. I choose not to eat it because of the animals.
Of course nobody at the table actually knew what happened to that lamb they asked for dinner. And they did not want to know.
- Friend Evu: But you know humans are meat eaters?
- Me: No, we are not, we are omnivores, which mean we can eat everything, it does not mean we “have to” eat everything.
It was a good conversation, my friends learned something new of me and it helped me to convince myself of the lack of awareness in our society.
No milk or dairy products!
I believe cow milk is for cows and I believe the only milk a human should drink is the breast milk when a human is born until we are able to eat other food and digested.
For me, consuming dairy products is also supporting the dairy industry, which a lot of them do not treat animals properly. Besides that, even though there is so much information about how milk is good for your bones and the nutrients it has, there is also a lot of information about how milk is not good for human body because it creates metabolic disturbances and is not actually good for your bones. In reality, cow milk is for cows, just like cat milk is for cats.
Probably, I will become a vegan someday. I still eat eggs, and the chickens doesn't suffer, and a free & happy hen doesn't really need them anyways when the egg has not been fertilized by rooster. They do eat them sometimes if they need the nutrients, but from experience, well nourished hens just ignore eggs that are not needed to reproduce.
In conclusion, I feel proud for changing my diet, I feel healthy and happy to discover all new smoothies, recipes and dishes that provide me with what I need.
Beans of all types, lentils, kale, spinach, soy, broccoli, nuts of all types, quinoa, tofu, all vegetables.
It is true I do it for the animals, but I also have learned that processed red meat is linked to cancer, besides being an important reason of the destruction of our planet. Future generations will pay for our current consumption decisions.
It was pleasure to share this and I hope it will help you motivate if you are also in the process of becoming a vegetarian.
Thanks.
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