My journey to becoming a vegan began in January 2015. I changed my diet because of constant warnings from my African elders and peers about the food industry and its links to the pharmaceutical industry. Scholar D. Llaila Afrika wrote a book about melanin, I highly suggest reading it as it teachers one how to protect and nourish it. Our bodies crave for foods with water, oxygen, and magnesium content like arugula, moringa powder, watermelon, swiss chard, cucumbers, etc.
The transition to veganism was a struggle for me because of the constant lack of fresh organic produce available at times. I was in my last stretch of college my sophomore year so I had to eat what the cafe had provided. I became the salad bar fiend (lol). When I returned home in the summer, my lack of resources worsened. I had no way of attaining alkaline foods without money, so I started working to fuel my vegan diet, because my family was still buying junk food. "No" is like the word of the year when transitioning into a vegan lifestyle.
My family consists of my mother, three older sisters, and an older brother. They were very surprised when I went vegan, but in a weirded out way. My friends were inspired through social media but weren't seriously considering changing their diets in real life, however, they're interested though which is cool.
I think more black people should go vegan because it would immensely help the earth, and weaken the pockets of those pushing death via our food into our communities. For those who think that eating earth foods is a "white person's" thing, study the history and culture of dark-skinned people. Peace.
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Twitter: @wesowestpalm
