are my thought on “Raw Till 4”? That and more in today’s Q&A

Today I’m going to be hitting some of the basics. If you don’t hear your question

today, don’t fret. There’s going to be a lot more Q&A videos. And some of your questions

might require their own video. For instance, I had a lot of requests about my tattoos so

I did a tattoo tour video on Monday. I also had a lot of B12 questions so Wednesday was

all about b12. If you missed either of those, there’s links to them in the description

below.

By the way, if you hear weird noises in the background, Ooby’s going after one of her

toys, and doing it in the way that she does everything. Very loudly.

So let’s get started! The most-asked question by far was how and why and when I went vegan.

Well honestly, I can’t give you an exact date. My mother tells me when I was four years

old I started to refuse to eat meat. I don’t consciously remember this myself. But as I

grew up and learned where dairy and eggs actually come from, I stopped eating those as well.

You see when other kids my age were going door-to-door selling girl scout cookies, I

was the weird kid going door-to-door to educate about the plight of mountain gorillas in Africa,

and raising money for the Dian Fossey Foundation. I fund that when you’re, like, three feet

tall, people don’t really take you seriously.

But I was definitely not raised in a vegan household, which addresses Eric Jones’ question,

“is anyone else from your family vegan?” Sadly, no.

Both Ilovesvetlana101 and Niko F asked “What did you do with non-vegan items you had from

before you went vegan? Like leather belts, wool sweaters, non-vegan shampoos, etc. Did

you use them up or wear them out, or give them away, or throw them away?

When I originally went vegan in my youth I don’t think a lot of those things were actually

on my radar. But when I became aware of them, my personal choice was to throw away whatever

items were animal-derived. But that’s not a vegan dictate that you have to do. If your

choice is to have no shoes in winter or wear a pair of leather boots that you bought ten

years ago before you were vegan, wear the damn boots.

Several of you, including Jac Vegan, The Veggie Nut, and Eric Jones asked how old am I? Well

if you guys are running a betting pool, get ready. I am, as of April…30 years old. But

I still don’t know how to dress like an adult.

Melissa Boisvenue asked, “What's your best response to the classic ‘Animals were put

on earth for us to eat’ remark by meat-eaters?” There’s actually a really kick-ass quote

from Alice Walker that addresses this very question. She says, “The animals of the

world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people

were made for white, or women created for men.” Although the argument that animals

were put here for us to eat, presupposes the existence of a god or creator. And if you

don’t personally hold that believe and are talking to someone who does, the conversation

might not be that productive.

The Veggie Nut asks, “Do you have a vegan idol/hero/favorite? I totally love Gary Yourofsky.

Was wondering if you have a fave?” I do. And it’s actually the same person. I was

already vegan the first time I saw Gary’s talk. But his activism, and its effectiveness,

inspired and drove me to try to make even a fraction of the difference that he has in

the world. Which, by the way, answers Chemese Armstrong’s question, “What made you start

making videos?” If you haven’t already, please watch Gary’s talk.

Both Alice Klein and krisgiovanetti asked if I actually know Gary personally and if

I’ve met him. And yes I do and I have. In fact, one of the times I was volunteering

at SASHA Farm animal sanctuary, Gary and his wife came out. And with Monte, the co-founder,

we helped rescue these two beautiful boys: Bhima and Dharma.

While I’m on the topic of SASHA Farm animal sanctuary, krisgiovanetti also asked “your

necklace looks really cool- what is it?” This necklace was made by Christine Wagner,

who works at SASHA Farm animal sanctuary. She’s an incredible woman who does so much

for the animals there. Her website is designspecimen.com, where you can get your own hand made jewelry

with a message. So definitely head over and check out her stuff! My necklace says “vegans:

a voice for the voiceless.” And it’s a little worn, because I wear it every day.

Cepharma asked, “What is your specific ‘regime’? High carb low fat? Raw till 4?” The way

I eat would most likely be categorized, I guess, as a high carb low fat raw vegan diet.

Now that’s not to say I don’t get a wild hair up my ass every once and a while and

steam some vegetables or a potato. x

Crazycatlady1313 asks, “I am a raw till 4 vegan. What are your views on it?” Well

first off, I support any diet that’s vegan. And the way of eating vegan that I support

the most, and that I think is the perfect way to eat vegan, is whatever way of eating

you can sustain and will keep you vegan. I don’t think there’s one right way to do

vegan. I really enjoy eating a raw diet, but it’s not for everyone. Whereas eating vegan

IS for everyone.

I think the Raw Till 4 diet is a great blend of the benefits of being a raw vegan, and

a way of eating that’s sustainable and realistic for most people. Being vegan should not be

a chore. It should not be something you have to “suffer through.” You shouldn’t feel

deprived or unsatisfied. Being vegan should be delicious and full of variety. So whatever

way of eating vegan that fulfills you, and that is something you feel you can continue

for the rest of your life, THAT is the perfect way of eating vegan. If you’re coming from

a pure health standpoint, then yes, certain ways of eating are going to be better than

others. But as far as I, and, I’m sure, the animals are concerned, even if you sit

on the couch all day with one hand down your pants and the other hand shoving sweet-chili

Doritos into your gaping mouth, as long as you’re not consuming animal products, it’s

A-Okay with me, and them! If you have any other questions you’d like answered in a

future video, leave them in the comments below. I’ll see you soon!