Other people’s experiences.

I grew up in a family of butchers, so eating animals felt completely normal to me. It took a long time before I really began to question it. I was vegetarian for years, until I eventually watched footage of what happens in the dairy and egg industries. Once I had seen what goes on behind the scenes, I could no longer look away.

In 2011, I became vegan. That choice changed the direction of my life. Everything that followed, from Veganuary to the work I do today, began with that one decision: to stop looking away.

Becoming vegan was much more than a change in what I ate. It changed the way I saw the world, took me away from the commercial world and towards work that truly matters to me. It gave my life a sense of purpose I had never had before. Despite the weight of what I now know, I am happier than ever.”

The large-scale industrial farming of animals is not only a terrible disaster for animals; it also affects nature, our living environment and, as a consequence, our health. Many people do not realise this. Food security is not about growing vast amounts of crops to feed animals in the livestock industry, who live short and miserable ‘lives’ in terrible conditions before being slaughtered on a massive scale.

The word ‘vegan’ triggers resistance in many people, but why? Speciesism is something we see all around us. Why do you cuddle one animal and eat another?

Four years ago, I became active with the Party for the Animals and came into contact with people who had become vegan. I had already been vegetarian for decades, but I had never really looked into veganism. Looking back, I think: ‘Why didn’t I explore it sooner?’

Since switching to a fully plant-based diet, I feel fitter and less tired than I did when I was vegetarian. As a vegan, I often hear questions and comments such as ‘but what do you eat?’, ‘I can’t live without animal products’ or ‘I only eat what I like’ (!).

I do not blame people for reacting that way. Much of it comes from a lack of awareness, and in my experience most people are curious and open to hearing why I am vegan. People ask questions, and in that way I can help raise awareness on a small scale. That gives me hope and energy.

Even if people are not immediately open to veganism or to eating more plant-based food, a seed has still been planted. More and more, I see those seeds I planted earlier beginning to grow.

Jane Goodall’s ‘The Book of Hope’ has helped me enormously to keep believing that every positive action matters, even when you do not immediately see the result you would like. Her quote, ‘The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves’, says everything about why I am actively contributing to a plant-based world.”

In 2016, I switched to a vegetarian diet after being inspired by a presentation at the Brain Wash festival. The idea of consuming another living soul no longer felt right to me.

In 2017, I moved on to a vegan diet, initially for health reasons. Later, my environmental footprint became part of the picture, and ultimately I embraced the ethical principle that humans should not exploit other animals.

For me, living vegan means pure peace: allowing every other living being to live peacefully too. The fact that it is also better for the environment and for my own health has become secondary. I feel at ease knowing that I am not harming another living being. The difficult side is that I still speak to, see and hear people around me exploiting other animals. The contrast between the peace within me and the injustice around me is painful.

Since 2026, I have been active as a vegan activist because I want to do more for animals. I speak out about animal suffering and regularly take part in outreach events. This, together with watching the documentary Dominion, eventually inspired my partner to become vegan as well and to actively speak out against animal suffering.”

I grew up surrounded by animals and birds because my family were farmers. That gave me a connection with animals from a very young age. As a child, I was also allergic to animal products, so I never ate much of them.

As I got older, I saw in my own community how important it is to empower women and help them become more independent. I started thinking about how I could connect that with my passion for veganism.

I believe women can play an important role in spreading veganism. They often have a great deal of influence over what is cooked and eaten at home. By giving women knowledge and practical skills around plant-based food, I hope this change will also reach their families and communities. In that way, one person can ultimately inspire many more people to choose plant-based food more often.”

I have loved animals all my life. As a child, I regularly brought home animals I had found so that I could take care of them.

That is precisely why eating animals always felt strange to me. At the same time, society treated it as completely normal, so it was easy not to think about it consciously. On top of that, we are taught from a young age that animal products are necessary to stay healthy.

Later in life, I was pescatarian for a while, although meat occasionally found its way back into my diet during that period. After struggling with my health for several years and trying all kinds of things, I decided to switch to a fully plant-based diet. It consisted mainly of fruit, supplemented with vegetables and a small amount of seeds and nuts.

I soon noticed how much better I felt. It showed me that you can eat a healthy and nutritionally complete diet without animal products.

I hope more and more people discover for themselves what a plant-based lifestyle can mean for their health. I also hope we become increasingly aware of the positive impact this choice can have on our living environment and, of course, on animals.”

My journey towards a plant-based lifestyle began with a simple but life-changing question: if I care so much about animals, why would I contribute to their suffering?

As a veterinary professional and animal welfare advocate, I have seen first-hand that animals are sentient beings. They can experience pain, fear and joy. Choosing a plant-based lifestyle became a way for me to bring my actions into line with my values: compassion, justice and respect for all life.

It is not about being perfect. It is about making conscious choices that reduce animal suffering while also contributing to our health, our planet and the future we share.”

I have loved animals since I was young. When I was 11, I decided to stop eating meat. Like so many others, I believed that dairy and eggs did not involve animal suffering. In fact, I worked in the dairy sector for years.

Only when I started looking more closely at the reality, including through documentaries on Netflix, did I realise that being vegan was the only logical choice for me. I do not want to cause suffering to any animal.

That is exactly why I understand other people’s lack of awareness. I was in that position myself. There are still many misconceptions, and reality is often presented as more pleasant than it really is.

I believe knowledge and awareness make the difference. When people see what really lies behind our food choices, many of them will choose differently.

You are never too old, and it is never too late, to change. The most important thing is having the courage to choose.”

Choosing a vegan lifestyle has been one of the most important decisions of my life. It has taught me to feel more empathy for animals and to think more consciously about my responsibility towards them, especially in a country where animal suffering often goes unseen.

Through veganism, I have come to understand that standing up for animals is about more than talking about animal suffering. It is also about making kinder choices and building a society in which animals are treated better. Veganism has shaped me as a person and strongly influences the work I do in Uganda. For me, veganism is a daily choice to reduce animal suffering and help create a fairer world for animals.”

My commitment to plant-based eating did not begin with animals, but with people. As a teenager, I learned about the famine in Ethiopia and about how our choices affect others. Later, I discovered that meat production requires enormous amounts of food and farmland while millions of people go hungry. That insight changed the way I looked at food and at my work. I spent years working on poverty reduction, education and better animal welfare, but ultimately came to believe that plant-based alternatives are one of the most powerful ways to accelerate positive change. For me, choosing plant-based is a choice that benefits animals, people and the future of our planet.”

A simple conversation changed the way I looked at food forever. When I asked someone why he was vegan, he simply replied: ‘Because I can be.’ Those words stayed with me. If it is possible to live without causing animal suffering, why would you continue to contribute to it? I grew up on a farm and somewhere deep down I had always known that the violence behind animal products did not feel right, but it seemed normal and necessary. That was when I realised I could make a different choice. I have lived plant-based ever since, and it gives me peace of mind. Not because I want to be perfect, but because I want to live in a way that better reflects my values: more compassion for animals, people and the world around us.”

I originally became vegan because I did not want to harm animals. Later, I discovered that the problems caused by animal agriculture extend far beyond animals alone. They also affect public health, Indigenous communities, the environment, workers’ rights and even my own health. By living vegan, I support all of these important causes. Eventually, I founded Thrive Philanthropy, an international organisation that provides grants and supports movements. We help plant-based food and food justice movements grow in more than 100 countries, including through financial support and assistance for local initiatives. Becoming vegan has been one of the most important choices of my life.”

Becoming vegan feels like following beauty towards gratitude. It is a journey in which we seek justice and joy for all living beings, while developing a caring connection with different parts of ourselves, our fellow humans and our animal kin. Cultivating gratitude weaves together our inner and outer lives and invites us to discover our unique role in transforming the world around us.

On an inward level, we choose this to protect ourselves from physical inflammation, cognitive dissonance, emotional conflict and moral hypocrisy. Outwardly, we do it to save vast amounts of land, water, grain and medicines, reduce pandemic risks, and lessen injustice towards workers and suffering among animals. In doing so, enormous amounts of energy are freed up that can contribute to a richer and more abundant life for everyone.”

When I saw how animals are treated on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, I knew I wanted to do something. In 2014, I founded Veganuary to inspire and support people in trying a plant-based lifestyle during the month of January. Today, I remain involved with the organisation and help guide the work of Veganuary and its team. I have never felt that I am missing out or that I would want to change anything. This is who I am and this is what I believe in.”

I have not eaten animals for more than forty years, simply because I felt sorry for them. It is still that simple. In a time before meat substitutes, I learned to cook with pulses, vegetables and herbs. I never missed meat. Over the years, my knowledge of animal welfare, the dairy industry and egg production grew. Slowly but surely, I moved towards a fully plant-based lifestyle, which I have now followed for fifteen years. When I walk through the supermarket, I genuinely know: those dead animals, those cheap eggs and those cartons of milk are not there for me. That feeling gives me peace and satisfaction, every single day.”

Even as a little boy, I did not want to eat animals because I loved them and did not want them to be killed. But I was an on-and-off vegetarian. There were periods when I ate meat because I felt embarrassed about being ‘difficult’ or worried that people would think I was soft or strange. It was only when I started secondary school that I decided this had to stop, and that my embarrassment and the idea that caring about animals was somehow uncool were nonsense. Giving up dairy came later and was harder for me than giving up meat, because I loved cheese and there were no good dairy alternatives at the time. For a while, I ate plant-based at home and was vegetarian when eating out. By now, I have been vegan for almost a quarter of a century. I cannot imagine living any other way. If I have done one good thing in my life, it is this choice.”

I have always loved animals. When I was about ten, I asked myself what the difference was between our dog and the cow in the field across from us, who would be slaughtered for meat. I concluded that there was no morally relevant difference, and that I therefore had to stop eating animals. It took me many years to actually do so (because I loved the taste of meat), but once I changed, I changed completely, and I have devoted all the years since to transforming the food system and helping farmed animals.”

The birth of our son and my work as a ship’s doctor on Sea Shepherd campaigns against illegal whaling changed my perspective. I already ate little meat and dairy, but as my understanding grew of animal welfare, health and the impact of our animal-based food system on the planet, a plant-based lifestyle felt like a logical step. It turned out to be surprisingly easy and delicious, and above all it gave me peace of mind: living in line with my values, with more compassion for animals, people and the planet.”

The biggest change in my life was my decision in 2009 to stop eating animals. Not only did I feel physically better, but I also felt an enormous weight lift from my shoulders because I knew I was no longer contributing to the cruelty of the livestock industry. Once you learn about the horrors taking place behind the closed doors of factory farms and slaughterhouses, you become 100% convinced that stopping eating animals is the right choice.”