Think Before You Eat: Hailey Weinberg at TEDxPineCrestSchool (Full Transcript)

Hailey Weinberg – TRANSCRIPT

Hi, I’m Hailey. We wake up, and some people grab a protein bar on their way out. Some have a quick bowl of cereal before they go to school. And on weekends, people go out with their families to treat themselves to pancakes. But, have you ever stopped to think, “Where is this food coming from? What exactly am I eating and putting into my body?” Plenty of people would ask, “Well, why does it matter? I was hungry, and now I’m not, so problem solved.”

But when someone eats, there are so many factors that contribute to what goes into their bodies. It’s not as simple as being hungry to being full. Previously, diets had been a trend, and now complete lifestyle changes are becoming prominent. There are low carb diets, pescetarians, people who don’t eat meat but eat eggs, people who eat eggs but not meat, vegetarians, juice cleanses, fruitarians, kangatarians, people who eat only lettuce or chocolate. The list is endless. I happen to fit into a lifestyle as well. I’m vegan.

And, hold on. Before you groan, and decide to tune me out — listen, because maybe you’ll find something interesting. Being vegan means that I don’t eat meat, dairy eggs, or any animal products. Plenty of people may call it a “fad”, but this so-called “fad” is actually having huge impacts — environmentally and health-wise. Plus, there’s the moral aspect to consider too.

For me, being vegan was originally about health. I’m very competitive with myself, so I said, “Let’s see how long I can go without eating things like dairy and eggs, while focusing on raw foods like vegetables and fruits.” And wow! It was quite difficult. It took time to understand what I needed to consume daily. I’d see pizza and needed to have it.

After realizing that there’s a lot more to vegan than just eating vegetables, I did research, and that definitely gave me the kick. I needed to find where I fell in this lifestyle. But, plenty of people can argue that veganism isn’t healthy because, well, Oreos are vegan, Frosted Flakes are vegan, along with many other sugary foods. But my daily calories are mostly vegetables, fruits, carbs, and proteins while consuming very little fats. When I ate everything and anything, less than 20 to 30 percent of my diet was fruits and vegetables. But now, over 50 percent are fruits and vegetables.