I've been a vegetarian since I was 12 years old, and before that I was a vegan. I'm more of a vegan than a vegetarian actually but since I do have occasional dairy I'm not classified as one. There are many different reasons I made this decision, but mostly because of animal cruelty and just the thought of consuming one of the things I love sends chills me to the bone. I also lost quite a bit of weight just by cutting out meat, gelatin, and other such products from my diet. I began to feel so much more energetic and healthy even after the first week! Because I live in Texas, where meat and livestock is a heavy tradition, I know few vegetarians and vegans, especially because I'm just a high school student so many people do not understand my ways. But I loveee it!