Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind and the majority of people who adopt this lifestyle do so for ethical or spiritual reasons. It takes 2500 gallons of water, 12 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of beef. Also, seventy percent of U.S. grain production is fed to livestock. So a vegan or vegetarian is definitely better for the environment.

But there are serious health concerns with a vegan diet. Humans are considered to be natural omnivores and poorly planned vegan diet will lead to a lack of vitamin D, vitamin B, sodium, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. A lack of these vital nutrients can result in a serious health failure.

To get a taste of what it’s like to be a vegan, I’ve decided

to adopt the vegan lifestyle for five days.

Just driving to the market was a daunting task. I passed by a McDonald’s, Jack in the Box and a Taco Bell. Normally my diet consists of these wonderful restaurants so it took every ounce of my will power to keep from pulling into the drive-thru. I especially love tacos. It’s the only food shaped like a smile. A big beefy smile.

Once I got into the supermarket, my mission to be vegan grew even more impossible. There was hardly any selection for the vegan and I was pretty much confined to one side of the market: the produce section. For the first time in my life, I passed the pork section without buying two packs of bacon.

Needless to say, I ended up walking out of there with a head of lettuce, some soy sauce, mushrooms, extra firm tofu, and some soy milk. Which doesn’t make any sense at all. Soy beans don’t have tits. Along with soy milk, I bought a box of hemp milk just out of sheer curiosity. Would I get high if I drank the whole box in one sitting? I didn’t. Instead I experienced a taste that was nothing like milk. It tasted like a mix between rancid grass and paper mache.

I couldn’t even use the soap I had because it had animal

products in it. So I went the whole five days without using soap. By day three, I was pretty ripe. By the time I found some animal product free soap it was already day five so it was pretty much pointless.

Vegan food is also available at Moorpark College. Curry with rice is served at the MC Bistro Cart.

Is it worth it to keep a vegan lifestyle? It all depends. Are you willing to give up a few foods and adopt a diet that is not necessarily healthier to save the planet? Or would you rather be human and be a natural omnivore?

As I took my first bite into that homemade tofu lettuce

wrap, a strange feeling of smugness took over. A feeling that reminded me I was better than everyone else because I sacrificed to save a few chickens and cows. It’s the same feeling people get when they buy hybrid cars. But going into the second day of my experiment, I literally

grew insane and was willing to kill for one bite of delicious taco. I’m just not cut out to be vegan.