That's been my experience and why I want to keep it that way.

A Spanish woman has embarked on a one-month journey as a vegan, documenting her experience and motivations in a personal essay titled “Un mes vegana. Así ha sido mi experiencia y por qué quiero que siga siéndolo.” The piece, published in El Mundo, reflects on her transition from vegetarianism to veganism, driven by ethical concerns over animal welfare and the influence of social media content. The author describes herself as someone who previously struggled with smoking, “la exfumadora perfecta”, and now sees herself as more rigid in her values than even the Pope. She humorously contrasts her newfound strictness with her past tolerance for others' habits, such as smoking or consuming meat. Her decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle was influenced by exposure to distressing images shared on Instagram, particularly those depicting cruelty toward animals in industrial farming settings. These included scenes of pigs confined in large-scale farms, birds subjected to forced feeding, and cows treated inhumane conditions. The emotional impact of these visuals led her to make a conscious choice to stop eating animals. Her path to veganism began with years of vegetarianism, which she adopted after a conversation with a friend during the Sónar music festival in 2019. Over time, she shifted toward a flexible approach known as flexitarianism, which involves reducing but not eliminating consumption of animal products. However, this changed when she started working on a report about dog abuse and came into contact with activists and advocates on social media. The algorithm on Instagram, she claims, began showing her increasingly disturbing content related to animal suffering, making it difficult for her to continue ignoring the issue. This prompted her to take action by adopting a fully vegan diet. She acknowledges that while many people in Spain remain unaware of the health implications of their dietary choices, the number of vegetarians and vegans is still relatively low. According to a 2025 report by The Green Revolution, approximately 3.8 million adults in Spain embrace some form of plant-based diet, representing around 9.1% of the population. Despite this, the author notes that veganism and vegetarianism together account for less than 2% of the total population. She attributes this discrepancy partly to the persistence of harmful practices within the food industry and the difficulty of changing long-standing habits. In addition to her ethical considerations, the author reports a positive side effect of her new diet: a renewed interest in cooking. She mentions reviving old recipe books and experimenting with plant-based meals, suggesting that the shift has brought both personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose. She emphasizes that her decision is rooted in a desire to align her actions with her beliefs, rather than simply indulging in convenience or taste. The author concludes that her one-month experiment as a vegan has been a reaffirmation of her values. She believes that choosing a plant-based diet allows her to avoid contributing to systems that perpetuate animal suffering, even if it means sacrificing certain foods she once enjoyed. Her experience highlights the complex interplay between personal ethics, social media influence, and dietary change, offering insight into how individuals navigate these issues in their daily lives.