Sending love and compassion to all living beings today and everyday

Jamie Logan is an animal advocate, filmmaker, and podcast host. She’s based in NYC and she makes videos that get people thinking—Some call it ruining lives and pushing her agenda but she likes to think of it as sharing an obvious truth that most people tend to ignore.

Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.

Jamie told Meatless Movement that the more time she spends with these animals, the more she sees their distinct personalities, their intelligence, their emotions.

Please tell us more about yourself

I am a 24 year old animal rights activist, filmmaker, and YouTuber born and raised in NYC. Growing up, I always had a camera with me and loved filmmaking. I remember making all sorts of videos on iMovie with my friends from music videos to dress up to recording family functions. Little did I know this passion of mine would eventually turn into a full time career and an effective route towards furthering my activism.

When I was 13 years old, I saw a pig livestock truck on a highway in Indiana. This encounter was the first exposure I ever had to how food got to our plates. I remember thinking “What’s the difference between my dog Daisy and one of those pigs in the truck headed to slaughter?” At 13, I decided to go vegetarian which lasted on and off throughout my high school years. When I turned 18, I watched a film called Earthlings and I decided I was going to stay vegetarian; this time I wasn’t going to go back on it. About a year later I took a challenge called Veganuary on January 1st 2018 and I pledged to go vegan for a month… Well 5 years later I’ve been vegan ever since.

Animals feel pain, they suffer, they don’t want to die for a 10 min meal
Jamie Logan

In the 5 years I have been vegan I found my purpose in life. I truly feel that speaking up for the voiceless is why I am here. I have thousands of stories of rescues, protests, demonstrations, family struggles, amazing vegan food adventures and more.

One story I’ll never forget is one of my first rescues. My friend Jenn and I went out in the middle of the night to save chickens from a religious sacrifice. She hopped over a fence and began throwing chickens in my bag. We managed to stuff 14 birds into my bag and as we were running back to our car the bag burst open and the chickens went running up and down the street. We managed to chase them all and toss them in her car before getting caught but man that was crazy.

Yes, I get enough protein thanks
Jamie Logan

I have found that the hardest part about being vegan is dealing with those around you. The constant questions and insensitive jokes about your ethical decision to leave animals off your plate gets old. Suddenly everyone becomes a nutritionist and is worried about your protein and b12… It’s ridiculous.

I’ll never understand how the people I love the most contribute to this horrific suffering. To be honest, it has divided me from a lot of people I love but at the end of the day I will never sacrifice my morals for anyone. I stopped attending meals where dead animals would be at the table and that helped me tremendously at first… I am still trying to figure out the “right” way to go about this but I find that unless you can be super positive and show people how delicious your plate is, sometimes it’s better not to go. I think the single biggest thing that has helped me is knowing the facts. There is not a single person in the world that can talk to me about the ethics of eating animals and win an argument. I have heard every excuse in the book so I am super prepared during discussions about the topic.

If you look at these photos and want these animals to live in peace, you already understand veganism.
Jamie Logan

I am so grateful I woke up to the truth and made the change. Being an animal lover my whole life, it only made sense to align my morals with my actions. Going vegan has helped everything from my body, my skin, my digestion and it has given me a purpose. The truth is ugly and once you go vegan your whole outlook on the world changes however, I’d rather consciously do my best to reduce suffering rather than walk through life destroying our planet, torturing animals and harming my body.

How do you convince someone to eat vegan?

I would take them to some of my favorite vegan restaurants like PLANTA Queen, Coletta, Double Zero, Bodhi, Orchard Grocer, etc. I would also take them to the grocery store and help them with the first shop by pointing out some good plant based products. Google and Instagram are also helpful resources for veganizing your favorite recipes!

I recommend a Whole Foods plant based diet which consists of a lot of fruits and veggies, rice, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.

I recommend the app HAPPY COW to find all the best vegan places near you anywhere in the world.

If you could only see it for yourself, maybe you would stop eating them
Jamie Logan

I think people have this misconception that when you go vegan you are sacrificing taste satisfaction which is the total opposite. I have only found that after changing my diet I eat more foods than I ever had and I enjoy my meals as well! Another huge misconception is that veganism is a diet which in fact it is not at all. Veganism is a moral and ethical way of life that seeks to avoid all animal products as far as is practically possible. This extends to your soaps, shampoos, your clothing, entertainment, cosmetics, food, etc.

What advice would you give a person just starting the vegan lifestyle?

Watch these documentaries and learn the facts so when you speak to people, you feel confident: Game Changers, Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, What the health, Slay, Forks over Knives, Milked. Learning what to cook and what foods to eat is the easy part, but knowing your facts takes time.

We will fight until one day we don’t have to
Jamie Logan

Animal agriculture is destroying the planet and causing harm to trillions of sentient beings.

We as vegans are not here to shame and put people down, in fact it’s the total opposite we are resources to living a healthier more compassionate lifestyle. We want all living beings to be loved and respected. You can reach out to me anytime on Instagram at @itsjamielogan or @itsjamiescorner and my website is itsjamiescorner.com