WHY I BECAME A VEGAN

 

At the start of 2015, I went from being a vegetarian (for the last 4 years) to eating a vegan diet. When I tell most people that I have given up meat, fish….and !OMG! cheese, they look at me like I’m crazy, but really, many of those foods were making my body unbalanced which made me feel crazy, at times. And I’m giving myself the “vegan” label because people seem to need silly labels. Will I eat fish again…maybe…but for now, I’m just not into it. Don’t worry, I’m not telling you you must become a vegan too. My stance on life is that adults will do what adults want to do; I’m just giving you the scoop on me and my journey. However, if you consider even taking out just 1 or 2 meals that include meat or dairy a week, I’ve be thrilled. And if you started to write down how the food that you are eating makes you feel, well, I may want to give you a fist bump or high five:-) Meatless Monday is a great place to start.

So here’s the deal. My first issue with eating meat wasn’t my love of animals, and people who know me know that I can’t see enough kitty, puppy or bunny pictures. My concerns stemmed from how the animals are treated and what they are feed. I don’t need a dose of antibiotics in my burger (if what we are given nowadays is even really cow) or a serving of mercury in my fish. Unless I know the source of my food, I will most likely give it a side eye. I hear people complain about how expensive organic food is….but I want to know why the GMO crap is so cheap. And why we are programmed to  believe organic, REAL food is bland and boring. Who started that shady rumor? Last I looked an entire bag of lentils is cheaper than a large french fry at most fast food spots.

And really, what I craved was the taste associated with meat, not the meat itself. So I’ve found other substitutions – like pea protein and seitan – to take meats place. My palette has changed over the years due to my eating habits and truthfully, I love the taste of vegetables! And I love even more the way that they make my body feel. While I love great flavors and textures, I have learned to associate food with how it makes my body operate. Certain foods make me feel hydrated, like cucumber. Or give me energy, like green tea. Conversely, if I tried to eat ice cream, my stomach would go into complete bubble guts mode…so missing ice cream doesn’t happen much. And when it does, I just grab some cashew or almond ice cream. They have a Caramel Dark Chocolate that is “slap yoself” worthy.

So officially, I have been a vegan for almost 4 months and I have to say – 2 thumbs up. At times it can be difficult to find food on the go….but our country is a plethora of fast food (real estate) companies and corner stores, isn’t it?  As it turns out, most sane restaurants have great sides so that you can hobble together a meal that is often cheaper than if you bought an entree.  And when you also decide to ditch the alcohol (which I will leave for another post), your bill is so cheap it will make you laugh out loud, like, for real.

Now, after showing you just a small portion of the food I eat (I didn’t want to get you too hungry) know that if you still find it ok to treat me like I’m a freak job because I don’t eat food that could have been someone’s pet, or, you say something ridiculous like “I don’t do healthy food.” that I will give myself permission to blank stare you until you laugh uncomfortably, followed by a long  “I’m over this” sigh. I kid, I kid? 🙂

The truth is that we all have the right to eat whatever we want, but if that means that what you are eating makes you feel like crap, you may want to seriously consider why you are still eating it. Could it be the addictive additives, suggestive advertising, or great childhood memories attached to that food item and NOT that you just can’t do without it? Hum? Something to consider, right? To find out more about veganism there are some great sites and communities focused on educating you, like http://www.vegan.com/.