I'm going to try to write about my
marriage to veganism, which is hard, because there is so much depth
to our relationship. I actually freeze a bit when asked to write
about this, because there is just SO MUCH involved, so much of my own
heart and sense of connectedness, but far more importantly, so much a
desperate need for the information to be out there, so much need for
change, need for action, need for a stand taken against violence and
abuse and heartbreaking, unacceptable cruelty. It's very hard for me
to even start this without getting so passionate and needing to take
a walk (or flee and join the ALF) but I'll refrain.
Even though my heart and head swirls
with so much heaviness on the subject, I figured the best place to
start this series would be to address the most needed, most valuable
information:
How To Do IT. Because for many people
that's the biggest mental hurdle. But how? What do I buy? It seems
scary to some, like you are cutting off a leg or something (here is
where I insert a not-so funny pun about the fact that we actually do
cut off legs and eat them...). So how do you make the leap?
First of all, for the
curious-but-not-yet-committed, I think it is really helpful to do a
trial – 30 days is a good start. Try being vegan for 30 days, make
that commitment to yourself, and feel the difference in your body and
in the lightness of your heart. During this time, make an effort to
connect to yourself, maybe through starting a mediation practice, or
spending more time in nature. Try a new hobby you have always wanted
to do, start journaling if you don't already. When you are on a
plant-based diet, you are stripping down un-needed energy from your
being. Energy that is lifeless and fogs up the pathways between your
mind and your heart. This is a beautiful, kind cause you are sending
into the universe and a likewise effect will return in its place.
It's important to remind yourself why
you are doing what you are doing, and when making any life change,
it's helpful to be supported by the right tools. Again, knowledge is
everything, and many people “try” going vegan, or even
vegetarian, but they do so by simply eliminating animal products with
little to no thought about their actual diet. So here are some of my
favorite tools:
The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.
Holy cow (you like what I did there? Cow? Hehe), this book is
AMAZING. I have shared it with many friends and given it for
Christmas presents. The first part of the book is about Alicia's
journey and how she arrived at veganism, and allllll about the actual
food itself. As in, what you are actually eating. And more than
just the reasons not to eat animal products, she goes into depth
about the properties of all veggies, fruits, grains...our bodies'
natural reactions to certain foods, what to eat when you are feeling
x,y, and z. Seriously, it's a godsend. If I was rich, I would buy
everyone in the world this book (at least the people reading this
blog) because it covers so much. The second part of the book is ALL
recipes. And they are so freaking good. She splits the recipes into
categories – for example, there is a section for the “flirters”
meaning those that are flirting with the idea of veganism, and then
goes all the way to the “superhero” category which if I remember
correctly is raw and vegan. You really cannot go wrong with this
book. It covers everything, is easy and pleasant to read, and there
is something for everyone. May I recommend the chocolate peanut
butter cup recipe?? (and holy shit, I just went to her website
www.thekindlife.com , and
she's about to come out with “The Kind Mama” - can't wait to buy
that when I'm pregnant! Check out the site- I haven't been on there
in forever and it looks awesome!)
Introduction to Animal Rights by Gary
Francione. This one is a classic. Really covers it all in a smart,
no-bullshit, factual way. It's wonderful.
Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer.
I haven't actually read this one, but have to mention it because
it's kind of known as The Book. Have always heard amazing things
over this one, and I should read it, I have just stopped reading as
much on the subject since I'm already vegan..but everyone, vegan and
non-vegan, raves about this one!
The documentary Earthlings by Shaun
Monson. Okay. Seriously. If you watch one thing, watch this.
Warning – it's brutal, but warning, it's reality. I don't believe
in sugarcoating the truth so we can continue to distance ourselves
for what goes on behind factory farm doors. Behind the cheesy
commercials of cows running happily in field. This documentary
changed my life, and has pretty much changed anyone's who's ever seen
it. When it first came out, my friends and I hosted screenings of
it. This documentary is kind of known as the “vegan-maker”
because, well, you'll see. I have lots of friends who have been
vegan for years since seeing this. He has a documentary called Unity
that I believe is not out yet, but it's about connectedness in
humanity and I can't wait to see that one either. He is brilliant
and does such amazing work. I think this is on Netflix, and
if not, it's for sure streaming online for free!
Okay. There are so many other books
and documentaries and videos to watch, but if I were planning a 30
day vegan trial for someone, that'd be where I would start. The Kind
Diet and Earthlings for sure, and if you have time, I'm sure you'd
love the others.
Now, what do you eat? The Kind Diet is
such a perfect book because it covers the Why and the How and the Yum
all in one but I'll share a few tips here as well:
1. Veggies. Seriously. Real,
organic, veggies. Many people go vegan and forget that you are actually supposed to eat vegetables. They simply cut out animal
products but pay no attention to nutrition. Being vegan has shed
light on my own eating habits, and it keeps me (mostly) conscious
about what I eat, what nutrients I'm getting and so on. So the
number one thing is...actually eat vegetables. It's kinda that easy.
2. Eat cereal in the mornings? Easy –
replace cow's milk with almond or soy milk. Or rice or hemp.
3. If you are anywhere close to a
Whole Foods, I mean, what more is there to say? If you regularly
shop there, luck you, because it's so easy nowadays. I became vegan
(more on that later) in New Bern, NC, a small town in the South and
did so with a Food Lion, so if you've got a Whole Foods, you're good
to go. Speaking of Food Lion, and pretty much every grocery store
nowadays has so many vegan options. I remember when there used to
be like two frozen vegan chicken nugget options at Food Lion in high
school, and now even in New Bern, there's a giant section of
all-natural vegan frozen foods.
4. There is a substitute for
everything now. And I don't mean “fake” scary artificial stuff.
Most vegan brands are also very health conscious and the
ingredients are already pretty natural, if not all natural. Just
check the label like you would anything else. I really can't think
of anything I “can't have” - and about that, I never feel
deprived because I have no desire to eat anything from an animal,
it's not food to me. I love cooking and becoming vegan has made
cooking exciting and an adventure. It's opened my eyes to a whole
spectrum of food I didn't know existed. Which really makes me wish I had a photo-book of all my meals when that “But what do you eat??” question comes my way.
I have learned so much about food and nutrition and cooking since
being vegan.
5. Relax. Have fun with it. You are
doing this for your body, the creatures we share this beautiful
Earth with, and this beautiful Earth herself. Taking care of your
body and mind creates a domino effect , so remember to thank
yourself and to honor the innate beauty and divineness that is you.
Take it one day at a time, one conscious choice at a time.
I'll be following this up with some
recipes of my favorite meals that we make at home, but of course
these meals are based off of my taste buds and not yours, so make
what excites yours. Oh, and Idea! If you have a certain meal/flavor
that you love or are curious how to veganize, leave it in the
comments and I'll try to help or direct you to other recipes. :)
(Also, more to follow – my journey to
Vegan Town, and why even be vegan in the first place? And probably
some cute pictures of cows)
Thanks for writing this! I have a couple of questions, maybe you are planning on tackling these in upcoming posts.
ReplyDeleteDo you believe eating animals is wrong in and of itself? I absolutely agree with you that the way most of our livestock is raised is horrific and cruel. I think people demanding cheap meat and shutting it away behind closed doors has lead to tragic results for the animals. I also think people either don't know, or refuse to acknowledge what that piece of meat in styrofoam and plastic in the grocery store went through. The deassociation is terrible.
That being said, I do think meat can be eaten in a manner that is okay. As long as the animal had a good life and a quick death (my personal goal as well) I don't see a problem with eating animals. Yes, the life might be shorter, but nature is nature and can be cruel. None of us are guaranteed a good life and by paying a small farmer to treat his livestock well, I see myself actually doing good (paying his livelihood and providing a good life for the animals). There would be a lot fewer pigs/cows/etc in the world if we were all vegan - since they don't make good pets.
I am also curious about the social aspect of being vegan. I hate to be a bother, I really hate putting anyone out (this is probably to the extreme in my case because of family dynamics) so I have a hard time even going vegetarian, much less vegan. I don't want my friends to freak out over making me a special meal or worse not invite me over at all. Do you feel like your choice has a negative impact on your social life?
I also feel like getting a lot of people to cut out some meat (meatless mondays or vegan before six or weekday vegetarians are some of the movements) will do a lot more good overall than getting some people to cut out meat completely. The way our society revolves around meat so completely right now (thanks meat industry!) I don't see vegetarians, much less vegans, being anything more than a minority for the foreseeable future. I'd like to be an example of a way you can reduce your meat consumption (by a lot) and still be mainstream.
So I typed out this really long reply to you this morning and it got lost in cyberspace somehow :( But yes I will address all of that, and thank you for your comment!
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