We're a week in to March already, and I'm so glad. I think everyone I've talked to is more than ready for warmer days. We're finally having high temps in the 30's now - and it's about time! My yellow lily plant - the plant that was split and transplanted from the garden I had growing up in Washington, then to Denver, and now to Illinois (of course always leaving a piece behind) is already starting to come up! We're ready for you, Spring!
My "Vegan Experience" for February was a huge education for me. I'm usually good at starting things with fierce motivation and it's always the finishing part that's hard for me. However, this time I stuck with it. Let me say, before I go on, that anything I share below is not meant to be judgemental or critical to anyone's personal eating preferences. My goal is to share my personal insights through my experience of going vegan, and my intent is not to offend anyone, but to share candidly with you.
I was having fun trying my little "experiment" until after about 2 1/2 weeks. It was then that I was very close to throwing in the towel, and making myself the biggest grilled-cheese sandwich I could ever imagine. I was definitely cranky for a week, missing my dairy products after the newness wore off. I pushed through it though, and am happy to say that I'm so glad I did. I had some great advice and insight from several vegan friends of mine.
One of my friends, Kristin, is vegan (or more appropriately, she is actually "cruelty-free") primarily for the abuse animals undergo so that we can eat food or use other products derived from them. She is an expert on all things vegan including the best places to eat, the best tasting imitation products, and also the processes animals go through to produce the products we use. It's pretty horrible to think about what they go through, and I'll admit that I hadn't thought seriously about that issue before. One thing I learned from her that especially impacted me was that even as a vegetarian, I can contribute to animal cruelty. For instance, cows are subjected to forced lactation, and eventually slaughtered after their milk production days are over. Another idea to consider, is whether it is actually natural for a human to drink milk from a cow anyway? It's probably easier for me than for some to think of it as being unnatural since I don't drink milk anyway, but I may be the only one who feels that way in my family since I have several family members who LOVE milk (and for the record: they are totally entitled to love it!). For me, as a scrambled egg-lover, it was hard for me to hear that chickens beaks are cut off and baby boy chicks are literally thrown into the trash can since they produce no profitable product. Overall, I certainly have a lot to consider when it comes to consuming food from animals who endured pain and suffering to give it to me in the first place. There very well may be some exceptions to the treatment of animals in these situations, but I would expect that would be a rare exception. To sum it up, I appreciate this thought from Kristin: "I just can't fathom forcing any person or animal to give me ANYTHING when I can live very happily and healthily without it."
Two of my other vegan friends, Becki and Kelsey, adopted the vegan-way primarily for health reasons (as I understand it from my conversations with them). A great benefit of a plant-based diet is that you don't have the fats and cholesterol issues to worry about. You will almost always consume less calories which is also a benefit especially with the challenges of obesity we currently have in our culture. You do have to take more care to think about what you're eating to make sure you have a balanced diet, but as long as you plan it right, you can get all your necessary vitamins and nutrients from plants.
Eating vegan is not necessarily the easiest way to eat - at least for me. I tend to have that common American problem of wanting things to be easy and fast and it can be hard finding good vegan options, especially if you eat out often. We eat at home much more than we used to, but I have been happy with Taco Bell's "Fresco" menu items on more than one occasion. Something else I learned was that it's not only dairy that a true vegan won't eat, but also gelatin (ingredients made from hooves) and honey. Just like a vegetarian, there are different types of vegans. Some choose to omit gelatin and honey, while others don't.
Overall, I have loved being vegan, and I decided to continue past February because I'm feeling so good. That's right, I'm still going! My body feels great, I am more "regular", and I've lost a few pounds! I still have plenty of energy and have found that I am eating less naturally. I don't crave food like I did before and I find I eat with more intention, to fuel my body, rather than to eat for pleasure or indulge in something tasty. I don't think there's necessarily something wrong with eating something just to enjoy it, but for me, I was bordering on an addiction to cheese and that wasn't healthy.
I would definitely recommend to anyone to try it out, but also to do it for at least a month so your body and mind really has time to adjust. You have nothing to lose, but you might lose cholesterol and a few pounds!
Thanks for reading. I really learned a lot this month!
Later, I'll catch you up on my March goal!
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