I really love when people compliment me on my ability to maintain a vegan diet, as if I'm a cancer survivor or someone who was fasting. I really have a hard time not laughing actually, as I sit there thinking of all the food I eat and how often I pig out. Its really not that hard people, you just have to want to commit yourself enough to do your homework. Life doesn't have to be boring or limited if you think outside the box about your meals, and just be aware of what you are buying. Educating yourself is the best way to go about it. The reason that people fail at being vegan/vegetarian is the same reason they fail at diets, they give in to temptation...they dont focus on this simple question "why am I doing this?" Even I fell down once when i first started being a vegan because I really didn't know why I was on the diet. Was it for me? Was I helping the planet? I really just had a vague idea and no concrete proof to show people, and so I felt like a person without a purpose and stopped. This is where step one of my plan to help you go veg begins:
1) Get yourself a good book. Yes, PETA might have lots of stuff on their website, but oftentimes people think they're overzealous and might be stretching the truth (I dont believe that). Get yourself a book written by respectable people. I highly reccomend Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating because it's got testimonials from Drs and PHDs in it, and it looks at all the reasons to go veg: health impact, planet impact, animal cruelty. And it does this without going overboard and extremist or showing you graphic photos of animals being tortured. Some people need the scare factor to get them motivated (in which case, go watch a few PETA videos)...all I need to know is that it's done cruely and I believe you.
2) Get a basic understanding of nutrition. Many people feel starved or deprived or even make themselves sick on this diet. We have all met that vegetarian who eats nothing but french fries and pizza. Don't be that guy! Know which foods to combine in a meal to fill you up and keep you nutritionally balanced. Sure, we all may have that off night we call a plate of tater tots dinner...but that should be reserved for an 8hr work day where its all you can do to crawl to the oven and pop em in....and honestly if you can do that, roast some veggies instead. I highly reccomend the Vegan for dummies book. Basic nutritional understanding dumbed down for us non-pre med students.
3) Learn to cook. I can't tell you how many times a day I get asked "What do you eat??" And I answer, "anything you can think of, just sans animal product and wheat". There are a lot of cookbooks out there for the super healthy vegan and that's fine if you want to focus on being super healthy, and dont care about taste...but lets face it, sometimes we crave a pre-veg type meal and a bowl of tofu and veggies aint gonna cut it. If I had to pick just one vegan cookbook to get you on your way to eating well : Veganomicon (the vegan bible, many of your favorite dishes veganafied, plus instructions on how to cook vegetables that might be foreign to you) by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. All of their books are great actually, go pick em up! Buy it used on Amazon and save some moolah, or do what I did and copy a few recipes from the book in the store before you buy it to see if you really like their stuff.....(trust me, you will though).
4) Be Prepared. We all have our lazy days, and I have a lot of them. That's when you stock your freezer with go 2 meals. I love trader Joe's bean and tofu enchiladas ($2) and their little microwaveable soup bowls ($1) Or if you wanna spend a lil extra cash Amy's has a whole line or gluten free and vegan options (I especially love their shepherd pie and their soy cheeze gf pizza). I also like to splurge and get a big jug of naked juice and drink a huge glass before work. You'd be amazed how combining that and a couple trader joes toaster waffles ($1 a box) and that will keep you full til lunchtime when you're in a hurry.
5) Take a vitamin. Don't go crazy. Most people make the mistake of overdoing it and feel sick when they take vitamins. Most companies put way too much in adult vitamins and your body doesn't even absorb them. I take a childrens gummy vitamin because they have usually only 50% of your daily need (pectin of coarse, little hard to find but they do exist!!) and a chewy calcium-D supplement. They'll make you feel less hungry between meals and make sure you're getting the very few things you won't get from a balanced vegan diet. And believe me, this diet is way more nutritionally rich than a meat eaters.
6) Treat yourself. Sometimes we miss the joy of eating out, and this is where the wonderful internet comes in soooo handy. Look up and see if there's veg friendly places in your area. Even if its a half hour drive, grab your boyfriend or girlfriends and make a day of it! Its so much fun to try new restaurants and usually the people running these veg friendly places are super friendly and will be much more willing to make modifications to the food for you! In general they are very aware of food, allergies, etc and started their business to make a difference. Don't forget to see if your favorite haunts have veg options too! I just recently rediscovered Chipotle (3 vegan tacos for under $6) and many places like Chilis and BJs and even fast food chains have vegan options.
7) Get Involved. While you will probably never find me protesting outside a McDonalds you can find me every day reading emails from PETA, the Humane Society, Farm Sanctuary and others, sending emails to stop animal cruelty and raising awareness. I have vegan stickers on my car that say cute things like "fish are friends not food", and try to find cute yet not "in your face" pieces of clothing. I am not a pushy person, but making the vegan lifestyle your own gives you even more a sense of purpose. Sure, you might get a few jerks who give you crap about your vegan necklace, but I have got to say most of the time I am pleasantly surprised by who has questions for me. You never know, the guy in the breakroom eating a double decker might just be looking for a way to change his lifestyle, but he doesn't even know where to begin and needs your help. The more you know about the lifestyle, the more you can offer help, guidance and support to others. The more you do, the more you will see your actions making a difference. You will meet others who feel as passionately as you do, and you won't feel alone. And keep reading my blog and leaving comments, I am here to support you as well my friends!!!
Good Luck, Hope This Helps!
No comments:
Post a Comment