Now now..........no-one panic..yes it is true, I no longer eat animals or anything that came from an animal.
The typical reaction that I get is "WTF" (only they say the real thing) or "are you crazy?", and then "why would you do that?"
Why?
Let me just say that I have been tinkering with this for many years, thinking and reading about it, but never really going all the way into it. I, like most people, thought that if I didn't have meat, fish, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs etc, then what would I eat..... there would be nothing left. I have enjoyed meat for a long time, but it has never fully enjoyed me, in that, it never really gave me a full satisfaction, just typically a stomach ache. I would often eat a meal and then either have a "food hangover" or be in a "food coma". The only time this wasn't the case, was when I ate meals that were animal free, and I have known that for a long time, but just did nothing about it.
And then I saw an interview on Oprah about a month ago with an author named Kelly Freston who wrote the book Veganist. They were promoting trying to go animal free for 21 days, or a week, or even just a meatless Monday. So I bought and read the book and in it she encourages people to learn where their food comes from, read the labels on your food to really know what you are eating, and "lean into" eating less meat, fish, chicken, cheese, milk, etc....
I read in the book that I would feel better, weigh less, help the environment, and save some lives (animals). It was at that point that I decided I would give up animals for a while, with just the knowledge that at least I wouldn't have a stomach ache........but so much more has happened since then.
The Veganist book also recommended some documentaries and some websites to learn more, so me being the person who wants to know absolutely everything about a subject, I dove in!
Have you ever heard the term "ignorance is bliss?".......WOW, truer words have never been spoken in relationship to "where" your food comes from and how many products that you wouldn't think came from animals, actually have animals in them. An example, Jello.......that's right Jello! Jello has Gelatin in it....Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling animal skins, tendons, ligaments and bones in water and then used as a "thickener".
I could spend days, and many pages to describe everything I saw or read, but instead I will list them out at the end of this blog and if you are interested in knowing, you can go watch them or visit the websites for yourself. And if you don't, that's okay too.
Day 1 - Giving up animal products was easy for me because I had spent lots of time and energy into thinking and preparing my mind for it, but for my husband Chris, the transition was not so clear cut. You see, I had never really discussed any of this with Chris before I decided to do it, I just figured that I wouldn't eat meat and he would.
Not so much.........
I would say that the reaction I got from Chris was almost exactly what I "wasn't" expecting. The first day, I ate a salad for dinner and he had ribs and after dinner we had a loooooooonnnnnnggggg discussion over "why" I wanted to give up eating animals. You see, Chris comes from a part of the country, Oregon, where there are alot of "those kind of people", and he didn't necessarily agree or enjoy their company because they were way too judgemental, in his opinion. So in short........ I was turning into "them", and that not only made him uncomfortable, but it also made him suprisingly angry. We agreed that I would do everything to not become "them", and he would do everything to support me.
Day 4 - I sent Chris an email link (as a Joke) to go to PETA's website and take the 30 day animal free challenge ------- he didn't think it was funny and sent me a WTF text within 2.2 seconds, but what he did next would change everything................
I got a text from him about an hour later, saying that he would give me 30 days.........
HE TOOK THE CHALLENGE.......now I was saying WTF.........
You see, Chris dropped the subject after the 1st day I went Vegan, but he continued to think about it and decided that he wanted to support me and my efforts, and wanted us to do this together :-) He told me that night that he figured the most he would miss out on was 30 days of meat and then go right back to it, but supporting me was the most important thing to him, and it would be easier to cook for the two of us.
Let me digress for a sec.........do I not have the most amazing husband and best friend ever?
YES, YES I DO!
Anyway, we have spent the last 3 weeks discovering new foods, new recipes, watching documentaries and reading about where our food comes from and how we can get the most out of the nutrients we put in our bodies. For Chris, the transition wasn't as easy, but he has still embraced it full on, even though, he has to listen to a large amount of ribbing (pun intended) from the guys he works with. For me, my mind has never been clearer and I feel GREAT! Gone are the meals that make me feel like complete crap after, not just physically, but emotionally too! What I learned more than anything, was that I was addicted to the food that I was eating and my poor food choices was actually making me eat more of the very food that was making me feel the worst. It was a vicious cycle.
In closing, let me just say that if you sit at a table with me for dinner, please don't think I am judging your food, because I'm seriously just enjoying mine.........
I just wanted to put it out there of what led me to where I am right now and if you don't want any part of it, that's cool too. :-) :-)
Documentaries -
Food Inc - discusses how 4 companies have taken over practically all of the food that goes to your plate and explores the food industry's detrimental effects on our health and environment.
Food Matters - takes a hard look at how food is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better
Tapped - discusses how just a few companies have taken over water, and what it is doing to the environment.
Super Size Me - a guy uses himself as a guinea pig to take a look at the effects of fast food on the body by eating at McDonalds everyday. - a hint (it doesn't make him healthier)
Earthlings - examins our dependence on animals for food, clothing, pets, entertainment and medical research and how that links to the world economy - Warning - this movie is graphic and fully explores cruelty to animals and it made me cry alot because of the graphic images, but I had no idea these things were taking place :(
Websites
http://www.peta.org/ - PETA's website
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/ - this website has alot of really awesome recipes
http://www.kellyfreston.com/ - Kelly Frestons "Veganist" website
http://www.thekindlife.com/ - Alicia Silverstones website that has recipes, products and info
