Day 16-18: Coming Out of the Closet...

Day 16: 03-17-2013
Day 17: 03-18-2013
Day 18: 03-19-2013

Ladies and Gentleman...

I



AM




VEGAN!




I have not come to this decision lightly, although I have gotten here quickly.  It is in, in fact, the reason I have not posted for 3 days.  I have been thinking, wondering, considering.   Many people know that I have been flirting with vegetarianism for some time, going so far as to label myself a flexitarian.  For those of you who don't know, I will define:

• Vegetarian:  someone who eats plant based food AND animal byproducts, but not the animal itself.  Usually for health reasons.

• Flexitarian:  Primarily a vegetarian who is flexible when the need arrives.  They understand that sometimes a meat dish is the only option.  Also usually for health reasons.

• Vegan:  Someone who ONLY eats plant based foods AND does not purchase or support any animal products including clothing.  This is usually for a combination of health and ethical reasons.

I know many of my friends are going to question me on this.  Especially when you consider my allergy to all things labeled as tree nuts (a staple in most vegan diets).   I know I am going to get the protein argument thrown at me.  I am still researching this, but preliminary research implies that our american dependence on "protein" is not necessarily the way it is supposed to be.  But that will be a topic for another post as I learn and grow through this process.  I know the burning question will be why?  Why at 35 am I making this decision?  How did I get to this conclusion?

10 minutes.  Ten minutes is all it took to kick my butt into the rabbit hole kicking and screaming, almost literally.  And boy is that rabbit hole deep.  As part of this process I have watching a lot of documentaries on health and lifestyle changes, one of the most powerful being "Forks Over Knives" (click to see their website).  Well, while I was trying to put my daughter to sleep last week I decided I would check out the Netflix.  Based on previous docs that I had watched, it suggested a documentary called "Vegucated".  In short, it follows three Meat & Cheese loving New Yorkers on a 6 week excursion into veganism.   Admittedly, the first 25 minutes or so are fairly benign, typical reality doc fair.  And then, well then it get's real.  The participants go to a presentation on the food industry in the US.  They begin talking about many of the practices found in the animal product industry.  Just a voice over.  Nothing too bad.  But then they showed video.  Of real people doing real things to real animals.  And it was cruel.  Awful.  Disgusting.  I got trapped holding a sleeping baby for 10 minutes.  And it was among the most vomitous 10 minutes of my life.  I had no idea that so many people could be so cruel.  I know there are wicked people out there.  I just didn't expect this.  Anyone who has ever been around animals (family pets and such) knows that animals feel three major emotions:  happiness, fear and pain.  And I saw fear and pain.  A lot of fear and pain.  I won't be cruel to anyone who reads this and get more graphic than this.  I am not at crusader level yet.  I am making a personal choice for me.  And I can't be this cruel to a living creature.  I can't support an industry that is this cruel.  Ignorance is bliss people.  And I am no longer ignorant. 

I can not say with any certainty that this is not just a season of my life.  I mean, I am not ethically opposed to the idea of animals as a part of a balanced diet.  I just thing the animals that get eaten can be treated so much better.  I know it's hard to understand without knowing all the details, but I just can't bring myself to relive those images yet.  I have a hard enough time living in a family that is not about to forgo animal products anytime soon.  But we do agree that the products they buy should come from ethically treated animals.  I do not envy the increase in my grocery bill, but I truly believe it will be worth it in the end.

So how did get here as a country?  Lord knows we probably throw away more food than many countries produce.  Most people live in blissful ignorance of the facts.  We have our ideals and that gets most people through the day.  For the most part Old MacDonald doesn't exist down on the farm anymore.  Think about.   At any given moment I can walk into one of 20 or so grocery stores that are fully stocked with   animal products.  And I live in one city of thousands.  Do the math.  That is a lot of animals needed for a lot of products.  From food to clothing and toiletries.   And we throw a lot away because it doesn't last.

Ultimately for me this means a consistently better diet.  One less person in the chain of events that spurs this industry on and maybe over time six less people or more.  I am not going to throw out the things I already own, then the cruelty would have truly been without purpose.  I will, however, make more informed purchases in the future.  I will be a better steward of my life, my health and my world.

If you want to know more or want to see it for yourself I recommend you give Food, Inc or Vegucated.  They make pretty convincing arguments for the ethical treatment of animals.  I also recommend you give Forks Over Knives a try.  They make some pretty compelling arguments for health related topics.  Or just read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.


Recent Activities:

Lots of running.  Lots of vegetables and fruit, grains and beans.  I made a delicious broccoli potato soup.

And I binge ate an entire bag of black bean and garlic corn chips (I felt awful afterwords and I have learned that I am not ready for junk food).