Here Comes the Herbivores!
The February issue of Self Magazine had a great article on veganism and vegetarianism, so I felt like I should post some info on it. I have taken the plunge to veganism, and honestly, it isn't very different than a person regularly eats. The only thing I have to do other than eat is take a multivitamin with my daily requirement of iron and a calcium supplement (my vitamin has my day's worth of vitamin D but only 25% of my calcium requirement). You should always speak to a doctor before cutting out a food group. My doctor feels that with my family history, a vegan diet would be very helpful.
Some reasons to go veggie: Animals: I stopped eating red meat when I had a sickening realization. I used to drive by big cattle and pig semis and they all had east coast license plates and were now heading to California. I was thinking, "okay, so those animals haven't eaten or drank anything the entire trip, they have no room to move much less lay down and you know they don't "walk" them during a stop. What will keep the slaughterhouse from not sticking a dead or sick animal in with the rest for butcher?" Then I saw a special on discovery channel on how they keep the chickens in one position for eggs, how they keep milking cows in a tiny stall and I just felt really queasy. I'm not much of an animal activist, but the treatment of animals in most slaughter places is just... ew. If you've ever read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, then you'd probably never eat sausage again. lol. Enviornment: According to Environmental Defense Fund, if every American had one meat free day a week, it would have the same impact of taking 8 million cars off the road. Transporting animals and cow farts (their emissons of methane and nitrous oxide) cause dangerous greenhouse gases and farming just for feed grain causes deforestation. Crazy isn't it?
I hope I didn't make you feel guilty! You can still eat meat and lessen your guilt by choosing organic meat. It's held to higher standards of animal treatment. Anyway, so let me explain the divisions of vegetarianism. Vegans: no dairy, eggs, red meat, poultry or fish. Lacto-vegetarians: no meat, poultry, fish or eggs, but do eat dairy. Lacto-Ovo vegetarian: Like the lacto-vegetarians, but they eat eggs. Pesca-vegetarians: lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat fish Raw foodists: vegans who don't cook the food they eat. (I had my first raw vegan meal last night and it made me queasy. lol. I prefer my food cooked.)
So yes, it's definitely a life-style choice. Now, don't think that changing to a veggie lifestyle will cause weight to drop off. Fruits and veggies still have calories, and remember, french fries are veggies AND not so healthy. lol. Another thing is most people who go veggie are inexperienced and end up eating carbs like bread and crackers and cheese because they're comfortable with it.
There is an upside to being vegan. How many fast food places have vegan options? They don't! Burger King has a veggie burger and Del Taco and Taco Bell have beans and cheese or beans and rice burritos. Only problem is if you're vegan, you know that the bread in your gardenburger probably has dairy in it and beds and tortillas are often cooked in lard. Since being vegan, I have only gotten salads with an oil/vinagarette based dressing when I go to fast food restaurants. It's hard, but completely worth it when you think about it. You're eating nutrient-dense foods. When have you ever been told to eat fruits and veggies sparingly?
If you feel like you'll be completely stuck by going veggie, then you haven't done your research. Cookbooks like Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World have yummy yummy recipes and you won't even miss the animal products!
So before you go veggie, do your research, talk to your doctor, read up on your supplements and vitamins and then acclimate yourself. Make a veggie pasta or use soyrizo and tofu for some tacos. Pick out some yummy sounding vegan recipes and try them out and soon you'll realize it's such an easy choice to make.
-Vanessa aka something amazing.
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