In conclusion

Will I stay a Vegan?

This is a good question. And I've given it a lot of thought. Truly I have noticed a difference in my body, my sleeping habits, my energy levels, my mood, etc. But whether that's because I am cutting meat out of my diet or just because I'm being more responsible about my food intake is questionable. And none of those side effects is the reason I started this project. I began this project in an attempt to discover my personal limits in helping to fight against animal welfare.

I have discovered that it is certainly within my will power and ability to sacrifice some of my favorite eating habits to support a cause such as this. However, I have recently started to question the long term affects of being a Vegan or Vegetarian. If we are only trying to make a statement against animal cruelty than we are not focusing on the bigger picture. Lets say everyone decided to adopt a Vegan lifestyle. Fantastic. Great, all the animals are safe and happy. But humans will still be subsisting off of some sort of artificially produced supplement. To me, that's not natural. I'd be willing to sacrifice for a while by using a supplement or fortified food, but whether I want that to become a social norm is undoubtedly no. So how do we accomplish our goal while maintaining some sort of longer term solution?

Well, consumer demand guides economic trends. It's what we are trying to accomplish by encouraging Veganism. I think a better answer to becoming a Vegan is for the consumers to fight against factory farming and slaughtering and throw their support to the smaller farms who are still operating in a way that promotes animal welfare. I am not of the opinion that humans should abstain from consuming animal products. I simply believe that the consumer demand in this industry has driven the processing of our food to in-humane levels. I fully support hunting for the purpose of feeding your family. As an extension to that, I fully support farming for the purpose of feeding a community, as long as it is raised and slaughtered in as humane a way as possible. Let's not kid ourselves, nature is cruel. Animals being killed will never be kind, but it is still the way of life.

Now to be realistic, you'd have to keep in mind that if we wiped out all factory farms we would never be able to meet the current consumers demand of meat and dairy products. So I don't have some unrealistic dream of all factory farms being shut down tomorrow. I do however believe that the gradual promotion of old-school farming would give back the money and power to the hard working American farmer who will in turn grow in production and support. No matter how many farms were sprouted from this return to old-style farming, Americans would have to take a drastic step back in it's meat and dairy consumption. But quite frankly, we are a fat country, we could use an increase in regulated veggies and fruits in our diets.

Therefore, I have decided that my personal contribution to this operation will continue in the form of a mostly vegetarian diet. If I want to eat meat or dairy products I will support the local farms and dairies by purchasing their products over those of the factory farms. Otherwise I will continue to avoid both meat and dairy from restaurants, fast foods, and grocers. At least until they catch on and start supporting the free range farmers and regulated slaughtering houses that I would like to support.

Like any cause worth fighting for, I'm optimistic that my small voice will eventually trickle down the line to a river of supporters.

http://boca-egg-facts.com/

Boca Victory!

Having adopted a vegan diet for this experiment, this Boca Victory! news is a bit exciting for me, as I'm sure it is for other vegans who have to avoid some of the tasty Boca products because of their egg content.

For those of you who haven't dived into the world of Boca yet. You're missing out. It and Morning Star are two of my favorite meat substitute making companies. Here's the funniest part about most vegetarians ... we avoid eating meat, but exchange it for items made out of similarly textured good for your (or as my niece calls it "grow-food") things; like soy, or wheat, or beans. Haha, we may be making a stand by cutting out meat from our diets, but we are still indulging our taste buds with a comparable substitute. The tricky part is, many of the products are vegetarian friendly but not vegan friendly. Meaning, many of them still contain milk or egg products. Dammit.

Famous Daves: the legendary pit bar-b-que

I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that Famous Dave's is probably one of the All American Meat Lovers most heavenly dining locations. A place where you can indulge your inner carnivore while being lovingly supported by fellow meat eaters who encourage your flesh consuming desires. Coaxed on by the clever decor, such as the neon pink pig with the word "MEAT" lit up within it's profile, flashing the first letter on and off, pulsing it's message of "Eat Meat" while you peruse the menu. Not to mention the witty t-shirts adorned by the overly enjoyable wait staff, of which I most thoroughly enjoyed the one our server was wearing that quoted, "A rib a day, keeps the Vegans away." One would almost feel inhuman dining amongst these people without gorging upon their delectable array of juicy, tenderly prepared meat selections.

I for one felt a little out of place.

But only in a comical way. Like I was cheating on my inner meat eater and this place was calling out my sin. Haha! Truly had I not done this project, Famous Dave's would probably be one of my new favorite places to eat. It's a smoregasport of goodness, all prepared in a down-home country sort of way that is just begging you to eat with your fingers, (if only to be able to lick the barbecue sauce off afterwards).

What did I eat? Oh a salad, minus the meat. Of which I ordered in a very quite tone as not to disturb the sanctity of my fellow diners.

Go Go Gadget Vegetarians!

*image from msn image search "vegetarian world"

According to the vegetariantimes 7.3 million Americans are vegetarians! And about 1 million of them are vegans! Holy cow. That's 3.2 % of the population. More than I would have ever thought.

Vegans Unite ... (I guess)

There's tons of these out there ... it's just craziness. :)

Why Vegans are Vegans.

Here is the list I have compiled as reasons for someone to become a vegetarian:

- Healthier eating
- Animal welfare
- Destruction of the environment
- Getting skinny
- Food shortage prevention
- Disease prevention

There are many reasons people decide to become a vegetarian or vegan. Whatever the reason, I think that if someone believes in something strong enough to change their lifestyle to support it than they deserve some serious respect. Especially when the goal of their sacrifices are benificial to our environment.


“For modern animal agriculture, the less the consumer knows about what’s happening before the meat hits the plate, the better." -Peter Cheeke, PhD, Oregon State U. Professor of Animal AgricultureContemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 2004 textbook

The trickiest part for me

Besides shopping and the will power of maintaining a vegan diet, the hardest part for me is the social aspect we have surrounding food. When it comes to dinner with friends and family I always feel like such an inconvenience. They either feel obligated to cater to my vegan diet, or they are dissapointed that I don't partake of their lovingly prepared food. And when it comes to restaurants, my selection is always so limited so friends feel guilty when they want to pick a steak house or fast food restaurant that never had vegans in mind when creating the menus. My support of animal welfare doesn't come without a price I guess.

I sometimes wonder if it's worth the trouble ... then I think back onto the videos I've seen of animals being raised and slaughtered in such terrible ways, and I realize ... it's more than worth it.

Vegan Outreach

I posted a link to the Vegan Outreach website under the sites section of my blog, but this specific posting touched me more specifically and I wanted to share it in hopes that you won't miss it during your exploration of the site.

The guts and gore

There are many videos out there to be watched that stun you into realization about animal cruelty. But the Mercy for Animals group has produced a few that I'd like to share. I sometimes wondered whether there was a best of two evils, but after watching these videos and reading on each of the meat types. I'm not sure there is a best of any of these evils.

Undercover Turkey Slaughterhouse

A year in Review

AGAIN - keep in mind these are worst case scenarios and do no represent ALL farming situations. Take away from this that these things ARE happening, and they are going on widely unregulated.

Uh-Oh, here's a snag.

I ran across this little tid-bit as I was surfing. Thought I'd share. Seems that young adults who are, or were, vegetarians are at a higher risk of eating disorders. Definitely something to keep in mind if incorporating a vegetarian diet into your family lifestyle.

Raising children on a vegetarian diet, is something that is definitely critized in the American Society. Many people will say that the growing childs body needs more fats, calories, vitamins, and nutrients than a vegetarian diet would ever be able to support. They would even claim that it is unethical to raise a child souly upon a vegetarian diet. One nutritionist gave just such an objection in this article, but was generally over ruled by other specialists who agree that a vegetarian diet, if well maintained, will be just as healthy (if not more) than a regular omnivore's diet. However they do stress the need for added calcium, protein, and vitamin B12, and one suggests that a vegetarian diet with dairy would be best.

Books I've read

You know how they say you can't believe everything you read? Well, I'd like to edit that a bit and just disclaim that you can't take to heart everything you read. I've read two books now related to vegetarians, and between them and the postings on websites, the most common thing used to convince the reader is the shock factor. It may be true that horrible things happen to animals during the slaughtering process, or that there are animals living their entire lives inside of small cages without any sun light or room to roam, but keep in mind that these examples are being used as worst case scenarios. It does not mean that ALL animals that we consume are raised and treated cruelly. I am continually amazed at the content that I have come across when watching the videos online and reading the stories in the books and on the websites, but being raised around farms and having two sets of uncles who own cattle ranches, I personally know that it does not portray an accurate picture of all farming. So while I recommend the following books, please keep in mind that most of the extreme things they use as examples are from factory farming. Which is what most vegetarians are adopting their lifestyle to try and reduce consumer need for.

Skinny Bitch: I mentioned before that I have a friend who decided to go vegan and most recently switched to raw-foodism, and it was she that prompted my decision to read Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It was actually the first thing I did when I decided to take on this project. Mostly because my friend literally went from a normal omnivore diet straight to veganism after reading this book. It was not her only source of information but it was what kickstarted her transformation. I remember while she was reading it what a dramatic affect it had on her and I made her swear then and there not to tell me any piece of it. I loved my meat and dairy and I didn't want anything parting me from it. But when I looked into starting this project I immediately contacted her to find out the name of this book. I figured if it had such a drastic affect on her that it was worth reading now that I was getting myself into a territory I tried so whole heartedly to avoid in the past. And while the book was interesting, and definitely impactful, I can't say I got a lot out of it as far as resource for informational purposes. It's a great read and I'd suggest it to anyone who is thinking about becoming a vegetarian. But truly it's more of a kick in the pants, tough love introduction to veganism. The authors are playing on societies desire to be skinny and beautiful, but if you look past all their jokes and attempts to convince you that you'll get skinny by being a vegetarian, you can tell the two ladies really do have a passion for animal welfare and while this approach is a "seller" it is also ultimately going to accomplish their mutual ideals for animal rights. I don't begrudge them their technique, it's obviously making them a lot of money and getting the word out in a faster way than most have done, but the book itself should not be used as your only resource when making the decision to be a vegetarian or not. It is however a fun introduction.

The Omnivores Dilemma: A VERY interesting book by Michael Pollan that covers a wide range of topics from what to eat, where food comes from, self sustaining farming, and the impact individuals have on the welfare of the environment and the animals within it. This book was suggested to me by an employee at Barnes and Nobles. I had asked whether there was a section on vegetarians and he directed me to a spot with many cookbooks and a few vegetarian intro books. But about 30 seconds later showed up again from a different section with this book in hand. He said that he and his wife had been vegetarians for 10 years now and that this book was one of the best he had come across. Well after that intro, I couldn't help but purchase it. The author uncovers the details of what we eat by following 4 meals from their origin to consumption. I would recommend this to any reader, much less vegetarians. He doesn't say you have to be a vegetarian, just that you should know what you're eating and how it came to you, and definitely not to accept fad diets that go against years of evolutionary eating habits. You can tell from the book that Michael is very passionate about his subject. Here's a man who didn't just study his topic, but actually lived it and recorded his findings (of which many are very surprising and mind changing) for the readers advantage.

Raw Foodist update

I have discovered that raw foodism is a whole other animal of a topic to dive into. I'm interested to see Shandra's results, but honestly the little research I did on it scares me a bit. I'll leave this one alone for now. Interesting, but worth more specific attention, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around veganism at the moment. :)

Vegan Gone Raw

One of my best friends from Alaska is a Vegan, and she recently one upped the vegans by becoming a raw-foodist. I'll have to check into this a bit further to give you a decent definition of a raw-foodist. But in the mean time, here is her blog link about her new raw-foodist adventures.

What affect does livestock have on the environment?

A HUGE one. According to the FAO report, Livestock’s Long Shadow –Environmental Issues and Options, “The environmental costs per unit of livestock production must be cut by one half, just to avoid the level of damage worsening beyond its present level.”

Not only does the livestock sector generate more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport, but there are also major land degradation problems that are present in areas used for livestock farming. "Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the global arable land used to producing feed for livestock. As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing, " the report notes.

These statistics alone, nock my socks off! It makes me wonder if there will come a day when the human population is forced to adopt some form of a vegetarian diet, just to exist! And by then will we have created too many harmful effects on the environment to be able to support the vegetation needed to feed the multitudes?

Food Coop

The more I get into the vegetarian diet, the more I realize the quality of vegetables varies greatly. And the more I consume (which is obviously much more than I used to on my regular diet) the more I am aware of the waxy crap coating my fruits, and the chemicals on my vegetables. I wash all my produce, but I actually cut into a cucumber the other day that had enough of whatever chemical goes on it to contaminate the taste of the inner part of the cucumber. It was disgusting. I threw the entire thing out. What a waste.

So I started looking at the organic section of the grocery store. Now the biggest problem I had here is the sticker shock. Everything is so much cheaper compared to organic food. My strawberries cost twice as much in this section than they did from the normal produce isle. This mad me sad. It's already been more expensive switching to this diet. And that number was starting to look even more outrageous. So I went home and started searching out coops in my neighborhood. There is a very simple little site that has a listing of all the coops in your area. Turns out I have a coop only 6 minutes from my home. I wrote down a few of the recipes that I wanted to try from my Skinny Bitch book and headed over there. Right now, my only complaint is that the hours are not nearly as convenient as super markets. Other than that, I loved the place. It had a huge variety of organic foods, much more reasonably priced than the supermarket did. I spent just about the same amount on my groceries as I had going to a normal grocer. Which made me happy. And to top it off, I am now supporting the small community of organic farmers who are sticking to there guns and producing in an environmentally friendly way, which makes me feel pretty damn good. I like those folks.

If you don't know yet what coop is, here is a link that describes perfectly what a coop is.

The cool thing about this coop is that they are very involved in the community. With out reach programs, healthy living tips, and updates on agriculture and environmental issues. Plus they go out of there way to provide great customer service.

"At Lakewinds, we take pride in being unlike other stores, and one difference we think you’ll appreciate is our effort to provide you with the best customer service possible. To exceed your expectations, our staff truly needs to know about our products and services. That is why we invest in extensive employee training in areas such as membership, customer service and natural foods. Whether you are speaking to the person working in produce or at the deli, you will be talking with someone who cares about service and who wants to ensure you have a uniquely satisfying shopping experience."

Who could ask for more?

I love them.

Diet Analysis

One of the biggest concerns for people when becoming a vegetarian or vegan is your daily intake of nutrients and vitamins. I used a dietary tracking program to find out whether or not I was crossing any dangerous bridges, and it turns out that on my new diet I am actually consuming much more of my recommended daily values. I recorded a week before and after my diet started and the week before was lacking in more vitamins an nutrients than the week I started my vegan diet. Now I don't really contribute all this souly to becoming a Vegan. It's not like I couldn't have eaten the same things in addition to my regular diet. But the fact is, I wasn't. I filled myself with more convenience foods that were high in sodium and low in diverse nutrients. Especially my meat and cheese sandwiches or burritos.

On a Vegan diet you are forced to eat more vegetables and fruit just to fill yourself. And the more you have to pay attention to your diet, it is inevitable that you will begin to eat healthier. I noticed that I was eating more regularly because I was forced to pre plan my meals. And those meals consisted of more diverse vegetables and fruits because I grew tired of the same vegetables and fruits faster than I would normally do with my convenience foods.

There are however very valid risks when avoiding all animal byproducts. The most significant being your bodies need for B12 (which if you didn't already know, is only found in animal byproducts). Vegetarians are still able gain B12 through dairy products, but as a Vegan this vitamin would have to be supplemented. There is also the problem of maintaining complete proteins. Meats and dairy are made up of complete proteins that also have properties that help the body better absorb the proteins from vegetables. So without the meat and dairy products it's a good idea to pair your protein intake from other sources to create complete proteins. Here are some other great things to consider when adopting a Vegan diet.

Vegan Food Pyramid.jpg

Sacrifices

When considering a Vegan lifestyle, take a good look at your regular routine and note just how much of your social life revolves around food.

Drinks and apps with friends at the bar, dinner dates, quick lunches between class, nachos on a good movie night, barbecues, family dinners, picnics, ice cream runs, Birthday cakes, the list goes on and on.

Now take a look at those situations and think about how often the food exposed to you during those times are vegetarian, much less vegan. And for that matter, how many people in your party are vegetarian or vegan as well? Will they think to include a vegan dish for you? Are they thinking about what you can or can't eat when choosing a restaurant for dinner? Do they have an obligation to adjust their meal, appetizer, or dinner location to your eating habits? Or better yet, would you expect them to?

If you're having trouble finding a place to go out with your non-vegan friends, try Triple Rock Social Club. Not only do they have fantastic vegan food, but they have great All-American meaty choices for your carnivorous friends, paired with a fantastic atmosphere that will keep up with any of your social groups.

I've also added a couple links under the Vegan Quest Sites section of the blog (look to your right) that have very decent vegan/vegetarian recipes. Because Lord knows one of my biggest obsticals within this diet change has been discovering what to eat. I have definitely discovered that convenience food is rarely suitable for a vegan diet. Almost everything that is fast food contains meat or dairy; whether from a restaurant chain or just grab-and-go items from the grocery store. Convenience is certainly one of the things that has to be sacrificed by adopting a diet such as this. No more quick stops at Taco Bell or Wendy's, (unless of course you want a terrible clone of a salad or bean and onion burrito). If I don't plan the meals and snacks ahead of time than I am usually left without eating.

So here's a bonus to my newly adopted eating habits, forced discipline.

I'm growing to have a love for Tofu.

I just need to learn how to cook it.

You, me, and the rest of the world

Today I am reflecting upon the stereotypes that come along with being a vegetarian or a vegan.

Like I've said before, when it comes to vegetarians one can range anywhere from the extreme, to the casual follower, to the band wagon yo-yo'er. I fall fairly close to the casual follower side of things. While I am adhering to the strict diet of a vegan, I have not adopted a finite reason behind continuing the lifestyle. Let's just say I'm casually supporting the idea while I form my more solid opinion. Experimenting if you will. But this diversity (as in any social group) is what leads to many of the stereotypes placed upon vegetarians. Most people have met, lived with, dated, had a random encounter, grew up around, or heard of someone who is a vegetarian, and the impression you have of them has given you an idea of what all vegetarians are like. It's not your fault. It's human nature to use what is familiar or known to you as a foundation for your opinions. But, many times our human nature is misguided, and/or ignorant.

On average, I have noticed that the reactions from friends, family, and strangers to me adopting a vegan diet has been fairly negative. And when I say negative, I do not mean that anyone is rude or mean to me. Rather, most have responded with negative skepticism. I've come across a lot of doubt as to any valid reason for becoming a vegan. I personally have a convenient cop-out explanation that usually gets people off my back, in that I am simply "exploring" the idea as a school project. But should I decide to maintain this type of a diet, I'd feel pressured to have a solid defense as to why I've done so, (if only to avoid the cynicism that comes along with the uncouth idea of negating meat from your diet).

This leads me to my first impression of stereotyping within the vegan world; in a nutshell ... you're crazy. Crazy to 1) think that your small stand against the consumption of meat is going to have any affect (this is silly by the way, are we American's built on the power of one, or aren't we?), 2) think that animals "feel-bads" are more significant than enjoying a good steak or ham (*a totally valid personal opinion argument*), 3) think that you'll be able to live off of vegetables alone (well that's just an uneducated assumption, now isn't it?), and 4) think that you'll be able to go from a born-and-raised meat eater, to a successful veggy eating wholist (well, I wonder this everyday too).

A second stereotype I've come across is that if you care this much about the welfare of animals, you should care that much about everything that affects the welfare of animals. For example, as a vegetarian who is against animal cruelity, one should not 1) own any type of leather product, 2) enjoy the circus, 3) use any product tested on animals, 4) support the use of animals in scientific testing, 5) kill spiders in your house, 6) kill mice in your house, 7) kill any living creature pest/threat/or sport alike, etc., etc., etc. To all these, and any more extremist views pushed upon upcoming or long standing vegans/vegetarians, I roll my eyes and say, "Come on now, stop being such an ass." Truly, don't judge me because I've got a conscience and I'm taking a small step to support what I feel like has become a grossly over marketed killing spree of animal life. That's like saying I can't vote unless I vote ALL the time, and for every issue. Vegetarians aren't hypocrits for only supporting a piece of animal welfare. Settle down folks.

This leads me into my third discovery, and that is, while we vegetarians may not be hypocrits, there are some of us who are a bit righteous. And when I say a bit, well, I mean it can get pretty ridiculous. I have to look at this like any type of belief system, and realize that one can get a bit wrapped up in it. For example, I try not to be too judgemental about the religious groups who are so zealous about saving the world and looking down upon the non-believers. But sometimes, with some of the vegetarians I have encountered, I could swear they must have some vegetable heaven bible that gives them the authority to judge all the non-believers and anti-supporters. I mean come on now, you're not a better person just because you don't eat meat. That's just silliness. Believe in your cause, I support your efforts, but don't be a righteous ass. You are the reason that the rest of us get snubbed when we try to order food without the added biproduct.

So in conclusion while some vegetarians are crazy, animal welfare extremists, and righteous, we aren't all that way. So lets not be too hasty with the judging.

http://www.polyp.org.uk/general_cartoons/cartoons_various3.html

Funniest thing so far

I went to dinner with my sister's family a couple weekends ago; we went to a very nice restaurant that had absolutely zero vegan dinners on the menu. It's not surprising, the more I go out to eat the more I see how limited the menu selection is for a vegan. Their are of course restaurants who cater specifically to vegetarians, but they aren't the sort my meat eating family cared to visit for dinner. But seeing how this specific restaurant was vying for "best in town" I assumed an inquiry with the chef about vegan options would end with something tasty to choose from.

My options from a chef who should be trying to impress his clientele?

Salad with lemon squeezed on top.

Clever. But here's is the funniest part, after my sister and I came up with our own menu choice made of one of the pasta's offered with a tomato base (minus the parmesan and meat option of course), I sat enjoying the very tasty meal (regardless of the chef's lack of imagination who wanted to feed me lettuce with lemon *at least he offered fresh squeezed* ... I digress), when my little 6 year old niece leans over with her mini bacon and cheese hamburger and shows it to me asking,

"Mmm, doesn't that look so good!?"

Oh ... man did it!

Crazy little girl didn't have a clue that she was torturing me.

Chow mein and Lo Mein noodles are EGG noodles! Well, techinically they are wheat noodles made with egg. But still. Here I thought I would be safe with a yummy vegetable chinese dinner. Not so. Not with Chow mein or Lo Mein anyhow. Back to stir fry with rice and veggies.

Sigh ...

Along the way

As I research the different aspects of animal welfare and veganism I will post (on the side of my blog) the sites that I found to be interesting, useful, or just informational. That way you won't have to search for them in between blogs. My first addition is 10 Tips For Going Vegetarian that was created by Savvy Vegetarian (Which seems to be an interesting site for vegetarian information, but take or leave the site. In my opinion it's marginal with a lot of advertisement to navigate around ~but hey they have to pay for the site somehow~. I was mostly interested in the tips list included on the site.). The tips report seems to have a similar motivation behind it's information as my blog, when it comes to becoming a vegetarian. Including an extended definition of vegetarians (as I mentioned before, there aren't rules to how strict you are in your diet to claim a specific type of vegetarianism).

"Vegetarians eat no meat, poultry, or fish.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs and milk.
Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products, but not eggs.
Vegans eat no animal products at all, often including honey."

Please note it is up to your own investigative discretion to trust any of the websites listed. I won't purposefully include a soliciting or outwardly motivated listing, but I'm not perfect. It's always a good idea to be skeptical of any printed or posted source. I suggest (as I do for any of the information I take away from these sources) that you leave room for bias's or selling techniques. Be smart. Don't just buy into any new idea that sounds good. Give someone the right incentive and they can make any crap sound good.

The following questions can help you decide whether the information on a website can be trusted. Or you can check these tips out for a more in depth look.

Who has created the site?
Who has set up the website?
What are the aims of the site?
Is the site updated regularly?
Who has written the information?
Is it clear who has sponsored the site?
Does the information seem balanced and unbiased?
Do all the links work?
Can you contact the web master?
Does the site respect your privacy?

Crisis Diverted

So today I came to the abrupt realization that my veganism studying period is falling straight into, and over, my very favorite chocolaty holiday ... Easter.

It was a very sad moment as I stood at the end of the cash register, (where they display all the best impulse buy items, like any self respecting retail store) and stared at the enticing bag of Easter decorated M&M's. Moving quickly from my initial regret of being unable to consume the M&M's (due to their milk enriched chocolate content), onto the heart breaking realization that the pastel painted colors of those dainty little candies forced me to uncover ... almost ALL my favorite Easter candies have chocolate in them!

I'm telling you, I almost cried like a little girl. I'm positive a small whimper escaped through my loosely self controlled grasp. And as I started to stew about the cursed milk content of chocolate in all my favorite candies, the saddening names quickly turned from candy, into a stream of desserty goodnesses that was compiling (to my horror) into a endless list of "can't haves".

Damn Carob Chips and their unsatisfying flavor! Why does cocoa and milk have to taste so cleverly good together!

It's a sad world the day any self respecting girl realizes she must part ways with her beloved chocolate friends. A sad, sad day.

Alas! As I mournfully called my sister and recounted my tale of woe 2 minutes later, she (in her ever astonishing wisdom and determination), refused to give up so easily and began naming possible substitutions. Moping in my despair, she listed a few items that I quickly discounted because of their hidden milk content, and she had to repeat twice the name of the cookie that saved my evening ... nay, the next few months.

No Bake Cookies.

While overloaded with chocolaty goodness, No Bake Cookies are one of the few cookie recipes that are made from real cocoa rather then chocolate chips! And 100% cocoa is exactly that, 100%! Leaving no room for milky taintedness. And while the recipe does call for milk and margarine, both are easily substituted in a vegan diet by soy milk and fake margarine (I use Earth Balance)! Holy Mother of Mercy! All is not lost! My dreary days of trying to consume Carob Chips in substitute of chocolate chips were beginning to brighten. It wouldn't stop at No Bake Cookies, any item that is baked from cocoa instead of chocolate chips can be made dairy free! :) Yay! That means my favorite brownies are still fair game, and I already looked up a yummy cake recipe. Even that tricky egg is beautifully substituted by an egg replacer with the same baking results! Phew. Life is not as lonely as it was beginning to seem.

Granted, all good things must be consumed in moderation. But I was so focused on milk, cheese, and processed foods with small traces of whey or powder milk, that I completely forgot to think about my deprivation of chocolate. I don't intend on binging upon my new discovery of coveted treats, it simply eases my mind that they are still an option.

It was a dramatic moment, cleverly saved by my brilliant sister.

Gotta love family.

http://www.zazzle.com/im_mostly_vegan_t_shirt-235314240438581140

(P.S. Many vegans swear by carob chips, and use them in place of chocolate chips on a regular basis to quench their chocolate cravings. It is only my personal opinion that they do not substitute nicely for chocolate. But I am an AVID chocolate lover and have a hard time replacing it with anything.)

Game Plan:

Shooting straight for the extreme, as of Tuesday the 17th I have adopted a vegan diet. Humurously against my final statement from the previous blog. For those of you who aren't sure what the difference is between vegan, vegetarian, and, well everybody else, here's a quick break down from the dictionary (keep in mind, just like religion, there is some "give" as to how strict one must adhere to the definitions and still claim a category).

Omnivore: noun
1. a person who eats all kinds of foods
2. an animal that feeds on both animal and vegetable substances
*(obviously the majority of people, and indeed fitting within the functional definition of human diets)

Vegetarian: noun
1. of or relating to vegetarianism or vegetarians.
2. consisting primarily or wholly of vegetables and vegetable products.
*(some vegetarians still include seafood in their daily diets - depending on the reason for their diet choices)

Vegan: coined by Donald Watson to distinguish those who abstain from all animal products (eggs, cheese, etc.) from those who merely refuse to eat the animals.
*(many vegans also obstain from using any consumer product that is made of, tested on, or harmful to animals - such as many cosmetics, leather, fur, etc.)

*notes added by me, not copied from the dictionary

There are many pros and cons to becoming a vegetarian or vegan, and I will address them in a seperate blog. For my purposes I am studying; 1st) my own ability to subsist off of such a limited diet, 2nd) if there is a better application than the drastict stand of the vegans that will still support animal welfare, 3rd) the practicality of becoming a vegan/vegetarian in our society, and 4th) whether I would continue such a lifestyle; if continued, whether my reasoning would be based on it's affect on animal welfare, or if I would maintain it's application for my own personal aesthetics.

I will continue a blogging record of my journey, as a diary of becoming a vegan and it's practicality.

Let me first note: after 3 1/2 days ... I miss my cheese. Terribly.

What Peacable Kingdown did to me

I consider myself a pretty average American citizen. Involved in society just enough to satisfy my guilt, but not enough to boast about my contributions. During times of honest reflection, I am more apt to admit to my mutiple downfalls as a citizen, (or being all together). I'm certainly not involved in politics like a "good" American ought to be. Nor do I contribute to community service organizations that aren't easily accessible through my employer. I live day by day, consuming without much thought to my affect on our land, or the people outside of my small circle of acquaintance. And this has been fine with me. On a regular basis, this life suits me well. Living peacefully under the assumption that "ignorance is bliss".

There is however, a part of me, that sneaks up ever so often to confront my selfish means to an end way of life. I will generally shake the questions off, unanswered ... sort of like a snooze button for reality. But regardless of my cowardly avoidance, I've always wondered what difference I could be making if I did care to learn. If I did care to be aware. Ha ha. That's laughable, "care to be aware". Perhaps this will be my new slogan.

Perhaps not.

But I digress. The purpose of this thought today, this creation of a new blog, is directly correlated to the documentary "Peacable Kingdom" that I have recently been introduced to (tricked into watching through an assignment by my Environmental Ethics Professor). These types of films are exactly what I have been avoiding in my cushioned unaware life. Kind of like how I ignore the statistics on abortion so I don't have to become one of those fanatics with signs outside of the buildings who are killing babies. Ugh.

However, after watching this film, I was sort of indirectly assigned into becoming aware, ... and with awareness, reality ... and with reality, care. Truly all my professor was doing was using this film to illustrate the concept of animals being sentient beings, who are a piece of equal consideration within the Utilitarian concept. But the wheels started churning, and beyond my lesson of Utilitarianism, I began to question my personal contribution to the horrible mistreatment of animals that eventually become my food.

There's a lot to be said about the years of I have spent disregarding all sorts of ethical issues in life. But this one, what foods I consume, and what type of handling my food receives before it dies, is well within my power of control.

Or so it seems.

Coming to terms with this, and my previous total lack of concern, is just about the time my "food" ... became a "living being". For real. Let's call it my "coming to Jesus" moment, or moment(s), because I'm still coming to terms with the idea that this path may very well lead me away from my beloved dairy products that I do so relish. I mean, let's be real, I very well knew that my juicy hamburger used to be a cow, and that at one point and time my tender chicken had legs and squawked. What I chose to ignore was the individual dairy cow who was left without any real quality of life, as she was impregnated and milked into uselessness, before she was sent to be slaughtered and churned into my burger. Or the featherless chicken, who's beak was chopped off, and who never had a chance to learn to walk because she was raised in a minimally sized cage, in the dark, to reduce cost and maximize production. What I wanted to pretend never happened, (and certainly never wanted to hear) was the terrified cries of the cattle being led/dragged/bulldozered, into slaughter houses, as their fellow cattle scream their final cries of terror ahead of them.

Now this may all seem naive. Perhaps there is some necessary evil to this madness that I have to account for. After all, nature is full of scavengers and beasts that torment, torture and tease their prey before they consume them as their dinner. Hell, my cat torments mice before she ever thinks about killing them, and that death is never for eating. It's just vicious play. My biggest problem at this point, is that I have left myself so unaware, that I honestly don't know. I have no idea what is a better way, or if the quantity Americans consume allows for anything else. My next problem, is simply that ... I no longer want to remain unaware.

This leads into a dreaded journey of discovery that I always knew would be the only answer to my incessant nagging of a conscience. And that ... my friends, is the purpose of this blog. Here I will record my inquiries, experiments and (with any luck) answers to the questionable process of which we Americans produce and consume our fellow sentient beings.

With a newly tendered heart, and hesitant curiosity ... I enter into the land of the unknown.

(Dear Lord, please don't let me become a Vegan.)