Now that Vegan Mofo is over, I want to reflect.
First, changes I made...
- I went completely vegan. I do have honey sometimes (some vegans are anti honey some are not. I can see both sides so I don't buy it to use on its own but if its an ingredient I sometimes will still consume it)
- I researched animal cruelty free brands and am sticking to them. I prefer vegan makeup, skincare, haircare etc but I definitely won't buy it if the company tests on animals.
- I added some new ingredients to my kitchen like nutritional yeast, chia seeds, dates, agave nectar, pure maple syrup etc
- I tried out a lot of new recipes and vegan-ized many things!
- I ordered more carefully at restaurants and ended up eating healthier.
- I stopped cooking so much meat for my husband. He has given up red meat and cut back on dairy.
- I learned a lot about how animals are treated such as the cows we get our milk from. If you are a vegetarian because you don't want animals to suffer....you may want to take a closer look. Cows, for example, suffer a ton for the milk people drink.
Why did I become vegan? I saw the documentary Forks Over Knives which basically shows that a diet including animal protein (as in any food coming from an animal) GREATLY increases our risk for diseases such as cancer. I realized that if given the choice, I want to do all that I can to avoid such diseases so it made sense to cut back on animal products. I did that for a couple weeks but it's hard to measure just how much you are taking in. Also, during this time I was looking into being vegan and learning a lot about that so I quickly decided to just cut out animal products completely. So, I did this for my health first, state of mind second and animals third. I know many vegans would say they do it for the animals first and that's wonderful, it just wasn't my determining factor. I'm now reading The China Study which goes into what Forks Over Knives does but in much more detail; it's so eye opening.
What does being vegan mean to me? There seem to be two general definitions. The first is "not eating animal products or buying any products that contain animal ingredients". That is what I do. The other definition I have seen basically says that animals are not here to serve us and that we should not "use" them in anyway. I am more iffy on that one. I am against how animals are kept in most factories/farms where we get our animal products from, definitely. But am I against a person going fishing once a year and eating what they catch? No, not really. It doesn't bother me to the same degree. To me, my being vegan means not eating animals products and avoiding them as ingredients in non-food items such as makeup. I leave it at that, for now. Maybe over time I will go further into other areas...but I have only been vegan for a month. :)
Results of me being vegan for a month...
- no weight loss (and going vegan shouldn't be about that anyway) but I have lowered my body fat percentage as well as lost some inches.
- rarely feeling/looking bloated. That is one thing I used to get a lot! Pretty much every weekend I would end up over eating and feeling bloated. Not any more! I never realized how often it was cheese and meat that was giving me that feeling (they are high in sodium) until I stopped eating them.
- snacking through out the day. I have always tried to do this vs having big sit down meals every day but I always found it hard until going vegan. Now I find I feel satisfied quickly so I stop eating and listen to my body to know when to eat later. This is thanks to consuming fewer overly processed products. Did you know that a fast food burger, for example, doesn't properly send signals to the brain to let you know you're full? That's why you can eat so much crap food! But when you eat proper food, your body lets the brain know when it's satisfied as well as when it's hungry. It's amazing how much easier it makes understanding your body and listening to it!
- clear skin. I haven't had a single break out. I always feel like my skin looks more "glowy" and less red.
- better sleep. I have, overall, been sleeping better. It used to take me a few hours to fall asleep at night but not anymore!
- actually calling myself vegan. I was having a hard time committing because I didn't want to "label" myself but eventually I did. I still prefer to say "plant based diet" just because there are a lot of assumptions made when you say "vegan" but I mean, all my friends/family know me as vegan now and I'm totally cool with that.
- I feel really good knowing that I'm not contributing to the harm of animals (not including insects since I still have honey sometimes).
- I actually find eating healthy easier now. I'm talking about eating less junk food not just animals products simply because so many do contain animal ingredients! haha They don't all so I definitely still treat myself but it's not as often because it's not AS readily available to me. I actually really prefer it that way.
So, as you can see, being vegan has been amazing. I really wish everyone would give it a chance, even if it's just for one week. Do you know what a difference that would make? I highly recommend Forks Over Knives and The China Study which state that consuming more than 10% (of your daily intake) in animal protein great increases your risk for diseases... but you can eat as much plant protein as you want (including soy) and it won't increase in the risks! If you have been eating animal products, you can actually reverse your risk by switching to animal protein. It's really amazing. I don't push my views on anyone but I do try to spread the word and like I said, I only want people to at least give it a chance! It could save your life.
Forks Over Knives - also on Netflix Instant Watch
The China Study - I got it for my Nook
Food Matters - "You are what you eat". Also on Netflix Instant Watch.
Food Inc - takes a closer look at where are food comes from. Also on Netflix Instant Watch.
