Societal Concerns. Open Your Mind...

Why does veganism = looks of 'Oh my... you're strange!'? I typically don't tell people I'm "vegan," for a few reasons:

1. They think it's weird, because they don't understand it.
2. They don't understand it.
3. The time it would take me to explain it and/or convince them that I'm not a militant, PETA activist-ing, paint-throwing-on-fur, non-leather-wearing, health freak nut job is just not worth my time.

I do not consume animal products. No meat, cheese, dairy, eggs, or byproducts (including rennet and gelatin). This is a choice I made to benefit my health. (Again, watch Forks Over Knives or read Skinny Bitch- good stuff.) I do wear leather occasionally (I'm not going to change my wardrobe and throw out half my shoes... come on! :) ), I am a non-violent member of PETA- but I won't throw paint on you now that I'm a vegan (they do have really good recipes and web resources, but even I think they can be pretty out there), and believe it or not, I do eat more than salads everyday! (Go to Courtney's Vegan Kitchen for a sampling of what the heck we eat!)

This was my lunch. Homemade, delish, and NOT a salad :)

My husband decided to take this leap with me, and together, we've noticed an improvement in our energy level (no more sluggishness!), ability to taste, our allergies have improved (overall nose/throat/respiration improvements due to no dairy-produced mucous and whatnot), we have more drive to do things (exercise, etc), and we feel... for lack of a better word- better. Cleaner. More like we should. Not weighed down. I didn't realize that I felt yucky, until I didn't feel yucky anymore. The thought of eating cheese or eggs now doesn't appeal to me because now I know how great I feel without it, and there is SO MUCH great food out there-- I don't need eggs, milk, dairy products, or cheese (yes, I'm aware the last three items I listed all come from milk. I just like to list them separately because they are used so independently from one another) in my diet. There's soooo much good food out there that's better for me anyway. Being vegan kinda rocks in that respect; yummy AND good for you. Why not?

How could you resist this? LOL- I suppose if you'd rather have a steak you could. This does have as much protein as one, does that count?? (it does for me! Check out the recipe here..)

SO- all this being said, WHY do people think veganism is strange? You may think it's strange; you may have come to this blogsite with a preconceived notion of what a vegan is, and now you're looking for the crazy to be present in my writing. Is it there? Is feeling better and having more energy crazy? Is it strange?

Here's the other side of the coin. You may think I'm strange because I don't eat the foods that probably 90% (I'm guessing on that..) of the population routinely eats. If you're in that percentage, please realize two things:

1. I'm not trying to make you eat like me, or change your mind about the way you eat. You have your beliefs and I have mine. I won't judge you for that; please don't judge me.
2. Do you realize what it is that you're eating when you eat a steak? When you drink a milkshake? How about a Turkey dinner? I'm not just talking about the source of the food (Have you thought about that? Have you seen where your food comes from? Not trying to change your mind; I'm just asking.), but also what's IN the food. How much protein per calorie? How much fat IS in your food? What's the source of it? I'm just asking you to think about it. 

Now think about why we (as a society) eat what we eat. Would you have bought all that milk, meat, and eggs at the store if you hadn't learned that you need those things for protein, calcium, and good fats when you were in school? When did you last analyze your eating habits? Your shopping habits? Are you thinking for yourself, or are you going off of what others have told you that you should eat? Who came up with the Food Pyramid? (hint: the same people that run and pay for the meat and dairy industry) Are they in it for your health? Or to line their pockets?

Ok, now, if you have thought about all of this, and you're at peace with this, and you like to eat what you like to eat and that's that- that's fine with me. I'm not judging you. Really, I'm not. 

So why does society have a standard viewpoint of "veganism = weirdos"? Because of all the stuff I wrote above? Probably. But am I wrong, about me and my beliefs, I mean? 

I want you, yes, YOU, reading this, to open your mind... Am I really that strange? Is wanting to eat healthier really that weird? True, I can't go out to eat at a lot of restaurants because I choose to be vegan. And there are whole sections of the grocery store that I have to avoid. But I'm not upset about that. Why is everyone else? 

Look, vegan ice cream! That's so weird!! Wait... no it's not :) Just made from soy and coconut milk instead of Cow's milk.

I'm asking you... ask yourself why society views veganism, vegetarianism, or any other "different" diet (like Paleo, etc) as bad. Do you think it's bad? Do you think we're weird? Or are you just not used to it? Think for yourself... and tell me what you think. 

Thanks for reading, everyone. I appreciate each and every one of you! 

Want to dip your toes into the world of vegan cooking? Try my newest discovery, Creamy Mac and Cheese! It's seriously yummy, and there's ZERO cholesterol :) Can't beat that!! 

Happy Eating everyone!

<3

Courtney

A quick, (super) easy lunch...

Relishing in my new vegan-ness, I was super thrilled today when I realized that I could make myself a sandwich... that's vegan... and yummy! We bought some Tofurky brand Peppered Deli Slices at the store on Sunday, as well as some rice cheese (Galaxy brand- cheddar flavor)- and while these were purchased at the same time, I wasn't thinking sandwich until today. So, long story short, I made an awesome sandwich for my lunch today! A nice little treat for my first day back to work after Christmas break :)

Looks good enough to eat!! ;)

Seriously yummy!!!!

Now, I have to talk about the vegan cheese I have on this sandwich here... I've mentioned my love (LOVE) of (dairy/real) cheese before... it's a pretty serious addiction, and it's probably going to be one of my bigger battles as I dive headfirst into Veganism. I'm doing okay so far- mostly because the last couple of times I had cheese (after becoming educated on the benefits of a vegan diet and/or the drawbacks to eating dairy), I noticed how salty and heavy (not in a good way) the cheese was, as well as how heavy it sat in my stomach. I definitely had images in my head of saturated fat, cholesterol, and all kinds of other yuckies in my bloodstream, attacking my artery walls shortly following eating said cheese as well, which was enough of a turn off to stay away from dairy permanently.. no matter how much I'm in love with it! It's just not worth it- even though it seems so SILLY to avoid cheese; at least that's what my little since-birth-indoctrinated-into-animal-product-lifestyle mind screams at me... I know it's better for me, but this is defintitely an adjustment on every level.

All that being said, the Rice cheese in my sandwich recipe is decent.. not fantastic.. to my begrudingly adjusting tastebuds. The texture is chewy (think ...like rice), and it tastes very lean, not creamy, like dairy cheese does. It does, to its benefit, actually taste like cheese. I don't think I'll be pulling slices of this cheese out of my fridge's deli drawer to snack on (which I LOVED to do with Kraft American Cheese singles); I'll probably opt for fruit instead (a wiser choice anyway!). All in all, this Rice cheese was a great addition to my sandwich today-- it mingled with the flavors of the avocado, tomato, and deli slices VERY well-- and I think I'll learn to love it- in time. :)

Happy eating (vegan cheese and all)!

<3
Courtney