Verdict for veganism
Seeing how I am somewhat overdue for a post here, I thought I would share some of my latest developments.
About two weeks ago (as part of a 30-day challenge) I decided to become vegan. Although it hasn't been a perfect two weeks, and I have definitely had my slips (how can I resist large ass slices of cheap delicious pizza?!), I have definitely given up quite a few things. The transitioning has been a mixture of a challenge/easy experience. On the one hand, I have been a vegetarian off and on for about 9 years, so the transition to vegan wasn't as difficult as I anticipated (because I already love tofu, so protein was easy to obtain; I love fruits and veggies, I gave up white bread a long time ago (LOVE wheat bread), and I rarely eat candy and other processed foods; so therefore, it wasn't as difficult). On the other hand, I was a HUGE dairy consumer, practically drinking half a gallon of fat-free milk a day. I love that shit! And how can I resist cheese? Its in every thing I like (burritos, pizza, sandwiches, salads, pasta, etc). Giving up fish was equally as hard; I gave up meat and chicken a long time (I always hated meat, except for the occasional In-n-out burger), but fish was amazing. Now I had to give up every fish I love: salmon, tuna, cod, etc. and I am having serious fish withdrawals :(
So...you wonder why in the hell am I torturing myself in giving up so many delicious foods? Well, the reasons are too long and extensive to explain, so you can go look up the info for yourself, but here are the summarized versions of my reasons: environmental health (less energy consumption), animal rights (save the cows, pigs, fish, etc from destructive and tortious methods), public policy reasons (FYI, the US govt doesnt give a SHIT about public health, don't trust a single thing they tell you! Especially those damn meat-eating Republicans who dont give a fuck about the environment), health reasons (lots of hormones, pesticides, bacteria, and distusting things in our meat diet), personal reasons (lower cholesterol, less saturated fats, less risk of obesity, more balanced diet, more energy, better digestion, etc).Plus, I thought it would be fun to do something different and challenge myself physically and mentally.
Here are my pros and cons (with my very limited experience as a vegan):
PROS: more energy, better digestion, less stomachaches, more awareness of my food choices, less crap in my body, and personal happiness in not contributing to the worlds problems
CONS: serious milk, cheese, and fish withdrawals; hard to find good foods in a society infested with processed crap, soymilk tastes like CRAP! (unless its in chai..), meat substitutes are pretty nasty also (soy jerky, soy yogurt, soy turkey/chicken, and soy cheese is NASTY!!!)-bleh. Oh! and vegan cookies are pretty crappy too (I mean, what is a cookie without the butter, sugar, and fat? Its basically flour and cane sugar, gross!!)
Although it would seem that the cons list has outweighed the pros list, I still have two more weeks before I can decide whether I want to continue being a pescetarian or go ahead with veganism. I honestly am not sure yet, because I feel like I am making much bigger sacrifices than I thought I would be making, and its definitely harder than it looks. Now I see why veganism is so hardcore. I have so much respect for those who have done it for years, right on!
On the flip side, I know wayyy too much about all the crap in our dairy products, and it doesnt seem appetizing to eat it anymore, no matter how much I crave milk and cheese. And I miss fish, even though I know of the destructive effects it has on our worlds oceans. We shall see.
So what is my verdict on veganism? Well, this is definitely a difficult decision, and I am not sure where I stand yet. One word of advice for those who want to brave the challenge of veganism: START GRADUALLY!!! You must, must, must be a vegetarian for some time even before you decide to go vegan. Thats common sense. You must do your research to make sure you get adequate vitamins if you go vegan. AND, you should slowly give up things, one at a time, rather than give up everything at once. It just wont work. Trust me.
About two weeks ago (as part of a 30-day challenge) I decided to become vegan. Although it hasn't been a perfect two weeks, and I have definitely had my slips (how can I resist large ass slices of cheap delicious pizza?!), I have definitely given up quite a few things. The transitioning has been a mixture of a challenge/easy experience. On the one hand, I have been a vegetarian off and on for about 9 years, so the transition to vegan wasn't as difficult as I anticipated (because I already love tofu, so protein was easy to obtain; I love fruits and veggies, I gave up white bread a long time ago (LOVE wheat bread), and I rarely eat candy and other processed foods; so therefore, it wasn't as difficult). On the other hand, I was a HUGE dairy consumer, practically drinking half a gallon of fat-free milk a day. I love that shit! And how can I resist cheese? Its in every thing I like (burritos, pizza, sandwiches, salads, pasta, etc). Giving up fish was equally as hard; I gave up meat and chicken a long time (I always hated meat, except for the occasional In-n-out burger), but fish was amazing. Now I had to give up every fish I love: salmon, tuna, cod, etc. and I am having serious fish withdrawals :(
So...you wonder why in the hell am I torturing myself in giving up so many delicious foods? Well, the reasons are too long and extensive to explain, so you can go look up the info for yourself, but here are the summarized versions of my reasons: environmental health (less energy consumption), animal rights (save the cows, pigs, fish, etc from destructive and tortious methods), public policy reasons (FYI, the US govt doesnt give a SHIT about public health, don't trust a single thing they tell you! Especially those damn meat-eating Republicans who dont give a fuck about the environment), health reasons (lots of hormones, pesticides, bacteria, and distusting things in our meat diet), personal reasons (lower cholesterol, less saturated fats, less risk of obesity, more balanced diet, more energy, better digestion, etc).Plus, I thought it would be fun to do something different and challenge myself physically and mentally.
Here are my pros and cons (with my very limited experience as a vegan):
PROS: more energy, better digestion, less stomachaches, more awareness of my food choices, less crap in my body, and personal happiness in not contributing to the worlds problems
CONS: serious milk, cheese, and fish withdrawals; hard to find good foods in a society infested with processed crap, soymilk tastes like CRAP! (unless its in chai..), meat substitutes are pretty nasty also (soy jerky, soy yogurt, soy turkey/chicken, and soy cheese is NASTY!!!)-bleh. Oh! and vegan cookies are pretty crappy too (I mean, what is a cookie without the butter, sugar, and fat? Its basically flour and cane sugar, gross!!)
Although it would seem that the cons list has outweighed the pros list, I still have two more weeks before I can decide whether I want to continue being a pescetarian or go ahead with veganism. I honestly am not sure yet, because I feel like I am making much bigger sacrifices than I thought I would be making, and its definitely harder than it looks. Now I see why veganism is so hardcore. I have so much respect for those who have done it for years, right on!
On the flip side, I know wayyy too much about all the crap in our dairy products, and it doesnt seem appetizing to eat it anymore, no matter how much I crave milk and cheese. And I miss fish, even though I know of the destructive effects it has on our worlds oceans. We shall see.
So what is my verdict on veganism? Well, this is definitely a difficult decision, and I am not sure where I stand yet. One word of advice for those who want to brave the challenge of veganism: START GRADUALLY!!! You must, must, must be a vegetarian for some time even before you decide to go vegan. Thats common sense. You must do your research to make sure you get adequate vitamins if you go vegan. AND, you should slowly give up things, one at a time, rather than give up everything at once. It just wont work. Trust me.