For years I was a vegetarian of the Amy’s microwaveable entrée variety. Meals came from boxes, fresh from the microwave, steaming and sliced free from plastic wrap. My dietary staples were pasta and .99-cent bean & cheese burritos from Del Taco. Extra cheese & extra red sauce, please. For someone who adopted a label with the prefix “veg-“ in the title, there was very little room for actual vegetables in my diet.
So after a 2 year hiatus I've been thinking about my diet again. In fact, it's consumed me these past months. As I’ve taken note and delved into debates around organic food, locally grown harvest, slow food, the obesity epidemic, etc., my approach to food as changed. I’ve drastically reduced my reliance on processed food and placed a heavy emphasis on taking the time to think about what I buy and what I serve to myself and the people I love. And I’ve discovered that I absolutely love to cook.
More recently, I’ve become obsessed with vegan cooking. Initially, it was to try to integrate more vegetables into my diet, but I’ve come to see it as this wonderfully innovative and bold cooking style that I want to be a part of my life. Perusing vegan blogs, I discovered VeganMoFo, and on a whim, just last night in fact, I decided “to hell with it! I’m going vegan!”
My first day as a vegan was a thoroughly average day for me. And I’m heartened by this outcome, because it raises the likelihood that I will be able to carry this challenge through the entire month.
By the time this wraps up perhaps the October Vegan project will morph into the Autumn Vegan, the 2010 Vegan, or even the Perennial Vegan?! And if not, then maybe this will just be an annual tradition for me. One month out of the year to set aside my omniverous ways and go vegan.
Vegan Mofo is a great time to go vegan because there are so many great ideas out there and the blogs are so active!
ReplyDeleteIf you come up to visit, the farmer's market close to the lake sells these great vegan wraps. Inspiration? I'll try to do a vegan recipe for you.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome idea, and similar to how I started (trying it out for a month or two)... and it stuck! There are so many amazing vegan blogs out there, you'll never be hard-pressed for ideas :)
ReplyDeleteOh, loving it. I went vegan for the occasion as well, although I was a vegetarian for several months beforehand so it's not quite as dramatic.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Definitely a good time to go vegan and you won't be short on support either!
ReplyDeleteI accept your challenge of challenging you to challenge yourself in this most meatless of quests. Be there a grail or an elderberry in your future, doubt has not a passage in the caravel of my mind that you will triumph over every other peril similarly, be it dairy, egg, or otherwise prohibited animal byproduct. Being the shield at your side, I will eat cheese in your stead.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! Just remember to take it one day at a time. If you are struggling, just look at all the vegan yummies. And if you do mess up, take it as a lesson and start again.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck! And welcome to the club!
Heya love!
ReplyDeleteI think you made a wise decision. My ex, Andrew, started off from strait up meat eater to going vegan for a month. He liked it, decided it wasn't that hard, and still is. :-D
I'm not because Matt's a bad infurence (I kid, I kid). But really, I miss being vegan, I felt healthier, I'm just lazy.
Enjoy your healthy month! For me the first month was the easiest. ;-)
This is so great. I had no idea I had all these comments. Thanks for all the wonderful support guys!
ReplyDeleteAdam? Is that Adam Thomas?
G - could it be any other Adam?
ReplyDeleteAnd, for the record, I am a bad influence on Nicole. Now, you have to decide how vegan are you? For example, will you eat honey, despite that its harvest requires the exploitation and murder of bees?
Good luck in the vegablogosphere
Of course it could... it was Sarah that put the thought in my head that it was Thomas... and it kind of got stuck there.
ReplyDelete