The complexity of "health": Why I don't consider myself a health nut by eating plant-based

Even though I'm only 5 months into this new eating lifestyle, I can say I have already experienced a wide variety of reactions and comments from every end of the spectrum!  Going in to becoming plant-based I expected the skeptics and hard core meat eaters to throw some questions and negativity my way.  What I DIDN'T expect was the the judgement of fellow "Vegans" or other health enthusiasts.  I'm sure the meat eaters out there are thinking "But you gave up animal products.  Why in the world would would others doing the same thing for the same reasons give you grief??".  I had the exact same reaction.  But, parents can probably relate to this, as when you have your first child you are bombarded with opinions and ridicule from other mommies and daddies for not being a "good enough" parent.  Parents out there are nodding their heads I'm sure!  Of course, that comment is coming from the parents I know, as I do not have any children yet.

Let me see if I can try to explain the turmoil so you can understand it.  Let's say you decide to give up red meat, because of the reports on how bad it is for your health.  Well, what about the other meats?  They have been linked to diabetes, every cancer in the book, not to mention heart disease, obesity...the list goes on.  Plus the hormones we are ingesting!  OK, so I'll give up all meat.  But wait, seafood is a meat too (anything that is the flesh of a living thing is meat, for all you Catholics who beg to differ ;-), and they suffer when killed to be eaten as well.  It has the same effects as any other meat does. Not to mention what it does to our ecosystem!  So we'll give that up too.  But what about eggs and dairy?  It has just the same carcinogenic effects that meat does.  Not to mention it's link to asthma and seasonal allergies, and our bodies can't digest it properly.  Plus it has blood and puss from the factory farms practices.  And the dairy cattle and chickens are even more abused and neglected as the meat factory farms!  And don't even think about the organic and free-range versions of these products.  Those still are factory-style farms and many are treated similar if not exactly like the regular factory farms.  Plus, it still has negative effects on your health.  So fine, let's go Vegan!

But wait, what about those leather shoes you're wearing!  Vegans don't use animal products in any way!  And don't think about that honey either.  Tens of bees are killed every time the honey is extracted from the hives.  So we'll throw out all our leather, wool, and honey too.  Hold on, those jelly beans and sprinkles are coated with the secretions of a certain species of beetle to make them shiny!  You have to cut all that out too.  Whew, OK, we got that all cleared up.  But wait, did you really just eat some cotton candy at the ballpark last night?!?  You know that much of the refined sugar we eat is processed using bone char.  Yep, that means an animal product.  How dare you!  Good, you won't do that again I'm sure.  Now wait, those processed veggie burgers and hot dogs have soy and other GMO products in them.  Do you know what that can do to your body??  Not to mention the birth defects if you have a baby!  No, only homemade veggie burgers for you!  No, you can't go out to eat.  What if that bread has a spot of dairy in it?  No, you can't chance it.  You better clear your dining out schedule.

Whew, OK we're eating a perfect, healthy diet now, no processed foods, no animals being harmed.  But wait a minute...aren't you heating your food up in plastic bowls?!  Most plastic containers have BPAs in them!  Talk about cancer and metabolic risks!  No, we need to find all BPA free plastics.  Throw that crap away.  And don't forget all your kid's toys, they probably have BPA as well.  Well crap, canned food is often lined with BPA, so you better get to the health food store and find some BPA free canned goods.  Hold on, did you just put your groceries in a PLASTIC bag?  Hell no!  You are killing the environment!  Not to mention clogging up our landfills.  That crap doesn't denigrate for thousands of years!  Not to mention it kills the fish in the oceans.  No, take your own cloth bags to the grocery please.  They hold more anyway.  Wait, did you actually just DRIVE to the grocery?  It's less than a mile away!  You are wasting our oil resources, not to mention killing the ozone and children with asthma with the pollution you are creating.  Plus you need the exercise you damn couch potato.  What kind of example are you setting for your kids?  Wait, speaking of kids, what about your furry ones?  Aren't you feeding Fido regular dog food?  It has MEAT in it!  Not to mention it is processed crap.  Dogs are much healthier with a plant-based whole foods diet.  So make sure to make an extra plate of your dinner for him.  Throw out that processed animal killing crap, jeez...

Do you see the problem here?  Where do you start?  And where does it end?!?  The reality is, it doesn't.  No matter what you do you will get negative feedback from someone.  You can never do enough for some people, plain and simple.  So as you can see, although I eat a plant-based diet with very little processed foods, and use my reusable shopping bags as often as I can, and have started replacing my old plastic containers and bottles with BPA free ones, in some people's eyes I'm STILL not doing enough.  Personally, I believe that anything we put in our bodies is of the up most importance, to our health, to the health of our current and future children, as well as passing the good habits to others.  Healthy food is the best medicine out there, to both help current health conditions as well as prevent new ones.  And not eating animals (or their products due to factory farms) is the best thing you can do for other living creatures and the environment, not to mention to get the attention to the food industry that we demand healthier, safer, and more humane practices.

But no one should feel overwhelmed.  All you have to do is do your research and take one small step at a time.  The next time you are at the grocery browse through the health food section.  Pick up a non dairy milk, a whole grain like quinoa or bulgar, or meat substitute to try out.  Or better yet, find some recipes online and make your own!  My favorite resource is The Happy Herbivore website, which has both a blog as well as TONS of super delicious and healthy recipes.  And while you're there, pick up a couple of reusable shopping bags.  If you aren't too concerned about the landfills, keep in mind that the bags hold a lot more groceries and are much easier to carry than plastic or paper ones.  Then go home and try your hand at a meat and dairy free meal loaded with tons of vegetables and whole grains.  Try a new meal every week.  Next time you're at a restaurant try the veggie burger (Red Robin can replace any of their burger creations with a veggie burger.  Just as delicious!), or grill your own at your next barbecue.  The longer you try these new things the more you'll realize what a variety there is out there even cutting out those 5 most popular precious meats we have grown up with.

You don't have to go whole hog (pun intended) and never eat meat or dairy again.  But I will tell you that even though my intention was to MAYBE become a vegetarian and POSSIBLY replace SOME of my dairy products with non dairy ones, it took me less than a weekend to cut out all meat, and within just a few months I also cut out dairy and eggs and never looked back.  And this is coming from a cheese and milk loving ice cream freak!  But if that isn't your style after dipping your toe in a few meatless meals then no problem, just do what feels right for you.  But I promise that you will not only feel better health wise (even if you aren't suffering from any health issues at all), but you will also feel good about yourself for just doing something good for yourself and other living creatures.

The new Vegan isn't a tree hugging hippie Nazi type.  It's someone who has a passion for themselves, for animals, AND for other human beings as well.  They don't judge others for eating a shrimp or drinking a milkshake.  They applaud you for what ever amount of effort you can make.  It's about compassion, for all others, but especially for yourself.  And it's the last one that I am reaching out to now.  :-)

Meat-free living in the real world...

Living in your controlled every day life it is easy to follow a diet and lifestyle that may be controversial to some, or not the most popular way of living.  If we have a Drug Rep. bring in hamburgers and cheese curds from Culver's for lunch, for example, I just dig in to my stash of back up lunch items, or run home and grab something quick.

However, the last few weeks have been filled with unplanned, last minute trips to Owensboro, which is about 2 1/2 hours away.  My mom has been in a nursing home there since right after Christmas, and now she is in ICU with double pneumonia.  She has been on a ventilator for 6 days, with hopes she will be off of it today.  This has required several trips back and forth, without knowing how long I would be there or when I would have a chance to take a break and eat.  Like all long trips I packed the car with several snack options.  But the car being parked several blocks away, and the ICU not allowing food or drink in the rooms, that only helped during actual travel there and back.  So when there was 30 minutes free there was only one option to grab some lunch....You guessed it, the hospital cafeteria.


Working in several large hospitals over the last 11 or so years, I know what few options can be available in a hospital.  So when Tim came back from perusing the options and told me there were several to be had, I was pleased.  Not only did they have several options for us, but the items available were marked with a V for vegetarian.  There were baked regular and sweet potatoes, hummus with pretzels, veggie burger with all the fixings available, and a salad bar which also had a few pre-made vegetarian salads.  The pineapple and sweet potato salad with raisins was my favorite.  Then of course the usual choices of french fries, onion rings, etc.

Tim's selection in the hospital cafeteria: His version of nachos, with pinto beans, olives, 

salad greens, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember, lol.

Now a very strict, anal retentive vegan may have not been exactly happy with some of these options.  The pre made salad items could have possibly had butter or honey in them, and the fries and veggie burger were cooked in the same oil/grill as meat items.  But eating plant based is different for everyone.  Although I do not eat animal products nor keep any in my house, if I am out to dinner and bread or pasta might be made with a trace of milk or butter I will still eat it.  As Kathy Freston says in her book Veganist, if something has 10% or less of dairy or eggs in it you don't have to stress about it.  Obviously if there are other options available that absolutely do not have animal products in it I will choose that instead.  But for me it is not worth stressing over every little detail when I am out with friends, or in this case worrying about when my mom may get off the ventilator or wake up alone, I am not going to be that anal about it.  Eating that small amount from time to time does not affect how great my body feels not having any animal products.

Just like anyone trying to eat healthier, when "life" hits sometimes it's difficult to stick with it.  When you are making a conscious and moral decision, however, it makes it easier to make the right choices.  Especially when you don't have the cravings like you do in a "diet" where you are restricting yourself from addictive foods like sugar and dairy.  The one thing I have been shocked by is the fact that I no longer crave or miss ice cream.  Yes, I have non dairy options available that are delicious and satisfying.  But like any book that discusses becoming vegan will tell you, once you detox from animal products, especially dairy, you no longer crave it.  Yes, I still have cravings for something sweet or savory, but it's nothing like before where I could eat ice cream sitting in the middle of a blizzard (which has happened numerous times!).  I have a piece of the pumpkin-chocolate bars I made that week, or some fruit dipped in chocolate sauce, and I'm happy and satisfied.  And the big difference is that I don't feel stuffed, weighed down, or guilty afterwards.  I had something absolutely delicious that was also good for me, so I feel awesome both physically and mentally!  I have yet to feel hungry or deprived in the 5+ months since I gave up animal products.

As I have stated before, I'm now excited to plan my next meal or snack, because there is so much variety now.  I also crave healthy foods like vegetables over fried or sweet and fatty foods.  If you would have told me a year ago that I would be craving and loving vegetables of all kinds I would have told you that you were absolutely insane.  But your body and tastes adapt to this new and healthy eating, and that's how I know that it is good for my body.  You will never find any bad side effects or cravings with this way of eating, unlike restrictive "diets" such as Adkins or low-fat (and usually highly processed) diets.  And the funny thing is, before I thought I felt healthy and great and had lots of energy.  Now looking back that was nothing compared to how great I feel now!  And all that is from just changing my diet to a plant based one.  :-)

My feelings on eating meat.

I have discussed why I decided to start eating a vegan diet on my blog, but I have concentrated on the health and nutritional aspects of my decision.  I don't really discuss my ethical views on the subject much.  The main reason is probably because it is the most controversial aspect of veganism.  The other reason is that it is a very personal thing for me.  I have been an animal lover as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid, probably around 7 or 8, I remember my mom letting us take in a cat that had gotten part of his paw cut off somehow.  We didn't have much money and couldn't afford to take him to the vet, but my mom called a vet and got suggestions on how we could care for his wound.  I remember the cat would sleep with me at night.  I felt so special that he chose me to sleep with!  After a couple of weeks he started getting diarrhea and going to the bathroom on the carpet.  My mom decided we could no longer care for him and let him back outside.  I remember crying that night because I missed him so much.  The same thing happened when we had to give away our first dog because the apartment we moved into didn't allow pets.  Part of this could have been because we didn't have pets much when I was growing up until I was in high school.  The other reason could have been that I was dealing with my parent's divorce during my first animal experiences, and separation of any kind was difficult for me.  Whatever the reason, I have been a huge animal lover ever since.

I dabbled with vegetarianism since my first year in college because of my love for animals.  I was young and thin, and although I was into working out and eating relatively healthy I wasn't that concerned with the long term effects of what I was eating.  I cut out red meat for almost a year.  Although I started eating things like hamburgers again eventually I was never able to stomach things like steak again.  My system just couldn't handle it anymore after the hiatus of red meat for a year.  That should have been my first clue that maybe meat was not necessarily healthy for you.  I never went fully vegetarian, because basically I was super picky back then.  I couldn't stand most cooked vegetables, especially the popular ones like broccoli and cauliflower (I still can't stand either to this day actually).  I just thought I could never like vegetables enough to go vegetarian.

Fast forward to today.  As I started rolling into my 30s I started trying new cuisines and vegetables cooked in other ways than the normal mushy, cheesy way you find most often in the south.  To my surprise (and I'm sure my family's as well) I really liked these new things I was trying!  I finally decided after reading a couple of books to try becoming vegetarian.  Then, to my surprise, I started trying non dairy alternatives and actually liking them.  I have to say that the start of my interest in to this new diet was for the health benefits.  But the animal rights was always in the back of my mind, which is really the main reason I decided to go fully vegan.  I watched a lecture on You Tube by Gary Yourofsky that showed what these animals had to go through, especially in the dairy industry, and that was my final motivation.

So, what is my actual stance on eating meat?  How do I feel about others eating meat around me?  This is what gets me in trouble with both the meat eating and vegan communities.  Why?  Because one side is fully insistent that we should, have to, and need to eat meat.  The other side says eating meat, or even being around it, is 100% wrong, and if you don't shun those who do or aren't judgmental of them then you aren't a "true" vegan.  The truth is that I don't necessarily feel that eating meat is wrong.  I feel that cutting meat and dairy out of your diet is MUCH healthier, and will eliminate any risk of health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.  But, eating meat has been a part of our culture for centuries.  The problem is the factory farms that produce our meat and dairy.  Even the free range farms aren't much better.  Not only are the animals tortured in too many ways to count, but the practices make the meat very unhealthy for us.  It's not the pig or cow being raised on a 100 acre farm in SD, living it's life to roam free and producing some milk for your family, until it's time to slaughter the animal, then you use every single part of the animal and spread out the meat for months to feed your family.  That's how it was back in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder (that's actually an exact story of how they raised one of their pigs in the first book of her Little House on the Prairie series).  If that was the case I would have no problem with people eating meat and dairy at all.  The main problem is that people aren't educated on these practices and what actually goes on in the factory farms.  And, the people that have the opportunity to learn turn around and run away with their fingers in their ears, because they if they see and know then they will have to rethink everything they grew up with and have been taught for decades.  Most people just don't want to know.  

For all the meat-loving skeptics: Answering a common question/misconception.

Here is my first blog post about some common questions, comments, or misconceptions I get all the time when people find out that I eat a Vegan diet.

The most common response I hear when I say I'm vegan (or even if I just say I don't eat meat) is "Well what in the world DO you eat??".  My initial reaction is "A hell of a lot more of a variety than you do, you uneducated bastard!", but I refrain (usually, ha).  My second reaction is to want to list the tons of things that I do eat, and how you plan a meal eating a plant based diet.  Then, I will explain how anyone, even meat lovers/vegetable haters, can adopt this diet, or even adopt SOME plant based meals in their weekly menu.

First, here is a list of things I can (and do) eat.  I am positive I have not listed everything here.  This list is either things I eat on a regular basis or common foods that most people eat and know:

Grains/carbs:  Rice (white, brown, and wild), pasta, quinoa, bulgar, couscous, oats, barley, wheatberry, spelt, amarynth, udon noodles, rice noodles, corn meal, wheat/white/almond/etc. flour, oat bran, flax, orzo, polenta


Beans/legumes:  Black beans, white (great northern) beans, pinto beans (chili beans), black eyed peas, lima beans, kidney beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, chickpeas, split peas, lentils (red, green, black), fava, cranberry, millet, navy, soy beans, popcorn

Nuts (fats):  peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), soy nuts

Vegetables:  Tomato, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, peas, corn, spinach, lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, bibb, romaine), kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, endive, cabbage, beets, artichoke, eggplant, fennel, peppers (green, red, yellow), onion, radish, pumpkin, sweet potato, yam, red potato, baked potato, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, tomatillo, avocado, water chestnuts, celery, bean sprouts, mushrooms (button, shitaki, oyster, portobello, crimini), yucca, plantains, leeks, olives

Fruits:  Apple, banana, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, mango, papaya, pear, pomegranate, watermelon, kiwi, starfruit, cantaloupe, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, cherry, grape, persimmon, peach, passionfruit, rhubarb, cranberry, coconut, currants, prunes, figs, apricot, dates

Herbs:  Basil, cilantro, italian parsley, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, tarragon, tumeric, anise, arrowroot, bay leaf, cardamon, caraway, celery seed, chiles, chipotle. chives, coriander, cloves, marjoram, mace, mustard seed, juniper berries, paprika, salt, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, poppy seed, saffron, vanilla

This is probably about 1/3 of the vegetables, fruits, etc. that are actually available out there.  These are just the ones that I could come up with that are readily available or that I have had since I've stopped eating meat.  Now, how do you take all of this and come up with a meal?  Usually I try to take at least 1 item from each category I have listed and put it together for a meal.  As you can see you have an endless number of options if you mix and match.

There are also numerous products to substitute your favorite meat or dairy product out there.  Afraid you can't live without hamburgers?  There are over a dozen different brands out there of veggie burgers available at most grocery stores.  Even restaurants such as Chili's or Red Robin offer a meatless option of your favorite burger.  Love a cold glass of milk?  There is soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk, the list goes on.  They offer it in vanilla, chocolate, etc. flavors, or just plain for if you are substituting it in a recipe for regular milk.  They even have dairy free egg nog and ice cream varieties.  Can't live without that hot dog or polish sausage, or love spaghetti with meat balls?  There are multiple varieties of each out there.  AND, since those are processed meat products, many of the meatless varieties are more flavorful than the meat version!  If you look at the ingredients you will find that the meat version has more fillers and less meat than you actually think it does anyway.  Not to mention you can actually pronounce the ingredients of the meatless varieties!

One of the comments I hear most often is "But I just don't like vegetables".  Growing up as a super picky eater I can understand where someone would think that.  However, most people have tried a handful of the most common vegetables in 1 or 2 ways, then gave up and came to this conclusion.  There are over a dozen ways to cook each vegetable out there, not to mention combining them together or with other things.  That's thousands of flavors, textures, etc.  That's like trying a hamburger and coming to the conclusion that you don't like any meat.  Don't like mushy vegetables?  Use fresh or frozen instead of canned and just barely cook them until they are slightly firm.  Don't like the flavor?  Add them to your favorite pasta sauce diced up small so it absorbs the flavors of the sauce.



One last thing:  Think you could NEVER eat a meal without meat, or eat anything that's "vegan"?  Here are some foods you may be surprised that are actually vegan, or don't think about being vegan:
Potato chips, Oreos, Teddy Grahams, parmesan cheese and many Italian restaurants, most bacon bits at restaurants and that most people buy, Nutter Butters, PB&J sandwich, tomato soup, many pasta brands, crackers, french fries, wine and beer, chips and salsa, many breads and buns, twizzlers, non-dairy creamers, Frito's, Little Caesar's Crazy Bread (without the parmesan cheese), soft pretzels, Cracker Jacks, ginger snaps, dark chocolate bars (most brands), onion rings, unfrosted Pop Tarts, tortillas and taco shells, bubble gum, onion rings, steak sauce, most non-creamy salad dressings, taco seasoning, Hershey's syrup, marinara/pizza sauce, Bisquick, cooking sprays, Jello-O instant pudding mix, Blue Bonnet Light Margarine.

There are of course others out there, like specific cereals, mixes, drinks, etc. that are as well.  But see how easy it is to find items that are meat and dairy free?

Ever had oatmeal for breakfast?  Tomato soup with a PB sandwich for lunch?  Spaghetti and marinara sauce for dinner?  You just had a vegan day!  :-)

I challenge everyone to try one new meatless food or vegetable a week.  Add one healthier food a week and you'll be on your way to eating a healthier diet in just a few months!  You will be surprised at what foods you never knew you would like!  I know I have been.  I am still adding new foods and recipes every week.  It has made eating and planning meals exciting again.  And every meal I eat I know I am doing something healthy for myself as well as animals.  And that feeling can't be surpassed!



"Life is about what you do, not what you don't do.  It's about going without so someone can have.  And most of all it's about giving until it hurts, because in the end you know it will hurt more to know you could have but didn't."
I saw this quote at the end of a video from a NYC animal shelter showing "before and after" pics of when cats came to the shelter sick and scared, and after they were adopted and healthy and happy.  That quote is why I do what I do.  Why I have tried to be an animal advocate for most of my teenage and adult life.  And...why I stopped eating meat.  I speak for animals, because they do not have their own voice to speak for themselves.

New year, new adventures.

That's a picture of me on Christmas day with my new (and first) vegan cookbook.  (Not my best pic, I know!) I have been following her blog for a few months now, and it has really helped keep me informed and on track with transitioning to a vegan diet.  I actually found her blog by accident.  I was on a popular vegetarian/vegan forum and someone posted a blog post she had recently made.  It was about how harsh some vegans can be to other vegans for not being "vegan enough".  I could completely relate, as I discussed in an earlier blog post.  Ever since then I've been inspired by both her honesty, cooking talents, and whole attitude towards herself being vegan as well as others striving to eat a plant based diet.  This was one of my Christmas presents I was most excited about.  Learning a new way of eating/cooking can be challenging until you get the hang of it, and this cookbook gives a lot of basics that you can use in all plant based cooking, not just these specific recipes.  For anyone who is interested in exploring a more plant-based diet, or even just healthier cooking in general, I would high recommend this cookbook, or her website.  I actually participated in my first ever Twitter party/discussion with the Happy Herbivore and a few other authors, and I won a virtual cooking lesson with her!  I will be sure to post all about it afterwards. :-)

This is Midnight laying on my new cookbook Christmas night, before I even had a chance to read any of it.  Looks like he's a fan already!!  :-)


I have also been thinking more about my decision to become Veganish, and how I could incorporate that into my passion of helping Americans become healthier.  That has been a passion of mine long before I considered becoming vegetarian or vegan.  After some research I have decided to enroll in an online bachelor's program and get my Bachelor's degree in Social Science studies.  It is a broad degree, I know.  But this program fits many of the college credits I already have, so I won't be going to school for another 3 years when I have over 140 credits already!  It's also completely online so I can actually manage it.  It's geared towards people like me who have many college credits already and work full time, so each class is only 4-6 weeks long.  Plus, it's actually affordable, especially for an online program.  I am applying this month, and hopefully will start in the fall.  That is, if I can get the financial aid for it!  That's the only way I can do it at this point in my life.  My goal is to take as many nutrition courses as I can that will also go towards this degree.  Then I will possibly get a job more social based, and maybe even get my Master's degree in Nutrition, which this college also offers.  But that's WAY down the line!!  Right now I really just want that Bachelor's degree under my belt.  I've always wanted to get it, even before I thought about a career change to more fit my passion. 

So I've been doing a lot of thinking about this blog the last few weeks over the holidays.  I wanted to streamline it a little more to make it easier to follow.  I've decided to have 2 different types of blog posts.  I will alternate between personal experience posts and informational/Q&A posts.  That way they aren't combined and each post will have one specific purpose.  I have been working on my first informational post, and hopefully I will have it up in the next week or so.  It takes a lot more work and research to do those than just a basic post about my experiences, but It's a good way to help me hone in on my plant based diet information for myself and others as well.  :-)

Thanksgiving, Veggie style!

This was my first holiday since I've changed to a plant-based diet.  I wasn't the least bit nervous about it, because all of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes involved no turkey (or any other meat for that matter).  As I've stated before, I always loved the sides of a meal and usually used the meat portion as more of the side dish.

Thursday we went to Tim's family dinner.  I was a little concerned about how much there would be to eat, since we were the first people in his family that didn't eat meat.  I found that most of the stuff was ok for us.  I should specify that although Tim is almost strictly vegan and I'm getting closer to it, we decided that we would go ahead and eat anything that might contain a small amount of milk or butter, such as mashed potatoes or rolls.  Tim made Gardein Stuffed Turk'y for us to have, which also came with 2 small packets of gravy we were able to use on the Gardein and the potatoes.  He also made his yummy sweet potato casserole, which he switched around to make it vegan this year.  We also had a spinach salad with cranberries and walnuts, cornbread stuffing (which Tim also made for us in case the other was made with meat broth), rolls, cranberries (the kind in the can, which is my favorite!  I'm weird, I know), mashed potatoes, and a glass of sweet red wine. :-)

These are a few pics Tim took of a couple of the dishes we had at his family's dinner. 

This year our family had our Thanksgiving meal on Friday.  Since my sister has been a vegetarian for many years I knew there would be plenty to eat.  Plus, Tim made a Celebration Roast for the 3 of us that weren't eating meat, as well as some vegan gravy.  My sister made a mushroom vegetarian gravy as well.  Since the gravy has always been one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal more was better! :-)  We also had baked sweet potatoes (with lots of different toppings separate so that everyone could make it their own way, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, a couple different bottles of wine to share, Gigi's midnight magic and raspberry mini cupcakes, and pumpkin pie.  We also had some veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, and chips and salsa (we skipped the cheese) as an appetizer while we waited for dinner to be ready, as well as some peppermint kahlua.

 This is a pic of Tim's plate at my family's Thanksgiving dinner.  Does it look like we starved? :-)


As you can see there was plenty of dishes for us to eat at both family gatherings.  After 2 days of eating full plates of Thanksgiving food I was stuffed!   Then of course I brought home some leftovers and feasted (on a smaller scale) for another couple days.  I forgot to swipe some rolls though to go with the leftovers.  Fail!

Over the holidays I read a blog by The Happy Herbivore about her Thanksgiving meal.  She made a fully vegan dinner for her parents, and got their reactions to all of the dishes she made.  They are meat eaters who had never had a vegan Thanksgiving before, so it was great to hear their reactions to all the great dishes she made!  You can read her blog post here.  Not to ruin the story, but they loved everything she made.  :-)  It just goes to show that if you just just stick your toe into the vegan pool you'll find that the water isn't so cold afterall.  ;-)

Speaking of which, Tim also made his vegan meatballs for his meat-loving buddies over the weekend for a gaming get together they had.  They thought they were really good much to their surprise, but not ours though.  We knew that they would if they'd just break out of their meat box and try something new. 

My next blog I plan to address some of the most common questions, comments, etc. that I have come across in the short time I've adopted my plant-based diet.  I know I said that on my last post, but I wanted to make sure I got my first Thanksgiving post in first. Once again, please follow my blog and feel free to ask any questions you may have.  :-)

Settling into my plant-based world

It's been a while since my last post.  That's what happens when life gets in the way of your life!  On the eating front, I've been settling into my new lifestyle and finding my "niche" so to speak.  I started this journey with an open mind as to how deep in to vegetarianism or veganism I would go.  I have struggled with how "vegan" I wanted to be long term.  For those who have never tried to eat a plant-based diet, going vegan is much more of an adjustment than going vegetarian.  For one, almost every processed food (bread, cereal, pasta, etc.) has some sort of eggs or dairy.  You really have to read every single label and ask questions when you go out to eat or have dinner at a friend's house.  It is not impossible, but it takes a lot of discipline.  My main struggle is with my love of everything dairy!  I have cut the majority of dairy out of my diet already, which was a HUGE step for me.  The first thing I cut was dairy milk, which for anyone who knows me knows this is a big, big deal!  I have switched to flavored almond milk so far, and I'm trying other types of non-dairy milks one at a time.  I already know I'm not a big fan of soy milk.  I have tried a couple different vegan eggnog varieties, and the soy version was my least favorite (coconut milk version is my favorite so far).  I've found that these non dairy versions actually contain more calcium than the dairy version, and also have many more vitamins added, such as B12 (which is a concern for vegans).  I have still not substituted any of these milks in any recipes or used it with my beloved cold cereal.  To be honest I'm scared to, LOL!

My boyfriend (Tim) and I have had many questions (and attitudes) about our diet.  I will say that I am not here to convince people that it is right or wrong.  It is a personal choice, and is not limited to just the nutritional and health benefits.  It's a very complicated decision each person has to make for themselves.  I do not believe that eating meat is wrong or unhealthy.  It is a personal choice I've made.  Consuming animals has never felt quite right for me.  I do believe that the mass production of meat is unhealthy and unethical.  I know many people who eat only free range meat and poultry, and often get it from a local farmer where they purchase an animal (cow, pig, etc.) with several other people and divide the meat.  It is both healthier and much more ethical.  I see nothing wrong with this.  These people have made an educated and conscious decision about their diet, and that's what I think everyone should do!  The problem is that people preach about how humans must eat meat, yet they've never done any research or educated themselves on the topic, or nutrition for that matter.  THAT is when I get angry and annoyed when people make fun or try to preach how being vegetarian or vegan is wrong or stupid.  If someone has a well informed and educated reason behind their claims then I'm interested in discussing it with them.  I've had many enlightening conversations with people like this!

I know I have ranted and complained about how many unsupportive and judgemental people I've come across in the last few months since I've started this journey.  So, I feel I should praise the many people who have been supportive!  I also appreciate those who may not understand my decision but ask questions so they better understand this lifestyle.  My family has always been supportive with any lifestyle or diet decisions myself or any of my 3 sisters have made.  As I've mentioned before, my older sister has been a vegetarian for almost 20 years, and I don't remember a single time where my parents were unsupportive.  My younger sister eats mostly organic foods, tries to avoid processed foods as much as possible, and gets her meat from local farmers whenever possible.  She is raising my niece and nephew this way as well, and also tries to avoid cooking and eating from containers that contain BPA.  My youngest sister is a hardcore meat eater, but never tries to convince us that she's right and we're wrong.  My parents sit somewhere in the middle of all of us in their dietary choices.  And we're all supportive of each other and understand that we all have our reasons for how we choose to live our lives.



The last thing I wanted to discuss on this post is my decision on how "vegan" to go.  I have decided to cut out all dairy and eggs by themselves (i.e. drinking milk, adding cheese on foods, eating eggs, etc.) and eventually cutting them out of anything I make or consume at home (I still have some products at home that have dairy in them which I will use until they are gone, but don't plan to purchase any more).  If eating at someone's house or at a restaurant I will not worry about foods like bread or pasta that may contain cheese or butter.  I still won't eat any meat or meat products of any kind (if an animal had to die to make the dish and part of the animal is in the dish then I won't eat it).  Fyi for those of you who are unaware, this includes any kind of meat broth (beef, chicken, fish, etc.), and cooking a dish with meat in it and picking it out does not work for vegetarians either!  You would be surprised how many people don't understand this.  And yes, fish is considered meat!  Where is fish located on the food pyramid??  Yep, under meat.

My next post I am planning on discussing the common questions I am asked and my responses.  As well, I will discuss some of the negative comments or attitudes I come across as well.  Some people also say things (even jokingly) and may not realize it is insulting or condescending.  And please, if you have any questions at all about vegetarianism, veganism, or my decision please feel free to ask!  I have had some very interesting comments and conversations with people, and I love explaining this lifestyle and hopefully help dismiss some of the misconceptions and negative attitudes about it.  I've also enjoyed hearing from friends and family that have been inspired to try new foods because they heard me rave about them.  Not all of the stereotypical vegetarian and vegan foods and food items are "icky"!  ;-)  And just because you eat meat doesn't mean you can't incorporate some of these healthy items into your diet. :-)