This question was posted in my comments and I thought the easiest way to address it was to blog about it. (and it gave me a great excuse to write another blog!) :)
"What made you go Vegan? I'm really curious. I don't do red meat and I could give up chicken/pork/etc. very easily. I'm sort of intrigued."
I guess I should preface this by saying that technically my diet could be referred to as pescetarian. Meaning that I consume fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and beans. I started by cutting out dairy. I've always been a little bit lactose intolerant. I went off and instantly felt so much better! I started to do some reading about the dairy industry and it made me sick. I can safely say that I'll never consume dairy again. There are great substitutes out there even if you're not a fan of soy. I don't feel deprived in any way.
As I was researching the dairy industry I started reading about factory farms and what really happens to the animals. It's so incredibly sad. The mistreatment, the abuse- it's just wrong. It's so easy to just not think about where our food comes from, it's what I'd been doing my whole life! When I really just thought about it, I couldn't reconcile my deep love for animals with my meat eating ways. Not to be overly dramatic, but the stuff I read & watched devastated me.
PETA (and many other pro-vegan, pro-vegetarian sites) has a ton of literature & video on their site that discuss factory farms and the appalling treatment of the animals. I wish people would just read a little bit, watch a video or two- see if it changes the way you think. For me it did. Everything kind of clicked and just made sense to me. From that day forward I haven't had any animal product (except fish & honey). My husband saw how great I was feeling and wanted to give it a try. We both feel better than we have in years. :)
I'm still fairly new to this. And eventually I'd like to eliminate fish from my diet. Now, I do feel like a hypocrite, because I just haven't been able to give up fish. And I still carry leather bags and wear leather shoes. But baby steps, right? I don't judge anyone's diet, people have to eat what works for them. But for me this is the best choice.
4 comments:
Good for you, Angela! I don't have a problem eating meat, as long as I know where it comes from (we eat cage free chicken, etc)... but I really wouldn't mind giving it up for good. My {lovah} is a different story. He loves his meat. Right now we're giving up cheese as an experiment to see if it affects some of my health issues, plus we eat so much we think it might have something to do with our current chubbiness. I'm trying to cut out all dairy, too- dairy allergies run in my family and I'm beginning to wonder if I might have a dairy allergy, also (ie. continual drippy nose, congestion, etc.). So, we'll see! And PS, thanks for suggesting almond milk, I plan to get some today!
Removing red meat from my diet made a huge difference in the way I felt...and I did that 13 years ago.
I really think I'm going to look into this. I want to be healthier, and now that I have a baby, I'm all about organic. Organic milk, fruits, veggies & meats.
Thanks for this post! =o)
I admire you, Angela! We recently joined a food co-op and while we can't quite give up meat, we are trying to only eat meat from the co-op (i.e., local, organic, ethical farms). Have you seen a trailer for the new movie Food, Inc? I just know when I watch it I'm going to be forced to make some major changes in my diet...
Leah, I have seen a trailer for that movie. I hope people see it and it makes them really think about their food!
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