Hello all...
Well, the few that would read this :)
Anyway, I thought I would do a quick post about my recent food intervention. Starting in September (I think) I was looking up recipes for something delicious. While we believed Elizabeth has been allergic to dairy I usually look up vegan recipes to make it easier on myself. Then I came upon chooseveg.com... lots of yummy recipes, and oh, look, some info on why its good to eat vegan. So me being the animal lover that I have always been clicks on the go vegan, for the animals section of the website... Well... it wasnt just reading matereal. It was a film. Showing really really really sad things that go on in our meat producing system. I was horrified and I told Eric later that night that I wasnt going to be able to eat meat (or eggs), at least for a few days. In my mind I thought "I eat meat 1-3 times daily, I am going to start to feel really deprived if I don't eat meat, but I just cant do it for a few days."
Well, a few days came and went, and what did I notice? Lots more energy, and no cravings for meat whatsoever! "Weird" I thought to myself. How could I possibly be feeling better without meat? Well there are lots of reasons and I wont go into all that detail here. There are plenty of places to read about it though. One of which some of my family members told me about greensmoothiegirl.com (check out the 12 nutritional myths!)
A few months ago I decided I was going to be a strict Vegan. No eggs, no dairy, no meat, no animal products whatsoever. I can say that I did use a little honey, and apparently reguar white sugar isnt considered vegan because they use cow bones to grind it. But those were the only things that I still had, and that was very sparingly in my cooking.
Fast foreward to now... I did some reading in the Word of Wisdom and was really interested in what it had to say about meat. It then took me on a cross reference journey through other sections of D&C and passages in the Bible. I realized that I didnt have to be an anti meat egg eater. It clearly talkes about how animals were placed on the earth for the use of man.
With the knowledge I had recieved from watching food inc.. and the info on the website I mentioned earlier I concluded that although animals were put on earth for food, they were not put on earth to be treated inhumanely and taken advantage of. Reading the word of wisdom again really clarified this for me. It talked about how it is Heavenly Fathers wisdom that meat should not be eaten, save famine, winter, cold etc... The more research that I have done has helped me to realize that the average American diet is very unhealthy, bad for the planet, and against the advice given to us from a loving Heavenly Father.
Did it take me a while to get used to making meals without meat...? Nope, not really. Why? Well, it actually almost made my cooking more simple. I didnt have to cook any meat, worry about if it was cooked all the way through or not, etc. It has been more fun too, as I like to cook, and like to be creative. I find myself very pleased when I can make a cake or a sweet concoction, just as good if not better than its non vegan counterpart.
Now, thanksgiving rolled around and I figured I would have a little Turkey. As long as it was hormone free and free range etc... So I had some on my plate, ate it, tasted good. But I imagined my body going into some kind of caveman mode where I just couldnt stop eating the meat. It didnt really turn out that way, infact, I was quite content with just my small slice of Turkey and enjoying all the reast of the foods more so.
I am eating eggs once in a while (the free range kind, although a little more expensive I feel okay about eating them knowing the Chickens can actually walk around, lift their wings, and their beaks arent cut off.) I will eat meat too if my body is craving it and lets me know it needs it. But so far, I havent had a craving since Thanksgiving. A quick thought about the meat we eat too... think about the Turkey that you bought... ours was over $30. That got me thinking though... Thats an expensive turkey! BUT, not really. Think about it, you are buying a turkeys life... the food it ate, its shelter, the cost to take care of it, and the farm making a profit. Now, how could a turkey possibly cost anywhere under $50? Well, if you watch food inc... you will find out. The times I will be eating meat will be more expensive, but since it will not be nearly as much as I was eating before, I doubt we will notice any difference in our pocketbooks.
Okay, now I want to say that this whole experience (trying out veganism) has been very rewarding in many ways. I am definently more thankful for the food on my plate, especially when it involves meat. I am willing to buy more expensive food (mostly organic) becuase I know how the system works. I feel amazing! I have more energy, and I eat all the carbs my body craves (the pasta lover in me is in love!) I have been dairy free for a year and a half now and really love it to be honest. I have had a few times when I miss cheese, but those are fleeting moments. I have found coconut milk, almond milk, coconut ice cream etc all to be far superior in taste and nutrition.
Now I want to take a minute to say that I think everyone should try eating vegan (or mostly vegan) for 1 week. I don't think that will make anyone choose to be vegan, and I don't really want that. I just see the difference it has made in myself and would love to share the extra energy, and peace of mind that eating a mostly vegan diet has brought into my life. If you cant give me a week... try a day. I would love to get some comments if anyone really does this, and I would be happy to share any help or recipes with those of you who would be willing to give this a shot!
Love
Renee
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