'Lazy' for Two Years

I have been a 'lazy' vegetarian for two years now!

What does that even mean?!

That means that, while I do not cook or purchase meat for myself, I still will eat seafood or even chicken/small amounts of beef if I am served it while out if there are no other options (think dinner at people's houses or parties). This probably happens once every two months or so. Luckily, my stomach has not had any adverse reactions to any meat I have occasionally consumed. I also have only been sick a very minimal amount since going vegetarian- I think consuming less hormones is a big part of that (and my increased vegetable intake). I like that I am not so strict and limiting with myself that I can still have meat if I am craving it or in a situation where it is the only option- that way I can listen to my body and ease any cravings (though I think in two years I probably have only craved chicken or turkey a very few times and when I did it was mostly due to the sauce the meat was in)! Some vegetarians probably don't agree with my philosophy, but it works for me and that is what matters. I feel I am still doing my part.

Here's to many more years of the same!

Still Vegan?

It's been a while since I posted about my vegan eating goals. Well, it's been difficult traveling eating vegan all the time, but I have had no problems eating vegetarian. It's been 6 weeks since I became an official vegetarian and it's been pretty easy. I would say that I eat vegan 50-75% of the time, and most of the time (90%) when I can control it, but vegetarian 100% of the time. The problem is eating out or eating with other people. Then it becomes difficult to be vegan, and I do not want to inconvenience anyone. But I have been feeling good, no lack of energy or anything like that, and I find that I can eat more because I am eating healthier. I have actually lost a few pounds even though I have been on many vacations and haven't limited the amount of what I eat. However, I watch how much crap is in what I eat, so I try to stick with foods with fewer ingredients and ingredients that are more natural or are things I have heard of. It isn't hard- simply a matter of reading labels and being conscious about it all. I also have started shopping at Trader Joe's, where food is pretty cheap and more natural, so I haven't been spending more on food than before. I actually have probably started spending less (I have also started using the online budget tool- www.mint.com- go check it out. Seriously. You will be amazed).

This whole experience is making me believe that it is more about what you eat, rather than how much you eat. I find that fact very freeing and it allows me to eat much healthier than before. And I am becoming semi-obsessed with cooking, which you would have never heard from me 1 year ago. I actually like it now and making up new recipes :). My favorite: veggie pizza with NO cheese!

Food for Thought

I promise I am not going to only talk about my new eating viewpoints, but while at the beach in Duck, North Carolina, I have been on a reading frenzy. I have read twelve books in four weeks, three since Sunday. Anyways, before anyone can argue with me that eating animals is ok, I will only speak to you about it if you have read these two books:

"In Defense of Food"

"Eating Animals"

Natalie Portman describes the latter perfectly, “[T]his book reminded me that some things are just wrong. Perhaps others disagree with me that animals have personalities, but the highly documented torture of animals is unacceptable, and the human cost Foer describes in his book, of which I was previously unaware, is universally compelling.”

OK I promise I am off my soapbox!!

Sample Menu

Four days into veggie living and it's going well. I am finding that I don't miss meat at all and that it is pretty easy avoiding it. I was at a dinner party last night and knew they were having steak, so I didn't know how that would go with me not eating it (I actually don't like steak anyways, so I wouldn't eat it even if I wasn't a vegetarian), but they actually had an alternative dish for the non-red meat eaters.

For those curious as to what I typically eat on a regular basis now, here is a sample:

Breakfast- Fiber One Cereal w/ Soy Milk and a piece of fruit (Banana or Strawberries)

Lunch- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on Wheat Bread (delicious w/ Sweet Pickles), Honey Wheat Pretzels, Yogurt and a piece of fruit (typically Grapes)

Dinner- Spinach leaves topped with Strawberries, Blueberries, Pecans/Walnuts, and Low-Fat Poppyseed dressing with Carrots and Hummus (and sometimes bread) as a side. I usually have Soy Ice Cream Sandwiches for dessert.

Snacks- Granola Bars, Fiber One Bars, Apples, Nuts, Pretzels, ect

I have also been clearing out my milk/egg products, so I have been eating more yogurt and egg whites than I will once I go more "vegan." I don't expect to be a real vegan at any point because I think it will be too difficult and I do not want to be rude or difficult at events/parties/eating out, but I will try my best. Anyways, vegetarianism is pretty simple in our day and age, I just have to make sure I don't overload on carbs! This is making me more interesting in cooking, though, so I think I have a new hobby starting...:) I am already cutting out recipes and getting more creative with veggies in dishes. I may be a chef after all!

Going Veg

I have never been a huge meat eater or a huge proponent of animal rights. I love animals, but their treatment in regards to killing so we could eat them was never something I thought much of. I have dabbled in vegetarianism before, simply to see if I could do it, and while I felt that it was never terribly difficult, I had no reason to really continue once my goal was reached (however many months I was trying for).

Now I do.

At the beach this past weekend my friend Nicole had the book, "Skinny Bitch," at her apartment. I was zipping through my romance books so I decided to take a break and read something more educational. This book blew my mind. Learning about what farmers do to animals (and then watching a PETA video) sealed the deal. Not only was I going vegetarian...I was going vegan. That's right. No meat or animal products, including eggs or milk (I won't go into the details of the book, but a huge point is that we are the only nation in the world that drinks milk after we are a kid (it's for GROWTH), let alone the milk of another species, and that the marketing telling us milk "does a body good" is all by the dairy industry NOT nutritionists, also the cows are treated awful...as are the chickens and pigs). Luckily, we live in an age where this shouldn't be too hard of a feat to accomplish due to the availability of soy and tofu based products, but it is still a big life change. I figured I can use my blog to chronicle my journey.

I am slowly easing into it- I am officially a vegetarian as of yesterday, but I am not going to be a full fledged vegan until the end of the month. I do not want to waste food I already have and with vacations and traveling it will be too difficult to start right now. Once I have time to find good foods and plan for events, traveling and such will be easier. I also recognize that I may not be able to be vegan all the time, but I will try my best and see how it makes me feel. Supposedly, going vegan is a very positive change for your body. I also am cutting out artificial sweetener (aspartame, splenda, ect) for more natural substitutes (truvia). It will be hard to give up my crystal light habit...that may be a more gradual change. What I really like about the vegan lifestyle is that it is NOT about counting calories or fat grams, it is about watching what you put into your mouth (i.e. reading ingredients) and not how much. Obviously you shouldn't gorge yourself on french fries (they are vegan) but if you eat mostly veggies, fruits and grains, you won't be fat.

I also know that many people think this is stupid. That is fine. I am doing this for me and the environment and I do not expect everyone to agree with it. If I hate it, I'll stop. But I am going to really go for it for the rest of my summer break since I have time to shop and cook foods I like.

Anyways, day #2 done- wish me luck! (And good luck to Nicole who is doing the same thing:))! And if this is something you have thought of or want more info on, visit www.thekindlife.com