Turning Vegan. Why? How tough is it? My first week completed.
Today is the 7th day in a row without meat, fish, and dairy in my diet. Before last week, i'd eat these food sources considering them to be a part of a healthy diet with little reflection on how the environment is faring, let alone the animal and it's life prior to being my food, or during it's life producing what i have been eating.
So i suppose there are 3 reasons why I've decided to go plant-based:
1. My health
2. The Environment (which affects my health)
3. The Animals (which have little direct affect on my health but have a direct affect on the environment, which affects my health)
In summary, it's all about me! And why not? I'm here for myself, to live, learn, and improve my life where i see fit. Now before you close the blog thinking 'selfish tw*t', consider:
So you see, being selfish and thinking for yourself, isn't necessarily a bad thing :)
How's its been this past week?.. Oh it has been very tough...
No, it hasn't, not at all really. 'Oh but don't you miss bacon?' Like i miss my mother! OK bad example. No i don't miss bacon or any of the meat. It's not like quitting cigarettes, this food doesn't have a mental power over you and there are no withdrawal symptoms, that I've noticed to date. Perhaps an egg on toast, or a piece of cake brought into the office for a birthday... That looked good, but i wasn't crying that i missed out.
What you been eating then?
Loads of stuff! I've always been a fan of vegetables, especially the green ones, so vegetables like Brocolli and Spinach which i'm happy to have more than one reason to eat now. The new things are Lentils and Quinoa, for protien and to fill me up. And, a addition of more fruits, berries, and some additional seeds. Potatoes and Pasta have always been common in my diet, but i think i'll need to make these (and the lentils/quinoa) interesting and varied so not to Vege burnout.
How are you feeling?
Pretty chuffed with myself actually! I've been sleeping well, and i guess that it's a feeling of i'm doing good here, which is making me feel positive in general. Really interested to see how my sleep goes as i continue, especially as the winter months close in and i'm not getting my vitamin D sunshine supply.
Finally, a few other random points of note this week:
- I'm spending a bit more time in the kitchen
- I'm spending less cash at the Supermarket
- I need some new knives and a better blender
- Telling (meat-eating) people you aren't eating meat any more makes them look at you a bit weird
- Being vegan doesn't make you crap more frequently or make them smellier!
Thanks for reading today. I'll be on the lookout for people to follow who are on the same path, and have advice and ideas on (god i never thought i'd type this) recipes to share.
Asher
