I am posting early this week because on Sunday I will be floating somewhere off the coast of Alaska without internet!!
I rededicated myself to being vegan over a year ago after a few detours.
The detours were good. They gave me perspective.
I learned my lesson.
I feel better and my digestion is better.
My first attempts began in 1982 when the only real vegan choices I had were salad and oil and vinegar dressing.
As the years have gone by, a pregnancy, nursing a baby )when I crave rare steak and chicken wings), the unhealthy packaged food vegan stage and NOW (Tah Dah!), vegan options are just about everywhere.
I had no problem last year in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Montenegro or Croatia.
This year I had an easy time of it in Copenhagen, Denmark, There were three vegan restaurants within walking distance of each other.
I had no issues in Sweden, Estonia, or Finland. Russia was interesting and I must say they did their best to accommodate me!
For me, it’s not a fad or a new diet. It's my lifestyle.
It's what works for me.
If it works for anyone else, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s great, too. I’m not Draconian about it.
I'm not going to lecture you, .quote statistics, show you horrible pics of tortured and slaughtered animals or force you to watch "What the Health?"
I live my life the way I choose and you need to do the same..
I keep vegan as much as possible. When I can't, then I choose vegetarian. (To tell the truth, if a restaurant can offer me vegetarian food, it only takes a slight tweak to make it vegan.)
BUT if I go to someone’s home and they work hard to prepare me a meal and it has meat in it, I'll eat it. Most people know that I’m vegan or they ask. I find that incredibly thoughtful. However, I won’t turn down food kindly prepared for me even if it contains meat..
A friend remarked how that was very Buddhist of me. I guess you could say that. I just think it's the compassionate thing to do.
There are great health benefits to being vegan.
AND YES, I get PLENTY of protein.
My husband and son are not vegan but they DO eat vegan for their health at least 4 days a week.
All the saturated fat from animal protein is NOT good for the health.
Well, you might ask, what about coconut oil and the saturated fats from it?
I don't use it anymore and mostly because it has a CRAZY amount of calories in just ONE tablespoon. I want to benefit from the calories I eat and a tablespoon of anything is not satisfying, or filling.
Here's my little anecdote:
Recently, I was in the Houston airport.
That airport is like a GIGANTIC mall. I hadn't been in it in years and I didn't recognize it.
There are restaurants for just about anyone.
I found a healthy restaurant with bowls, smoothies, juices and soups.
I asked if the “Buddha Bowl” on the menu was vegan? She said she didn’t know and she would check.
After consulting a chart, she confirmed it was vegan.
While she was ringing up my order she asked ”do you want meat with that?”
I couldn't help but chuckle and think that, honestly, you can’t make this stuff up.
Maybe it was an automatic question, like "do you want fries with that" or "do you want to make that a combo?"
OR there are people who say they are “vegetarian” and actually eat fish or chicken. (I'm not sure I get that but to each his or her own.)
I had to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe the tofu on the menu was classified as a meat add-on along with the beef, chicken and shrimp.
Nevertheless, it still felt like someone was going to pop around the corner and say: “LIVE FROM HOUSTON, IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!"
If being vegan is for you, good for you. If you are curious about veganism, contact me with any questions.
If you eat animal protein - to each his or her own.
That being said, give vegan a try even if for only one day a week.
Get your necessary fruits and veggies and give your digestive tract a little vacation.
AND if you make a face and say " I HATE KALE!" even though it's a "SUPERFOOD", that's ok.
I hate Kale, too!
As always, thanks for reading.
See you next week.