This year has already been a doozy! So far in the last 23 days I have gotten back to work after being on limited duty for a leg injury, my little five pound chihuahua has been diagnosed with CHF, my car has broken down and I have decided to eat vegan. Some of the things that have happened have been amazing. Others have really shaken me and caused serious upset and stress. The one thing I know is that I can get through anything! I am a strong woman and have an amazing heart.
I've decided that the direction of my blog is going to change. I want to make it more about my journey into eating as a vegan than anything else. I'll include recipes I try, products I find, etc. I'm doing this because I've found some good sources on eating vegan but as a person who truly loves meat, I have found that the vegan foods I am finding aren't "meat eater" foods. What do I mean by that? Well, they are foods that most meat eaters would only eat if they were forced to because the food supply had been annihilated. I want this blog to help other people who don't want to harm animals but who love their meat. Most of the recipes I've found thus far have been recipes for people who love veggies and beans and though I do love beans and I like veggies, I am not a person who is ever going to live happily ever after with Mr Carrot. He proposed. I said "NO!".
So what does a meat eater eat when they eat vegan? Well, I'm an extreme novice. I've been eating vegan for about two weeks now and other than some cheese and summer sausage that I still had from before I chose to change my eating, I haven't had any foods that had a face since I began a few weeks ago. My first week as a vegan I ate mostly processed crap, and found that you REALLY have to be careful when buying "vegetarian" foods, as often they are NOT vegan! I'm not saying that you can only eat foods that say vegan, quite the contrary. You just have to make sure that you check the labels very closely to be sure it is vegan. I bought a bunch of MorningStar Farms burgers, crumbles, etc, only to find that they not only had milk in them but also egg whites. The biggest thing that bothers me is the cutting off of baby chicks beaks so that while they are in crowded cages they can't hurt themselves or other chickens. Honestly I'd eat eggs if I could find a farm I knew was reputable and did NOT do that. I don't have a problem with eggs or where they come from. I have an issue with what they do to the animals where they come from. *jumps down off soap box*
Okay, diatribe over. Since I've been eating vegan I've lost and gained about six pounds. I am frustrated because I don't want to go back to eating animals but I also can't keep living at this weight. It's killing my knees, my back and my moral! Ultimately, I want the best of both worlds and I think with this blog I'm going to find it! First, I'm going to avoid soy products this week. I ate a lot of soy last week and the week before and I think it could be partly why my weight has stalled. Second, I am focusing on getting enough protein. My suggestion is to use a site like MyFitnessPal.com the first few months, or longer, to make sure you're getting enough protein, as that is a concern for many vegans. Also, I think it's advisable to take a vitamin B-12 supplement. I personally buy mine at Trader Joe's and it's their brand B-12 which contains 16,666% of the RDA for B-12. Why should you supplement? Well, to be quite honest, it's a vitamin that is predominantly found in animal protein. I also supplement with magnesium but that's just because I stress out a lot and it has helped considerably with my menstrual cramps/attitude (usually I am aggressive and mean).
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