Why Vegan?

I keep mentioning that I have to change my diet and I thought that I would write a whole post about my changes.  As you can see from the title of this blog post, I am going vegan. Before I get into why I am going vegan, I wanted to tell you my story.

The beginnings:(James and I at 4 and 2 years old) 

When I was 5 years old, I was sitting in my Nana’s car with my brother and we were eating a McDonald’s happy meal. I bit into my cheeseburger, looked at my bother and said “OMG I AM EATING A COW!” From that day on, I hated meat and I would refuse to eat it. Most kids did not like their broccoli, but when I was a kid I rather eat my broccoli than meat.  At one point when I got older my mom told me that if I wanted to be a vegetarian then I need to start cooking my own meals. She was tired of making two meals each night. I cannot say that I was a strict  vegetarian  because I was a kid and I had to do what my parents told me to do. Sometimes that meant I had to eat meat. As I got older and was living on my own, I became an unhealthy vegetarian. I say unhealthy because I did not know the first thing about nutrition and I thought eating a grilled cheese every night was a GREAT meal.   (James and I at  29 and 27 years old) 

A few years ago, I lost my job and was half living with my boyfriend at the time; who was paying for most of my meals.  Well… needless to say, I started eating meat. I had no money and could not be fussy about the food that he was making. Even after we broke up and I got a new job and  I continued to eat meat. Most of my friends are the most amazing cooks and love to have dinner parties and there was no way I was passing up a good home cooked meal. I still had a hard time eating some meats, but for the most part, I was full on eating meat. (homemade almond milk)  

Side note: My brother and I were allergic to dairy when we were kids. I grew up drinking soymilk and did not have my first glass of milk until I was almost out of high school.  I cannot stand drinking mike on its own, but I do LOVE cheese.
Today: I eat meat that is cooked for me, I will not and have not cooked meat for myself. When I eat out the only meat that I will order is a cheeseburger or fish ( I have always eaten fish.) Before, the holidays I deicide that I wanted to be a vegetarian again.  I should note that I use the word “vegetarian” loosely because I eat fish. This year Thanksgiving was a little different because we had a few non-meat eaters and full on vegans. I am used to being the only non-meat eater in my family, but times are changing. This is really exciting for me beacuse it will be a lot easier over the holidays.

(Vegan cookie)
 

Why Vegan:

I have been dealing with crazy allergies for a few months now and they will not go away. I was talking to my doctor about my allergies and he said it might have to do with dairy. He told me to cut dairy from my diet for a few months and see if my allergies go away. This would make since that dairy is causing my allergies because I was allergic to it as a kid. I do not really know, but I am going to cut dairy from my diet and see if it works. Therefore,… this is why I am going vegan.

I am doing a lot of reading on the vegan diet and will share more soon.

 

Comments

[Judith Cebreros]

Good luck with the new diet. I've developed allergies the past few years as well and now I'm wondering if it has to do with what I eat. Keep us updated to see how that goes.

It's funny, my cousin became a vegetarian when she was young too when she found out what chicken nuggets were made out of.

[Vanessa]

Good luck! I was vegan for a big part of the year and I loved it!!! Kudos to you! <333

[corrina]

Good luck! I was vegan for two years, and it is still the diet that makes me feel best. Anyway, I saw in your last post that you thought you would no longer be able to have things like pizza or ice cream... Oh, girl. You do not even know. There is a whole world of vegan junk food out there, and it is DELICIOUS.

Might I suggest you get some Isa Chandra Moskowitz cookbooks from the library and have a go at hearty, vegan meals that don't really make you feel like you've given anything up? Vegan Brunch is my personal favorite of her cookbooks, but they are all good. She also supports one of the best online communities for vegans I've ever seen. Theppk.com. People of all dietary ilks are welcome as long as discussion is kept to veganism.

Also, vegans LOVE blogging about food. So, get ready for your blog reader to explode. C'est La Vegan, http://www.cestlavegan.com/, is an amazing one I just found last month.

I'm sorry this is so long. Veganism just kind of makes me chatty. I hope this info isn't too redundant and that you find the diet easy breezy!

[Erin]

Will and I have seriously considered becoming vegan. Since learning how close to death I was not even a year ago, I have researched different information and kept stumbling upon the therapies developed by Dr. Max Gerson. After reading more into it, I have decided that I am going to ease myself into the vegan lifestyle. I don't know how long it will take but I know it MUST happen for me to survive and live healthy. So, I guess I say all of this to say kudos on your decision and if you need someone to talk to about the frustrations of the allergy stuff, I am totally here for you. :)

Erin

P.S. Miss you tons and tons!!