The Vegan Venture

Welcome to September – the month I have chosen for my Vegan Month Challenge, here on out known as The Vegan Venture.

WHO: Me (and anyone who chooses to join me – I know there are several of you planning a Vegan Thursday, Vegan Wednesday, etc.)

WHAT: All plant-based foods, all the time

WHEN: September 1 – September 30

WHERE: Wherever the heck you or I may be!

WHY: I have actually gone back and forth with vegetarianism since middle school, even dabbling in veganism for a couple brief stints in time. The times that I’ve gone out of a vegetarian diet have been because I didn’t want to offend someone (i.e. I didn’t want to refuse the food prepared the first time I celebrated a holiday down south with my in-laws) or because I was led to believe that proteins like boneless, skinless chicken breasts are one of the best and easiest ways to get protein into my daily diet. (What’s easier than a plant-based protein that doesn’t take nearly as long to cook and prepare?) I’ve never been a fan of beef or pork, and it took me a while to acquire a taste for salmon and other fish. To this day I do not eat shellfish, because I have a sneaking suspicion I have a shellfish allergy.

The things that have pulled me out of a vegan diet before have ultimately been my love affair with dairy. And boy, do I love my dairy products – Greek yogurt, cheeses, milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt, cheesecake (heck, my wedding cake was cheesecake!)…I could go on and on. However, as I’ve gotten older, I have realized more and more that dairy does not like me back. Having experimented with going a couple days, a week, etc. without dairy – I know that many of my stomach and digestive issues clear up when I eliminate dairy. I feel so much better when I avoid dairy.

What I am hoping to get out of my Vegan Venture month:

• I’m hoping that avoiding dairy for a month will eliminate all dairy cravings that I may have, enabling me to feel better all the time without all the stomach/ digestive issues.
• I’m hoping to see if veganism is a lifestyle I could realistically apply to my life.
• I’m hoping to improve my overall healthiness.
• I’m hoping to become more aware of what I’m putting in my body (i.e. instead of just grabbing that cookie because it sounds good, I need to actually see what’s in it).
• I’m hoping that since most “common” baked goods and sweets are not vegan, that I’ll be able to cut down on my sweet tooth.
• I’m hoping to determine that eating a healthy, vegan lifestyle can be done on a budget.
• I’m hoping to see that I can get enough of my dietary needs from plant-based sources.
• I’m hoping to pick up more reading material on the vegan lifestyle to grow in my knowledge of a vegan diet during this month.

A couple notes to clear up, because I know I will be asked:

• While Ross is looking forward to trying new vegan meals that I prepare, this isn’t something that is a big priority to him. He still enjoys meat and dairy, and it doesn’t pose as much a problem to his health as it does to mine, so he will still be enjoying things like skim milk with his cereal and deli meat in his sandwiches.
• Honey – I know this is a pretty controversial topic amongst vegans. I tend to use raw agave nectar over honey anyways (there are actually still some nutrients retained in raw agave nectar), but if a product contains honey I’m not going to worry about it (i.e. I’d rather have a veggie sub on honey wheat bread for the whole grains at Subway, than have the same sub on plain white bread). Plus, there are health benefits to honey – if you eat local honey, it can help with your allergies!
• Fur & Leather – I’m not a big fan of fur and leather in the first place (I just don’t like how it looks), and the majority of my shoes/ purses are made of synthetic leather.
• I think I made this clear by now, but I am not doing this just for giggles, I’m not doing this because of some fad, etc. And also – while I am very sensitive to the treatment of animals, I am first and foremost doing this for my health.

There you have it! I extend an open invitation to any of you who may be contemplating a vegan diet yourself. There are many excellent vegan cookbooks out there (Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance; eat, drink & be vegan). Do you want to commit to trying a recipe or two during the month? Commit to going one day out of the month as a vegan to see if it’s as hard as you think? One day a week? One week? Go all out with me? While I am doing this for myself, if anyone else chooses to participate at all, send me an email/ drop me a comment with a vegan recipe, a recap of a day of vegan eats, etc., and for each comment/ email I’ll enter you into a contest at the end where (at the very least) you’ll get some of my awesome homemade vegan cookies.

If you have any questions, general or personal, I’d be happy to answer/ look into an answer for you. Leave a comment or shoot me an email at mrslcblog (at) gmail (dot) com.