I've been absent for a bit. Getting used to the whole vegan thing.  The biggest revelation so far has been - it is not that difficult after all! I mean, I really hadn't expected it.  I thought I would be miserable. But so far it has not been bad.

Here are the key factors:

- Always, always have a snack on hand in case you're stuck in a non-vegan environment with no chance of escape (I bring a banana, a baggie of raw almonds and a peanut butter-banana sandwich or something similar)
- Go food shopping more often
- Have a mental or physical map (I mean smartphone app) that lists vegan or vegan friendly restaurants
- Drink lots of fluids

I've also gotten pretty experimental in the kitchen.  So I guess for me it has been about spontaneity and improvisation.  For the longest time I've had these tortillas in my freezer.  And I usually have a can of beans in the pantry.  And also usually a bag of frozen pre-cooked brown rice from Trader Joe's.  So putting all of that together and adding some cut up avocado (for lack of time in preparing guacamole) and dicing some tomatoes with red onions I came up with:

This is a non-queso quesadilla.  The worst thing about it is it doesn't stick together, so you really have to hold on to it pretty well.  There's also very little taste to it because I didn't try hard enough to make it tasty.  I would definitely invest in a jar of tangy salsa to throw in the middle. 

I left out the cheese because the packet of vegan cheese I was considering at the grocery store made me feel uneasy.  I read the ingredients and they just made me feel like I could do without.  I ate it.  

Today I managed to stay completely vegan. It was primarily because I allowed someone else to cook for me. Meaning - I ate out.  For lunch I had a compilation of veggies from Market Plate, which left me quite gassy. But then I got hungry soon after, so I needed another meal. I ended up in one of my favorite neighborhoods - Murray Hill - for a South Indian meal.  It was tasty and satisfying, but also left me gassy.  The verdict - vegan food creates a lot of gas. Sigh. Just something I (and those around me) will have to get used to.

Also important to note - it's way easier to commit to veganism if you've got sufficient funds for eating out whenever you feel like it and you're in a metropolis (like New York) where there are numerous places to find vegan fare.  This is absolutely not the case in other cities.  And though I often enjoy a meal out, my goal is to eat at home as much as possible. So the next step is to really go food shopping.

Another accomplishment is that I made my own almond milk!  It's really simple.  You need to soak some raw almonds for 48 hours and then blend them with some fresh water and wring the mixture through a cheese cloth. Voila!  You've got white almond milk that you can use in absolutely anything you would cow's milk without having to disturb a cow.  One more cow can go on vacation.

I would like to make a few disclosures.  I find militant vegans intimidating.  When organizations such as Peta show all those horrific photos of animals being tortured, I sort of tune out.  I know that there are people out there who are truly unaware of these horrific things happening to animals, but when you throw them in everyone's face over and over, it diminishes the effect. So I don't want to become one of those people.  I want to be able to educate without cramming anything down anyone's throat. 

I find that when I speak about the health benefits of being vegan, people are a lot more willing to listen. I think most people don't want to be made to feel guilty for participating in the torture of animals, so they avoid the issue.  But when it comes time to address their health, it becomes a much more easily digestible topic. So I don't mind.

I usually tell people for one reason or another, I don't eat meat because it comes from horrible conditions in factory farms. Can you imagine, eating the meat of an animal that has never fully lived a life, was shot up with hormones, released lots of adrenaline in its bloodstream from being stressed and frightened, and then likely died a pretty uncomfortable death? All that stuff goes into YOUR body. Then people usually listen.  

But it's not a way to manipulate anyone. I truly believe what I say.  Firstly, because it's true. But also because if it weren't for large-scale factory farms, I may not have become vegetarian.  I grew up in Ukraine, where we were lucky to have access to villages that followed the old-fashioned community way of keeping livestock.  Their animals were well cared for, well fed and allowed to roam until they were slaughtered by trained butchers, who did the deed quickly before the animal completely processed what was going on.  Yes, these animals were used by someone for food, but their lives could in no way be compared to what goes on in scary factory farms.  So I only really started to get concerned about meat and where it came from after moving to the U.S.

But I'm glad I did, because something needs to change.  I don't pretend everyone will suddenly stop eating animals or contributing to the demand for them, but some people will. And as long as more people are aware and care about their own health, I have hope.  

Sooooo sushi is not vegan. Sushi is not vegetarian. Simple reason - fish is not a vegetable. It's a living thing.  However, I love sushi. It is one of the reasons I haven't been a strict vegetarian ever since giving up eating every other animal. Those were easy.  Soon after giving up beef, pork and chicken, I couldn't even stand the smell of them cooking.  Bacon is the worst.  I'm not saying that's necessarily good, because you still have to live in a society that is largely meat-eating, but for me there was just no going back.

With fish, it's just different. One - I can't really communicate with fish the way I can (in my mind) with other animals.  So I guess I've explained that part away.  But also, I would starve for protein when I went without eating fish for a long time.  I would run out of vegetarian protein and start grabbing carbs (usually bread) and that just made me feel sluggish and uncomfortable and mostly just unhappy.  So I went back for fish... Sushi... Fish tacos... Grilled fish for dinner...

This is why this step of giving up that last animal is hard for me.  So last night I went out for a farewell sushi dinner.  I had sashimi to be exact. And because it was my last (or so I hope) I would like to pay my respects to the yellow tail, red snapper and salmon I consumed.  They were delicious.

This morning I had a crumpet with *vegan* cream cheese. I was skeptical because I normally don't like imitation anything, but I have to keep an open mind since I'll have to develop a new array of foods I can live off.  Sooooo the verdict - it was pretty decent AND didn't have an endless list of ingredients (a scary sign that it consists only of artificial things, even if vegan).  Even better, it was from Trader Joe's (read - accessible and affordable).

I even created a very quick and easy vegan snack - peanut butter and banana sandwich!  I don't like the taste of bananas and I don't like how peanut butter sticks to the roof of my mouth, but I ate it. I got energy. I moved on.

I feel like for me it's going to be trial and error like this.  But I'm excited. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Dear Whoever is Reading,

Welcome to my blog. I am attempting the very intimidating but, in my mind, very necessary step toward becoming vegan.  I have been a vegetarian who eats fish for many years now.  But going completely vegan - which means giving up ALL animal products - including cheese, eggs, honey and all products that contain them - makes me feel like I'll fail.  

I have a very busy lifestyle - a job, a business, a dog and a toddler.  Sometimes I only have time to throw something in my mouth before I have to run off.  So why am I setting out to torture myself with a much more limited menu, which will definitely have to exclude a quick slice of pizza (which is, of course, famously tasty)?  For several years now I have been exploring the differences between being a strict vegetarian and a stricter vegan. 

Unfortunately, in many ways, being a vegetarian but still using animal products does not help the animals exploited for food in our country.  That is my main reason for going down this challenging road.  Aside from truly caring about animals, I feel strongly that by supporting the animal exploiting industries we are only adding more overall suffering to our planet, which already suffers so much.  

It might sound "lame" but if you stop for 2 minutes and think about what it might be like for a mammal, at least, to be stuck in a tiny cage, being unable to move for most of its life, being in constant physical pain from restraints and illnesses, seeing and smelling nothing but dirt and suffering of its peers, and then arriving to your table in the form of a steak or a nugget, it may give you pause before wanting to participate in that type of industry at all.  If it does not, you should ask yourself why.  Is it denial? The feeling that you love meat too much to give it up? Not wanting to bother with veganism? 

Of course, in addition to the very real suffering of very real animals, you are also consuming the flesh of animals who have suffered through most of their lives.  Factory farming also consistently pollutes our environment.  But all of these things are easily researched, so I'm not going to go into them. These are just some of the reasons I have chosen to take the step toward veganism.  It's scary, but I'm determined to do it.

The purpose of this blog is to update myself and the world about how I'm doing. I intend to be very honest here. If I slip up, I will admit it.  I simply want to share how challenging but realistic it is to start and, hopefully, accomplish a journey toward a vegan lifestyle.  I invite you to join me in my pursuit and seeing if it is something you might want to explore.

Below are some places I'm using to start:


ABC News 12 Things you Need to Know Before Going Vegan

Vegan.com

Vegetarian Starter Kit (by Peta)