I want to be a vegan. An animal rights aware, B-12 deficient, can't find a restaurant to eat at, immune system of steel, tofurky eatin' mutha fucka. I know the horrible things that go on at factory farms, I know about the mass amounts of hormones and antibiotics being injected into farm animals, I know that many of my health problems will be exponentially better if I give up animal products. I also unfortunately possess the knowledge that bacon cheeseburgers are ridiculously delicious, and the thought of never having one again brings a feeling of mourning.
My immune system sucks. I get every single cold and flu that comes within a mile, and I get to be sicker than most with it. I believe this is because my Mother is a germaphobe and kept me in the house (literally) until I went to kindergarten. Every soap in her house was antibiotic and I was rushed to the doctor after every sneeze. Oh, the screaming fights we got into when I had my own children and did not make every effort to turn my home into a sterilized germ war zone. But my way worked, I took my kids out in public when they were infants (gasp!) and my kids get sick a lot less than I do. So, a logical thought process should lead me to do whatever I need to do to strengthen my own immune system. I stopped using antibiotic hand soap but continue to eat factory farm raised meat. DUH!
A few months ago I gave it all up, all at once. Without planning for it. Without cutting things out one at a time, without figuring out how to cook the enigma that is tofu. Without bracing myself against commercials that feature close ups of bacon cheeseburgers! My first vegan attempt lasted all of two weeks. Everything I cooked was edible, not good but edible. I am a damn good cook. The size of my husband's and my waistlines are testament enough to that, so after two solid weeks of 'meh' food I threw up my hands shouted "fuck this!" and went to buy some goddamn cheeseburgers.
Now that it has been long enough to think it thru, I want to try again. I will cut one thing out every time I go grocery shopping, every two weeks. I will try one vegan recipe per week and ignore my husband when his critique is "needs beef". My culinary ego needs to succeed at this, and my brain needs to win the war against my awful eating habits. Besides, garden burgers with bac-o's are good too.
I know it is hard, but it is sooooo worth it! I was vegetarian for 15 years before going vegan; so I know it was easier for me. But even going from vegetarian to vegan has had so many health benefits. My blood pressure dropped. I lost about 15lbs without changing anything else. (I am still a chub- which I suppose is a testament to the delicious vegan food I make. LOL) My bad cholesterol is practically non-existent. And I NEVER get sick. I don't get flu shots. I have not really been sick since I went vegan. My husband and son are not vegan, but they eat what I cook for dinner, which is only vegan. They never get sick either. My son gets meat if we go out, or if my husband grills something. I think easing into it is a great idea. Some vegan meat substitutions are good, but some are not. The "crumbles" from boca are great for tacos. And if you have a Trader Joes around they have vegan "meat balls" that are great for soup or pasta. But honestly most of the meals I cook do not have any tofu. The protein comes from the veggies, beans, legumes or whole grains. I will totally help you if you want. I went vegan on my own and always felt like I was going to "mess up". I soon realized that trying my best was good enough. If you want I will send you some recipes that I LOVE! They might inspire you.
ReplyDeleteI have bounced back and forth with vegetarianism my whole life, but now married with kids and on a budget - majority has ruled. But, our health is important so I want to do what's best. I would love some of your recipes!
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