Going Vegan

I've been putting a lot of thought recently about my reasons for going vegan. The key to staying vegan is knowing why you're doing it in the first place. I'm not doubting my reasons, or wavering in my veganism, but I think that the changing of the seasons again is making think about the future and reflect a bit on the past.

I'm vegan for the animals, plain and simple. I wouldn't eat my dogs or anything that breathes and sustains itself in a similar fashion. I know why I do this and it's very important that you do as well so that staying vegan is not challenging.

The benefits of going vegan are huge and there are millions of reasons for doing so. If you simply want to be healthier, that's a good reason for being vegan in my opinion and I respect you for that. Whatever reason you come up with you've gotta stick to your guns, or keeping it up is going to be tricky. It's especially important that the people around you also know your reasons or they may question your motives.

Those that have a hard time staying vegan are the ones that do it solely for someone else. Again, I'm not judging your motives, but don't expect too much out of it. If going and being vegan is important to you, you must do it for yourself. Even if you don't make it too long you've done more than most people will (and the animals appreciate your meat eating hiatus!).

I know that was a bit of a ramble, so in case you didn't follow - Know why you're vegan before making the decision on going vegan!!

Stay vegan my friends!

Going Vegan

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How I Stay Vegan #5: Vegan Clothing

We all wear clothes. We all love to have new clothes that make us feel good about who we are. Remember being vegan is a statement from your heart and I always wear mine on my sleeve. Choosing to not wear animal clothing is a statement itself. You won't catch me in a shirt that says, "I Love Tofu," but when you know me and talk to me, my everyday apparel speaks volumes. In the city we live in there isn't very good shopping for clothes. Finding clothing is not always easy, size, shape, length, and now we add on no animal? It's not a sacrifice you had to make, it's a sacrifice that the animal that died to give it's life to make you a leather belt or pair of shoes had to make. I don't want to get preachy because there are tons of blogs and sites that better explain reasons to wear vegan gear. Even more on top of that, are blogs and sites that tell you were to buy stuff. We had to weed out some of the stuff when we first went vegan that just weren't the style that fit who we are. So here are a few sites that have done us right.

Alternative Outfitters
Couch Guitar Straps

Simple Shoes
Zappos

Have fun staying vegan!

How I Stay Vegan #5: Vegan Clothing

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How I Stay Vegan #4: Companion Animals

I came across an article by Eccentric Vegan at Vegan Soap Box titled, Can Vegans Have Pets, and it got my thinking about my pooches and the pivotal role they've played in my veganism.  Having those guys around really helped me understand the value of an animals life and the role they play in mine.  There are a lot of subtopics we could discuss here, but I think that focusing on caring for a species other than your own is most appropriate.

I don't remember the point in my childhood when I realized that a chicken was a McNugget, but I imagine that it was fairly early on.  Seeing animals as living, breathing entities with feelings is something that some folks have a hard time doing.  We're trained from early on to separate and curb our feelings towards animals in order to justify their use in food, testing and exhibition (defined as speciesism by Peter Singer).  This is a part of the seafood vs. sea animal debate.  Just because they're another fishes food, doesn't mean they're our food.  I'll tackle that one in another blog...

 

Knowing that a pig feels pain and is as smart as my alarm clocks that jump on my bed every morning to wake me up reinforces my veganism.  Caring for an animal lowers that barrier between seeing animals as tools and as sentient beings.  This reminds me of a conversation I had with a dude once about why I was vegan, and I responded with, "because I wouldn't eat my dogs."  Obviously, eating dogs is extreme but when all animals are held in the same regard as we hold the ones who live by our side cruelty will disappear.

This isn't a call for everyone to rush out and adopt a puppy.  Do your homework first, make sure you have the time and resources to give your new family member a great home.  Don't cause more suffering by not being able to provide everything an animal needs.  To quote the blog linked above:

Vegans do not want to put animals in bad situations or remove animals from good situations. We just want to save lives and protect animals.

Well put.  

Stay vegan!

How I Stay Vegan #4: Companion Animals

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How I Stay Vegan #3: Dealing With Bullies

Any vegan can tell you a story about a time when an omni gave them a hard time for being vegan.  It happens for lots of reasons.  Some people just don't understand what we do and why we do it, it's a fact of vegan life.  There are entire websites dedicated to it, bumper stickers, t-shirts, and endless jokes.  So what are we to do?  Well, here's my plan.

Arm yourself with the facts.  You've seen this idea come up many times over the blog posts here, and I believe it to hold true for dealing with anyone who is being a pain in the ass.  You are going to get some wild questions thrown at you by people who don't understand (i.e. "don't plants have feelings?" or "you still eat fish, right?"), and knowing what you're talking about will usually pee on their parade pretty quickly.

Ignore them.  This is a step that usually comes instinctually when someone is being a complete jerk and is harassing you just to piss you off.  Just walk away, or close your IM window, do what it takes to remove yourself from the situation.  If you can't leave, tell them (nicely) to stop.  If you play their game, you'll only fuel their fire.  Here's some good reading on dealing with bullies that is geared toward school kids, but applies well here because most antagonists are at the same level of maturity.

Lead by example.  You'll probably have people who are close to you that will give you a hard time for your vegan diet.  You can't ignore these people or educate them with facts because they just won't listen.  What to do?  Show them how awesome you are!  When they start seeing how good you look and feel, hopefully it'll quiet them down and maybe help understand why you do what you do.

Jerks are everywhere, so we have to learn to deal with them.  How have you dealt with ruffians in the past?

Stay Vegan!

Photo credit dennisandluba on Flickr.

How I Stay Vegan #3: Dealing With Bullies

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How to Tell Your Parents That You're Vegan

You've decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle.  That's awesome!  You have your diet planned out, restaurants to eat at, and places to buy animal free clothes on your map.  Now it's time to face the parents.  This can be a daunting task.  Are they going to be pissed?  Will they understand?  Will they be supportive?  There's only one way to find out - tell them!

There's a saying that "an idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan any day."  If you go into this with facts and a plan, you are a lot more likely to come out unscathed.  Better for you and for your family.  I'll assume that you've been vegetarian for a little while, so this conversation with your parents won't be coming totally out of left field.  I'll also assume that you are committed to making this work.  If you weren't you probably wouldn't have read this far...

Here's where the plan begins.  Arm yourself with as many facts as possible.  I mean real facts, not "I heard vegans live longer" or "milk is filled with pus."  Get the facts behind these statements so you can support your "presentation".  Define a clear reason why you want to change your life and become vegan.  PETA is a great place to start, but don't rely on them for everything.  Print things out if you need to.  Make a brochure or outline for them to follow while you're talking.  There are a million things you could do to beef up (pun intended) your "presentation" to convey how serious you are about being vegan.  This will have a double pronged effect; they will be impressed that you've done so much research and you'll become an aficionado on vegan lifestyle.  Browse through the Reasons People Don't Stay Vegan posts here at Stay Vegan for more info.

Do more research on nutrition.  One thing that I ran into with my parents were the usual vegan protein and vegan B12 questions.  Explain to them that a balanced vegan diet covers all nutritional needs (and have the facts to back that statement up!).  Also explain all of the good things that you're going to eat and cook (more on that later).  Again, research is as important for them as it is for you.  When I made the transition from vegetarian to vegan I spent the majority of my time reading and researching, and I feel it's had a profound effect on my life since.

Here's where you sell it.  Explain that all of this means no extra work for them (focus on the benefits).  You're going to help cook meals and make something for yourself so that you can eat dinner with the family every night.  Also, you're going to cook some meals by yourself for the entire family so they can see how great you eat.  I know I sound a little bossy, but this really works.  If you really want to sell this to them, you have to do your part too!  Cooking is the key for me to stay vegan.  Check out some great vegan cookbooks here at our bookstore.  Books like How It All Vegan and Veganomicon have great sections for beginner vegan cooks to help teach you how to work confidently in the kitchen.

Don't you feel good now that you told them?  It might have gone well, it might not have, but you did it nonetheless.  Nice job!  Not only are you a better vegan now, you're also smarter and better informed.

Stay Vegan!

How to Tell Your Parents That You're Vegan

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How I Stay Vegan #1 1/2

To further elaborate on How I Stay Vegan #1, let's talk about vegan cookbooks and recipes.  They're a source of inspiration for meal time.  Many of them are geared toward the beginning vegan and have very valuable resources in the first chapters about cooking basics, what to stock your pantry with, and how to read labels, and general help on staying vegan.  As a new vegan some of the recipes can seem a little daunting at first, with ingredients that you may have never heard of before, but with practice and patience it'll become second nature.  Let's take a look at a few of these ingredients so you can go into the kitchen with confidence.

• Tofu - Tofu comes from coagulating soymilk and squishing the mix into blocks.  Tofu comes in different densities, usually soft/silken, medium, firm and extra firm.  Each firmness has it's own uses and advantages.  For example, soft/silken tofu is great for making puddings and extra firm is great for slicing and frying in stir-fry.  Be sure to drain the water off of the block before using (unless the recipe says not to), and the more water you can squish out of an extra-firm block the better it will fry.  Tofu can be found at most grocery stores and is a staple in vegan food.
• Tempeh - Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and has a much more dense texture than tofu.  Tempeh is sometimes used as a vegan meat replacement because of it's meaty texture.  Usually tempeh is soaked in water/brine or marinated before frying since it will take on much of the marinade's flavor.  Tempeh can be found in health food stores and Asian supermarkets.
• Seitan - Seitan is made from wheat gluten.  Gluten in bread is what makes the dough stretchy and the finished product chewy.  It's made by washing bread dough until the starch dissolves and the gluten is left behind.  Seitan is a great alternative to tempeh for vegans with soy allergies.  Seitan is usually used, like tempeh, as a vegan meat replacement.  It has a stringier texture that resembles pulled pork or shredded chicken.  Seitan can be found in health food stores and Asian supermarkets.
• Nutritional Yeast - Nooch (as it's referred to in the PPK) is usually used in place of cheese in vegan recipes.  It's also often fortified with vitamin B12, a vitamin crucial to good health and primarily found in meat.  Nooch can be used as a base for gravy, mock cheese, or sprinkled on top of pasta instead of parmesan cheese.  Look for it in the bulk section of your health food store.
• Textured Vegetable Protein - TVP is another vegan meat replacer that is high in protein and fiber and works great in the place of ground beef.  It usually comes in flakes and will need to be rehydrated before use, but read your recipe first.  Look for it in the bulk section of your health food store.
  

These are just a few of the more common ingredients you may come across.  None of them are expensive or difficult to use.  Give them a try and tell us how it goes!  

See also How I Stay Vegan #1.

Stay Vegan!

How I Stay Vegan #1 1/2

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How I Stay Vegan #2

So, this is the wifey. Just life at its best. Taking the funny, day by day things that happen in my crazy vegan life, and telling my story. Even if you have a temptation, it helps to have someone around to bust your balls and keep you in check (please, no real busting of the balls, ouch). Surround yourself with other vegans, if you don't have a significant other. Start a potluck in your area. Get out and be your-vegan-self.

Funny things happen to me all the time, I learn some of my best life lessons in veganism through trial and error. But my husband and I are jokers. What fun would there be in life, if the vegan joke is always told by someone other than yourself? Nobody gets my vegan jokes anyways.

Stay Vegan!

How I Stay Vegan #2

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How I Stay Vegan #1

Here's a quick clip, by yours truly, about one of the many ways I stay vegan. Cooking is something that I'm passionate about, and I use that to reinforce my veganism. It's like an adventure every time I try to figure out what the hell we're having for dinner. If you can't cook, that's fine, but start somewhere. A house isn't built without its foundation. I've certainly burned my fair share of veggie burgers throughout the years.

This post was followed up with How I Stay Vegan 1 1/2.

Stay Vegan!

How I Stay Vegan #1

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