I've been humbled in recent months by the very kind attention given to my new book, "Veganist." As a result of the attention, I've been getting a lot of emails and inquiries, and perhaps the most popular question is some variant of "How did you do it?"
Obviously I didn't pop out of the womb a veganist.
In fact, I was born in the South and grew up on chicken-fried steak and cheesy grits. I loved nothing more than milk shakes and barbecue ribs. I had an appetite for meat like anyone else, and I didn't think twice about it. I wasn't a thoughtless person; I was just enjoying my life and eating what tasted good and what I was told was good for me. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I started considering where my food came from.
When I made the shift to being vegetarian, it was gradual. I gave up eating one animal at a time. I'd come home and tell my husband, "I'm not cooking any more steak." He'd roll his eyes and say, "Whatever." And some months later, I'd be standing in the kitchen saying, "I can't put chicken on the table anymore" -- he was a little more perturbed about that. Later still, when I said I couldn't bring myself to buy cheese anymore, he thought I'd lost my mind.
Luckily, by then, I began hitting my stride with this lean toward a plant-based diet. I found so, so many delicious foods that were actually the same as our favorite meals, but without the meat. Sometimes I brought home meat alternatives (vegetarian versions of chicken or ribs, etc.) and sometimes I focused more on beans, legumes, and whole grains (like black bean burritos with guacamole or lentil soup with wild rice salad).
I began to love vegan food, and so did my husband, who said one day, "If I thought I could have eaten this well as a vegetarian, I would have gone that way a long time ago." There was no loss. No stringent diet or "bird food." We simply lightened up on the animal-based foods and replaced them with plant-based fare. It took a few years, but eventually, we had a vegan home and were entertaining friends and family with unbelievably delicious (and nutritious) food.
Hence, I became a veganist!
A veganist is someone who looks closely at all of the implications of their food choices -- to his or her own body, to the animals, and to the environment -- and then chooses to lean in to a plant-based diet. The suffix "ist" means "one who does" or "one who studies," so a veganist takes what he or she learns and puts it into action by eating things that grow on trees or in the ground. All of this said, the word is intended as a soft word, a forgiving word. It's all about progress, not perfection.
My husband coined the word veganist one day when I was going on with one of my usual schpiels about the virtues of a plant-based diet and he said, "Honey, you are a veganist!" (I told you it's a gentle word). Vegan used to seem odd, but today things are different (so much so that top chefs rated veganism as the hip new trend of 2010); being a veganist is about being passionate, aware, and solution-oriented.
Think of it this way: just like a violinist is devoted to learning more and practicing the violin, so does a veganist take an intense interest in all things vegan.
As I coach people on their way to giving up meat, dairy, fish, and eggs, I always recommend "leaning into it" (as I did here) so they don't get too overwhelmed by the changes. If you shift your eating patterns gradually, just by giving up eating one animal at a time (start by giving up chickens) or subbing out a favorite meal by veganizing the protein (opting for a black bean burrito instead of a beef burrito for instance), you have more breathing room to discover new food choices and menus. When I decided that vegan made sense, I was suddenly overwhelmed with what I didn't know, what I could and couldn't eat. So I just set my intention to be vegan, and then made the incremental changes little by little until I was entirely comfortable with the new fare.
And then you start reaping the benefits: weight loss, prevention and reversal of disease, increased longevity, the pride of knowing that you are radically reducing your carbon footprint, money saved, and the sense that you are evolving as a conscious and compassionate human being.
Eating vegan is a substantial pillar to our health and wellbeing; it's good for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Food is so foundational, so much a part of our daily routine. It reflects who we are and what we value. So eating a vegan diet is the perfect opportunity to put into action -- regularly -- what's important to us.
Ten Tips for Leaning In (find more here)
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RI said on 18 Friday 2011 pm31 3:23 pm: It is amazing and dangerous to focus on the one glaring downside of the vegan diet, lack of B12 (which is easily remedied with a supplement) and ignore the mountain of research linking animal protein with increased cancer, heart disease, etc. See "The China Study" and the decades long, peer reviewed work of Dr.s McDougall, Ornish and Esseltyn for starters. |
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For more information on how to lose weight, get healthy, and change the world, check out my book, "Veganist!"
Veganism in a Nutshell -- The Vegetarian Resource Group
Vegan Store.com - Pangea Vegan Products. The Best in Vegan Shopping.
Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition - MayoClinic.com
Kathy Freston: The Case For Fake Meat (Omnivores, We're Looking At ...
Taste testing Tofurkey and other fake meats. - By Dahlia Lithwick ...
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100% Vegan.
I am the hummingbird as well as the asp; there is one question you must not ask.
But, nice to see you back -- be careful where you step, though, the place is crawling with compassionate people.
~ NBC
Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites
We never pause to wonder at our feasts
If animals, like men, can possibly have rights
We pray on Sundays that we may have light
To guide our footsteps on the path we tread
We're sick of war. We do not want to fight
The thought of it now fills our hearts with dread
And yet we gorge ourselves upon the dead
Like carrion crows we live and feed on meat
Regardless of the suffering and pain
We cause by doing so. If thus we treat
Defenseless animals for sport or gain
How can we hope in this world to attain
The PEACE we say we are so anxious for
We pray for it o'er hecatombs of slain
To God, while outraging the moral law
Thus cruelty begets its offspring: war.
We Are The Living Graves of Murdered Beasts
By George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
"We think these animals are so not worthy but look how we have them live their lives. Then we think they are simply dumb ugly brutes."
Thank you for speaking on behalf of every single person everywhere who eats meat.
At one time this country was populated by Native Americans, who lived off the earth by hunting, gathering, and growing their own food. These people killed animals for their survival, but held them in great respect, and a sense that they were part of a greater inter-connected whole.
Today, people who are dissatisfied with industrial food production, including the conditions for animals, the potential for disease, the lack of nutrition compared to traditionally farmed foods, and so on, are returning to food "off the grid." People are seeking out farmers, CSAs, and local farmer's markets. The more they understand where their food comes from, the more they respect the work of the farmer, and cherish the farmers' stewardship of the earth, not to mention respect the life of the animal no matter how humanely and sustainably raised.
Some people even return to the quaint notion of taking a moment to give thanks before their food crosses their lips, thanks to their God or higher power, thanks to the farmer, and thanks to the animal that gave its life.
"And then you start reaping the benefits: weight loss, prevention and reversal of disease, increased longevity, the pride of knowing that you are radically reducing your carbon footprint, money saved, and the sense that you are evolving as a conscious and compassionate human being."
I find that to be not only a sweeping speculation, but also an unwarranted attack on people such as myself who DO care about all those things and STILL decide to eat meat.
and answer the animal's plea
We must see what others ignore
so we alone unlock secrecy's door
We look inside the anguished eyes
and we have the burden to be wise
When others cover their ears
we are the ones to fight the tears
All of our strength it takes
to endure when our heart aches
When the images etch our mind
it's justice we struggle to find
The screams mark our soul
to end the agony our common goal
Silencing the wails cannot wait
in our hands we hold their fate
If only others would lend their voice
and for the helpless make the choice
With each action we destroy or defend
on each decision so many lives depend.
Through Opened Eyes
By Janet Riddle
Through me the dumb shall speak
Till the world's deaf ear be made to hear
The wrongs of the wordless weak.
Oh shame on the mothers of mortals
Who do not stoop to teach
The sorrow that lies in dear dumb eyes
The sorrow that has no speech.
From street, from cage, from kennel
From stable and from zoo
The wall of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
Of the mighty against the frail.
But I am my brother's keeper
And I shall fight their fight
And speak the word for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.
Voice Of the Voiceless
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
~ George Bernard Shaw
I became vegan 10 years ago and it lasted about 7 years when I started getting sick once a month and pretty intense migraines. Turns out that even though I ate iron rich foods- spinach, beans, kale etc. the female body can only absorb a small percentage of iron from vegetables/supplements and a little more if paired with vitamin C rich food. So I became very anemic and had to chose between animal rights and my body. My body won and I definitely respect the idea of veganism but I feel like at this point in evolution the human body isn't properly equipped to survive on a plant based diet. I think it is important that people eat less meat and hopefully generations to come can benefit from a meatless diet but people should know that choosing a vegan diet comes with very serious health risks.
This is just my warning to anyone looking to hop on a new 'trend'. I feel like in these steps she should have noted vitamins and food pairing, like rice and beans to make a complete protein and other vegan tips but "being a veganist is about being passionate, aware, and solution-oriented" not about your health or future medical conditions.
None of which are vegan!!!! What the bleep are you talking about?!?
I became anemic as a teenager who ate lots of meat. eggs and dairy. My doctor said my diet was "great," and he prescribed iron supplementation and rest. I became vegetarian a decade later because my cholesterol was sky-high and to reduce my support of animal agriculture. My cholesterol went down and I lost ten pounds without trying. I went vegan eight years ago, at age 42. My cholesterol, which had crept up again, plummeted once more, I stopped having chest pains when running, and lost another ten pounds without trying. I haven't been anemic since my teen years, including during three pregnancies (two vegetarian and one vegan) and longterm breastfeeding as a vegan.
I'm not sharing my experience in order to imply that your story wasn't correct (for you), but to give a specific example of why generalizing to the entire female population based on your own experience leads to an inaccurate conclusion.
My best wishes to you.
1 broke loose and ran for the gate
9 little veal calves in a crate
1 broke his neck when he slipped on his slate
8 little veal calves in a crate
1 got dehydrated and lost too much weight
7 little veal calves in a crate
1 died from diseases caught too late
6 little veal calves in a crate
1 died in an anemic state
5 little veal calves in a crate
1 died too thin and got low rate
4 little veal calves in a crate
1 more died of neglect, of hate
3 little veal calves in a crate
1 grew fast and got shipped out of state
2 little veal calves in a crate
1 more approaching slaughter date
1 little veal calf in a crate
1 went to slaughter in a freight
0 little veal calves in a crate
10 little veal calves on a plate
10 Little Veal Calves
By Janet Riddle
Things I realised were about consumerism, more discipline over food, greater awareness and curiosity over ingredients, chemicals, and how they are raised. Thinking how animal exploitation can foster the same desensitized, neglectful or even abusive patterns in how we treat fellow humans.
Veganism is a wonderful tool for further realising the benefits of not dismissing morals, ethics, and compassion. It's also great for making people instantly angry with no provocation, thus I will almost never speak outright of veganism with enthusiastic exuberance anymore, but simply order my food or cook by example and wait for someone to ask me what I eat, as always happens.
What about the emergent trend of people who support local, organic, sustainable, human farming of livestock, alongside their support of local fruit and veggie CSAs?
I'm fine with a thorough and thoughtful critique of the food industry, most especially CAFOs and GMOs, but including refined and processed (and often vegan) foods as well. It still comes down to a personal choice whether to eat meat or not, but many who do are not uninformed or unconcerned.
Posters like Tabuism only foster resentment towards their cause by condescension and preachiness. I prefer to make bacon jokes in response to such a barrage of posts than bother to converse sensibly, but a sensible dialogue over food production is sorely needed -- not an assumption of which choices are "right."
I just wanted to give you a little heads up here. If you are saying anything *remotely* like meat is murder; that those who have meat and dairy in their diets are participating in murder and slavery, abuse and exploitation; if you call people who have meat or dairy in their diets "gluttons" as you do below, then you are being so provocative, the result is as if you punched someone in the face. Stop playing the victim.
Yes, for wanting to end animal abuse and not just treating them nicer up until they're killed (like peta) and hopefully see it spread as a mode for non violence and peace for all humans and animals and even plant ethics, many are simply brushed aside as stupid do-gooders with no ideas or thoughts of solutions.
It is a one-sided argument to call all vegans or vegan minded people ignorant of complex issues and based around religious fanaticism, out of touch, etc.
Vegans are often mistaken for acting holier-than-thou when they are really just fired up
from watching the reality of animal lives that noone else wishes to witness, as noone wants guilt to go with their gluttony (I say gluttony, not sustenance).
Honestly, I adore veganism because I want to see animals progressing with us instead of always someone's chattel property with no real individual rights.
And, in my opinion, if you believe so strongly in animal rights, and you aren't figuring out how to grow, or at least personally source every last bit of food you eat; if you aren't buying your clothes from goodwill in order not to participate in the killing of all those bunnies that die in the making of your jeans; if you aren't reading up on farming so that you don't make all those mistakes vegans make when arguing about what can and can't be done in farming; if you don't spend every waking moment working on this problem, then you are pretty much a hypocrite, imo. You are certainly no abolitionist.
It takes a lot more than simply not being a consumer of animal products to change the world. And, it's da*n hard work.
Although I don't think I do preach about veganism. I know lots who do.
But you just went on giving a manual when you are yourself on a different path so how would you know anyway.
I will say this with all my heart, for those who eat animals just keep on doing it if you think it's for you, it's just not for me anymore, that's all, I used to then I slowly took a path (some 10 years) to stop and eat and think and feel differently. THat's just me. I'm not at war with people who eat what they want. If you ask me I will tell you why I am vegan etc but I don't feel threatened by those who are not.
Bon appétit !