Vegan Living: New Year's Resolution - Go Veg For 30 Days

I've rarely kept a New Year's resolution. The closest I got was when I pledged to stop biting my fingernails, and I still nibble from time to time. It's overwhelming to think of sticking with something for 365 days. Habits are easier to form with small steps each day, which is why this year I'm making new month's resolutions. Right now I'm focusing on getting back to the gym on a regular schedule for the month of January. Once January is over, I'll aim to continue the schedule for February and for now that's as far ahead as I'm thinking.

It's difficult to change any habit or behavior for an entire year, and it's even more difficult to change a lifetime habit - like eating meat. But one of the best New Year's resolutions you can make for your health, the planet and for animals is to stop eating meat.

The easiest way to become a vegetarian is to stop eating meat cold Tofurky, but don't get discouraged if it takes a few tries. I had a couple of false starts when I became a vegetarian. The morning after I decided to try vegetarianism, I ate bacon for breakfast. A few days after getting back on my vegetarian plan, I ate chicken ramen. But I had promised myself I was going to stop eating meat, and I stuck with it until I went one week without meat, which turned into two weeks, then a month and then years.

Start by challenging yourself to go meatless for two weeks. The criteria is pretty simple: eat what you like but don't eat meat. This is not to say you should subsist on grilled cheese sandwiches and Oreos alone. Your body requires more care than that, so incorporate into your daily meals beans, whole grains and even those intimidating but super healthy vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens. The months after the holidays can be a letdown - there are no more parties or presents or gingerbread cookies - so make things interesting by experimenting with foods you always overlooked at the grocery store. Try meat substitutes like seitan and tofu. Treat yourself to a vegetarian cookbook. Look through your favorite recipes and figure out how to make them vegetarian. Eat at that vegetarian restaurant next to your office. Buy a spaghetti squash and figure out how to cook it. (That's actually a goal on my 2009 list.)

It's easy to fall back into what you're used to, especially when you get home from work or school and you just want to eat something. Map out each week's menu ahead of time. What are you going to have for dinner on Tuesday night? What ingredients do you need to buy? Do you have a green vegetable included in each of your meals? (that's my mom talking) It also helps to make food on Sunday - a big pot of minestrone or a few servings of rice and beans, for example - that you can take for lunch or eat for dinner one night if you get home late.

The two weeks will fly by, so challenge yourself to go another two weeks without meat. It will only get easier the longer you do it. PeTA also has a petition you can sign, pledging to go vegetarian for 30 days. They will send you tips and resources to help you go veg and will also donate money to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, which helps hungry people around the world. You can also find vegetarian recipes, nutrition information, restaurant guides and links to more veg sites at the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Take each day meal by meal. Soon you'll have more energy and a better awareness of what's going into your body. Before you know it, 365 days will have passed and it will be time to make a new resolution. Like not biting your fingernails.

Comments

[kathynyc]

I blogged a guide to going vegan or veg here:

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/01/six-tips-how-to-go-vegan-or-vegetarian.html

And yes, going VEG is a very difficult thing at first. A lot like giving up smoking even. Going cold to-furky may not be the best. Everyone will have something that is very difficult to let go of. Double bacon cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, cheese, or for me....it was those creamy LA frozen yogurts. Cookies n Cream....yum.

[Modesto]

AH MAN I'm so glad I found this, just wanna say thanks this is what I was looking for. NO MO MEAT!!!

[odyssey58]

This article leaves out some very important information about veganism. I referring to the B12 issue. If you do decide to go vegan you must read about B12. veganhealth.org has some good info. You don't want to mess with B12 deficiency. The damage can be irreversible. If any of you have vegan friends I also recommend that you read about it. If your friends ever seem to "go off the deep end" it could be B12 deficiency. It can mimic mental illness.
I have volunteered at blood drives at the local university. We defer many young women because they don't have enough iron in their blood to donate. Most of these young women don't eat red meat.

[Jonahson]

Marmite is a good source of vit. B complex. Red dates is rich in iron. Take in moderation.

[SpaghettyIrish]

I swore off when I was young enough to have to deal with parental interference. Maybe that was why it's been so easy for me to stick with it. ;) You just gotta make that promise to yourself and your Earth, and then once you're solid, and hopefully not a jerk about it, nudge those you care about it in the right direction. When you figure out that last one, let me know. :P

[Swerinjer4]

if you keep on that vegan diet then you will pass on weak genetics to your offspring. he will be sickly and weak with a bad disposition. go to the Weston A Price Foundation and search for the baby gallery to see images of babies born to and fed according to "primitive diet" principles that include high nutrient saturated fats and organ meats.

[Jonahson]

Treating animals humanely before eating them is a lot of bull (mind the pun). Treating animals humanely is not abusing them and not eating them. Let's not kid ourselves. If we have craving for the taste of animal blood cooked or uncook let's not talk about treating that poor turkey humanely.

[Swerinjer4]

your heart is in the right place, but youre wrong. its an eat or be eaten universe. when you learn about genetics and primitive diets youll learn animal meat MUST be included in the diet. Weston A price Foundation.

[Jonahson]

Here's scientific prove why humans are not design as meat eaters.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/07/08/scimolecule108.xml

[maxbianco]

Most of my friends and family, as well as myself, are vegetarians. we are also 7th day adventist. adventist live longer and age better...if there is such a thing... than any other people in the US. many of my friends and associates have never used meat or any other animal product as food. this includes milk and cheese.
there are many people who live healthy long lives without the use of animal products.
stop eating animals; you'll feel better and probably live longer.

[Vickster]

If you're referring to the turkey in the Sarah Palin video, it was probably already dead when it started twitching and kicking. Sometimes, chickens really do run around after their heads have been cut off. These "death throes" are also why veterinarians sedate animals before they're ethanized. (Sedated animals usually don't twitch and kick after death occurs.)

Also, since land is finite it can only support so much life, be it a forest or a farm. That's why farmers must cull their livestock or why the DNR encourages hunters to cull the deer herd. Too many deer means they'll overgraze (destroying resources that other species rely on too) and eventually die of disease or starvation. And too many dairy goats on my farm means my pasture (and my income) would be depleted and my goats would become more susceptible to disease.

I suggest that people who support "animal rights" take the time to learn something about animals.

[Jonahson]

Turkey, bison and deers roam the US of A long before the arrival of the white man. There is somethng call natural selection where the fittest survive without the interference of man. We came and caused imbalance to nature so that these animals are either over hunted or their natural predator drastically reduced. So much so that bison risk extinctinction at one time.
We are the cause of the extinction of most species of already exticnted animals in the last few hundreds of year. Our craving for meat either overhunted the wild animals or by introducing other animals harmful to existing native species or by destroying their natural habaitat or maybe all of these factors.
By introducing farm animals we do not leave much space for these wild animals. Rearing cattles and sheeps take away huge swaths of land from them. Let us practice a bit of compassion, the deers,turkeys and bisons do want us to treat them humanely. They want is to treat them as wild animals - free to roam the land without us killing them.

[Jonahson]

Sorry for the bad spelling, I will try again.
Turkeys, bisons and deers roam the US of A long before the arrival of White Man. There is something call the natural selection where the fittest survive without interference from man. We came and caused imbalance to nature so that these animals are either over hunted or their natural predator drastically reduced so much so that the bisons risk extinction at one time.
We are the cause of the extinction of most species over the last few hundred years. Our craving for meat either over hunted the wild animals or by introducing other animals harmful to existing native species or by destroying their natural habitat or maybe all of these factors.
By introducing farm animals we do not leave much space for these wild animals. Rearing cattles and sheeps take away huge swathe of land from them. Let us practice a bit of compassion, the deers, turkeys and bisons do not want us to treat them humanely. They want us to treat them as wild animals- free to roam the land without us kiling them.

[LaniMuelrath]

Katie, your post caught my eye as going "veggie" for a few weeks make me giggle - it's been decades for me and I love it, find it very easy, and can't imagine any other way of eating!

Nice job of bringing this option, again, to everyone's attention! Funny, when someone first considers a vegetarian diet, they wonder what they will eat! It is more than just cutting out the meat - there are so, so many options!

Cheers,

Lani
http://www.thetruthaboutfatlossforwomen.com

[Tttea]

I still feel my body crave meat at least once a week, but I try to choose sources where the animals were humanly treated from birth to death.

I don't think sugar is a big of a culprit as "high fructose corn syrup".

margarine? we were essentially eating plastic...

And anyone from another country will tell you our bread sucks.

Cold pressed raw hemp seeds are really good food.. whole ones as well... tons of fiber and the omegas as well as plant protein.

[blimie]

If you eat real food (not fast food or boxed food), eating less meat happens naturally. Vegans need to promote main meals that have options other than soy, as that gets old fast. Restaurants should have at least a couple of vegan options which they often don't.

Heavy duty meat eaters should be honest with themselves about the meat they eat and the gruesome conditions that animals for food live in. Videos are available online.

[devilyousay]

I have tried vegetarianism and I do see the benefits. I do prefer to incorporate seafood and a little fowl into my diet, but have pretty much given up on red meat. I feel the compromise works for me. I also had a tough time with increasing the amount of legumes I was eating. Maybe i haven't found the right ones yet, but I found it resulted in water retension, gas and weight gain. Once again, it might be about finding a balance.

Those who gain weight on a vegetarian diet, I believe, are eating way too much pasta. I've know heavy vegetarians and that seemed to be the basis for almost every dinner. It wasn't vegetables as much as processed wheat.

I ahve made the following changes in the last year and do hope to build on them; use ground round for my tacos, use soy milk in my coffee, stopped using sugar in my coffee, given up on wheat pasta and eat pasta made from corn, kamut or brown rice and use honey in my black tea.

I think little steps are easier than big ones. Perhaps, one day, I'll go back to being a vegetarian, but for now, I find these steps have helped me a great deal.

[Vickster]

Most legumes contain trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin is necessary for the digestion of complex proteins.

[showbizkid]

Katie, have you heard about the new documentary Processed People yet? I have pre-ordered it, looks interesting. From the trailer, the film looks like it's encouraging people to eat plants, not junk. A good way to start a healthy new year.

http://www.processedpeople.com

I see the Weston A. Price drones have shown up to spam up the Post. I recommend this article, which does a pretty effective job in debunking WAP's claims.

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/fuhrman_dietary_myths.htm

[odyssey58]

Those of us who respect Weston Price's work aren't spamming the post and we aren't "drones." I am tired of a one size fits all approach to nutrition and the notion that being vegan is morally superior to eating meat. I loved the food from Laurel's Kitchen and Moosewood. But I was fat, tired, and hungry when I followed that kind of diet. When I traded rice and beans for meat I felt better. I don't want those who are new to changing their diets to be railroaded into eating foods that may not be right for them because of someone else's notion of nutritional superiority. Listen to your own body. Being a vegetarian isn't for everyone and I will do everything I can to make sure that those who feel better eating meat aren't bullied into feeling that they are morally inferior for eating it.
The vegetarian fundamentalists aren't very different from religious fundamentalists. They all believe that there is only one right way to eat or believe. I believe that there are many dietary paths to good health.

[sumsense]

insecure much?

[sdsd74]

Added bonus: As a vegan, you can eat MORE calories and still weigh less because our bodies convert plant-based food to body heat instead of fat (like it does with animal based food products).

[odyssey58]

I did not find that to be true. I was always hungry and tired, and I gained weight. I am much more satisfied and eat less on a meat based diet.
Fat storage requires insulin. Excess carbs (which are plant based) are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. You can find this info in anatomy and physiology textbooks. For those of us who produce lots of insulin, a plant based diet could be disastrous. I feel much better on an Atkins type diet than on an Ornish type diet. On the other hand, I know several skinny vegetarians.
Listen to YOUR body rather than to one size fits all advice that may be based on emotion and perceived morality rather than science. Go to mercola.com to find out about metabolic types.
sdsd74- do you have scientific reference for your claim about plant-based food vs. animal food?

[sdsd74]

There is a book I read this past year called The China Study by T. Colin Campbell that completely changed my life. Some of the negative comments to the article above objecting to vegetarianism and veganism sound so completely ignorant to me after having read this book, that I wish I wish there was a way to get everyone in the world to read the book. It would definitely lead to some big changes for the better.

The book outlines the many ways in which an animal-based diet is detrimental to your health, but it does so from a purely factual and and scientifically-based (and not at all preachy) standpoint. The author even grew up on a dairy farm but when he became a scientist/researcher he changed his eating habits as study after study he did linked animal-based diets to various health problems (heart disease, a variety of cancers, even auto-immune diseases such as Type I Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis).

The book also provides a clear picture of just how much money and big government are involved in our food industry. If nothing else, you come away with the knowledge that the FDA and government regulations on food cannot be trusted. Now in his 70s, the author is now healthier than many people my age (mid- to late-20s). If you are even remotely interested in food and its role in long-term health, read this book...and change your life.

[odyssey58]

After many years of being vegetarian and getting fat on grains I became a born again carnivore. It's been about 10 years and I wouldn't go back. Quality grass-fed meat rocks! Soy in anything but minute quantities isn't healthy. And not all people do well on grains. If I hadn't stopped eating grains I'd be diabetic. Listen to your body. Some people do well as vegetarians (and I know some) and some don't. There is no one size fits all diet, Don't feel bad about eating meat.
Why is ok to kill a plant to eat it but not an animal? Everything will die. It's what happens before it dies that matters. Grains require enormous amounts of fossil fuels. Grass-fed animals require very little energy input. They live good lives and provide a very healthy food.

[weatherwaxx]

Why is it OK to kill a cow but not a dog?

Animals are sentient beings. Plants aren't. What goes around comes around.

I have a friend with anemia; she has to eat meat. I've been veggie for about 30 years and I'm healthier than my siblings, who are from 2-10 years younger.

The land that supports one 'grass-fed animal' will produce a lot more non-meat food.

"Meat animals lead good lives" is a fairytale for about 98% of the animals killed for human consumption. If you want to get out of fairytales, go visit a stockyard and a slaughterhouse.

Most omnivores don't have the guts to face the reality of what it means to eat dead animals.

[jake106]

I would kill and eat a dog, no sweat. In fact, I HAVE eaten dog, and cat, in Korea. I cut back on my meat intake because it is healthy, not because of an overwhelming concern for the plight of the poor animals. But I realize you used the word "most" when talking about people not having the guts to face the reality of what they eat, so I'll just throw myself into the lump of "others".

[Vickster]

Re: "The land that supports one 'grass-fed animal' will produce more non-meat food."

1. Most regions don't have the climate to grow fruits and vegetables all year long. That's why most of the produce consumed in the US is grown in the arid state of California. And 90% of all lettuce consumed in this country comes from The Imperial Valley in Arizona, another arid state.

2. Some regions (New England for example) have a topography that only allows livestock farming. If everyone became a vegan tomorrow, these regions would have to import all of their food.

3. Grazing is kinder to the environment than tilling. A pasture supports more species than a beanfield. Grazing also preserves and nourishes the topsoil.

4. We will never wean ourselves off petroleum-based fertilizers without access to animal manure.

5. While I agree that factory farms should be banned, farm animals will go extinct if humans stop relying on them for food and clothing.

And by the way, I raise and butcher some of my meat.

[Andrus]

A great post, thanks!

I too have swapped New Year's resolutions to making resolutions all the time. So much so that myself and a few friends created a semi-charitable site called Pledgehammer for keeping track and sharing resolutions.

Great to see it's used by others as well, among other thing to resolve to become vegan:

http://www.pledgehammer.com/759a97f0ef1ed2cc074581fc35e187/live-a-cruelty-free-vegan-lifestyle/
http://www.pledgehammer.com/989c8506a2e728d15333ca16627c30/be-a-vegan/

[Kiba]

For those less inclined to completely give up meat, nutritional research has shown time and again that the healthiest route is to focus far less on meat. The best diets for human health are Mediterranean and Asian, where meat is used sparingly and not as a main ingredient.

Of far greater importance is to cut out refined sugar and processed flour or grains. Whole grains only. Honey, agave, and date sugar are fine when not used to excess, and fruits provide ample sweetness once your taste buds adapt to a lower amount of sweets. Basically, you want to avoid anything that causes a spike in blood glucose resulting in a massive insulin response. That metabolic loop is deadly.