Talk and stuff

In the last week, I've struggled.
I've struggled with skepticism {"It's absurd to think you can meet your nutritional needs by eating just... what, leaves? Grass? Is that what you eat as a vegan?"}
I've struggled with ignorance  {"Vegan is so unhealthy! You will perish."}
I've struggled with being put down {"What you are doing with this diet... is nothing."}
I've struggled with eyebrow-raising humor {a co-worker held up a milk container and attempted to use it on me as one might use a cross to scare off the Devil.}

And by "struggle," I mean I listened to what some people had to say when they heard I have become Vegan... and had to empathize with what they were feeling without taking it personally. {I even encouraged them to elaborate on some of these feelings, even though sometimes I wanted to just stomp my feet and fight them back.} I can't possibly imagine that these reactions had anything to do with me, considering they didn't ask me why I'm doing it or how I'm feeling -- they told me what I should think, feel, or be now that I'm Vegan. There was a sense of panic and unrest, followed by, "well, I could never do that." And I got the feeling that they were attacked to hear that I can. But once they got their initial testiness out of the way, people had a lot to say about their diets. It turns out, people care.
And we talked.

Finding out how some people really feel about their food has been just as eye-opening to me as learning that some chocolate is vegan. They might not follow through with their promises to eat more fresh food and get their exercise in, but people care. Many were wondering the same things as I:

Do the animals we breed to eat have any other purpose in their own lives? Why do we need milk anyway? How should meat be cooked in order to prevent disease? Where do intestinal worms come from if we live in such an obsessively-sanitized country?

Talk is good. It makes people think. Become aware. And ask questions. And make suggestions. It makes more people join in the conversation.
In the last week, I've received book suggestions, film references, follow-up calls. Some even took it upon themselves to bring me in person a book that they thought I should read. When I had dinner with friends, we talked about the food we were having, why we were having it, and how it made us feel. When I was hanging out at Divine Cupcake with Natalie and we were talking about how sugar is made, the owner of the place overheard and joined in the conversation, and explained why they use More Fiber Baking Blend, powdered erythritol, or agave syrup instead of sugar. We talked until close... and we were mere strangers until we shook hands and exchanged our names at the end.
Though it may seem nothing, talk can be the driving force of change. It's a step up from thinking. Action is needed, too, but saying is only one step away from doing.

So talk to me! Was there ever a breakthrough in your diet or mentality when it comes to food? If you could change something about your meals, what would it be? Are you happy with your diet?

As for these pictures.. they're made by Carl Warner and represent, as you can see, creative landscapes where the scenario is made of food. Looking at all this, do you still think I will starve? :) Check out Carl's Web site (Flash needed) for more inspiring art!

Week #1 Assessment

{PLUSES}
In the first week of my Vegan diet, I went from:

-having coffee or Red Bull almost every day... to having none. I feel full of energy as soon as I wake up and green tea works wonders for an afternoon kick.
-pressing the snooze button on 3 different alarms for a billion times in the morning... to waking up without an alarm. I wake up as early as 8 a.m. even when I go to bed at 4 a.m. and I feel wide awake.

-experiencing morning sickness every day (all my life) to... never feeling sick to my stomach in the morning.
-eating fruit once or twice a week... to having at least 2 pieces every day! This is big for me.
-eating cake, cookies, chocolate or ice cream daily... to having one of these every few days. I never seem to need a "sugar fix" anymore.
-sometimes feeling sick from overeating... to never overeating because now I get full quickly from all the fiber-rich veggies and beans I eat.
-having overly-dried cuticles on which I had to rub vitamin E every day... to perfectly-looking nails effortlessly.
-taking prescription-strength migraine medication to... no medication and pain free. I certainly don't want to jinx this, but it's huge for me! I've been fighting migraines for the last 5 years or so. A couple of acupressure practitioners told me over the last few months that, based on some points that hurt in my body when I have migraines, the migraines might be caused from excessive dairy fat (I did love my butter, what can I say?!). I'm starting to think they were right...
-struggling with insomnia... to being able to fall asleep whenever I want. In fact, I've taken some of the best naps of my life over the last 3 days!
-fighting blackheads and occasionally acne... to having the best skin complexion I've had in years! (No, not perfect, but definitely better than over the last few years.)

{BONUSES}
I've also...
-lost 3 pounds in the first 3 days of the diet.
-learned that I can have certain dark chocolate because cocoa butter is vegan!

{MINUSES}
-had to come to terms with the fact that now I can't eat gelato. This is a bit heart-breaking!
-had to re-define feasting. So long, grilled-meat-with-cheese-risotto! Hello, rice-with-broccoli-and-beans and hummus-with-pita-and-strawberries-on-the-side! It's not actually bad; it's just different.
-felt constantly dehydrated. (My body is eliminating lots of toxins?) I drink at least 8 glasses of water/tea a day and my lips are constantly dry. So I push myself to drink even more water, which has improved the look of my skin drastically.

All in all, I'm doing better than I expected. But, in case you are wondering, sometimes when I think "dinner," I still wonder, "Is it time to have a juicy steak yet?" :)

What does HUMAN mean?

"Humans are the only animals that have children on purpose, keep in touch (or don't), care about birthdays, waste and lose time, brush their teeth, feel nostalgia, scrub stains, have religions and political parties and laws, wear keepsakes, apologize years after an offense, whisper, fear themselves, interpret dreams, hide their genitalia, shave, bury time capsules, and can choose not to eat something for reasons of conscience. The justification for eating animals and for not eating them are often identical: we are not them."

-Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals

More than struggling with the new diet, ever since I became vegan I struggle with my conscience. The new diet, in fact, has been quite kind to my body. I awake early in the morning feeling refreshed, I have not felt bloated at all, my skin complexion has never been better, and I generally feel like I'm floating and have more energy than before. But I am struggling a bit with my identity. Who am I now in relationship to animals?

I guess for the first time in my life, I'm asking myself, how do animals see me? How do animals see humans? They all clearly have an understanding of their relationship with us: some fear us, others desire our companionship, and yet others would like us for dinner. But what do animals make of our selective attitudes toward them and, if they could always have it their way, what would they have happen to us? If knowledge is passed from one generation to another, then they must clearly be aware of all of their ancestors we've killed en masse, how we've killed them, and that their turn is coming, too.

Sure, it's important to respect animals. But in order to be able to understand them, shouldn't I also try to understand who am I to them?
______

After I finished writing this post, I thought about it constantly because it seemed like something was missing from it. It's 10:27 a.m. the next day, I just woke up, and I think I know what it's missing.


It's important for me to know who I am to animals and who they are to me because I'm afraid that the way I have treated animals my whole life, either directly (my pets) or indirectly (the meat I ate), is reflected in my relationship with the people in my life. Sounds confusing? Bear with me.
Even though I have never killed an animal per se, animals have died because of me. I am a strong believer that by doing nothing, you're still doing something. And there are unintended consequences of killing animals over and over again, for generations and thousands of years. such as transferring the feelings that come with killing into the relationships we have with other humans. What feelings come with killing? You tell me. Indifference? Self-righteousness? Cruelty? Numbness? Revenge? Violence? Denial?


Any of these sound familiar from how humans also treat each other?


At the same time, could it be possible that everything the animal experienced while dying, or in the moments prior to that, was transfered to me when I ate its meat? Fear, rejection, desperation, helplessness, sadness, betrayal, hate... any of these sound like anything you may have experienced once or twice in your life?


Now I think my blog post is complete.

In search of vegan food

My idea of searching for vegan food never involved... avoiding sugar. But today, I discovered yet another thing that drastically changed my perspective on food: not all sugar is vegan.

Come again?

Until the age of 16, I was brought up in Romania, where most people adhere to Greek-Orthodox traditions. One such tradition is fasting before the major holidays of the year, such as Christmas and Easter. Whenever I discuss fasting with my American friends, or with anyone else around the world, they seem to have a different idea from mine. For some, it's giving up one food item that you are usually obsessed with. For others, it's giving up meat. Well, for Romanians, it's not eating any kind of meat, any kind of fish, or any kind of animal product. So, in essence, one could say I've been a vegan on and off while growing up, considering I would fast several times a year, right? Well, not so much.

Little did I know then (or yesterday, for that matter) that even ingredients that we don't see as coming out of animals (like we see the eggs coming out of the hen, or the milk coming out of a cow's uterus) are, in fact, laced with animal products.

I do not know enough to speak to this situation, but I just read in a number of places that most white sugar is filtered through bone char (that is, charcoal made from animal bones). I am in shock. Moreover, according to Vegweb.com, among other sources, certain ingredients that you see on packaged food (yes, that includes bread) may be derived from animals: mono and diglycerides, exthoxylated mono and diglycerides, glycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, emulsifiers and DATEM (Di-Acetyl Tartrate Ester of Monoglyceride). These are all animal-derived ingredients. Who knew?! And you can find them in packaged foods such as mustard, pasta, refried beans, and more.

I was thinking about a glass of wine with my dinner tonight (to tone down the overwhelming amount of information I've been intaking lately), but now I'm glad I did not have one. Did you know that animal blood was used in the past to fine wine? But animal-derived ingredients are still used in wine today, such as egg whites, gelatin, and casein. Luckily, there are Web sites that can point out some vegan choices even when it comes to alcoholic beverages.

Wow-- I'm really happy it's time for bed right about now! :)

What Creature Do You Identify With?

Today I realized how many more things I have yet to mention here in regards to my decision to become vegan, and wondered how it all makes sense, from the outside, in the absence of those things I did not mention.


But I do know a thing or two about media consumers today. I'm a producer for a living (I do newscasts, education materials, and entertainment) and I am a writer at heart. Plus, I'm an avid media consumer myself. If nothing else, I can say viewers have a short attention spam and don't like to sit for long periods of time to read or watch just this "one thing." So I'm revealing bits and pieces of my story as they are relevant to every single day, so as not to bore you. Are you still reading?


I had less money (none, actually) to spend on food today after buying two books. But, I figured, knowledge is also like food, right? So I stopped by Smith's Family Bookstore on campus and bought Jonathan Foer's Eating Animals and George Orwell's Animal Farm. I'm pretty sure I have read at least some, if not all, of Animal Farm at some point in my life, but I felt the need to refresh my memory. Besides, it is so pertinent to my situation! So, armed with a cup of tea, I retreated to the comfort of sipping a hot beverage, while resting a book on my belly in bed, and flipping through its pages (I feel like my stepmom, all of a sudden).


Eating Animals is an intense book, despite Foer's casual tone. His apparent naïveté and sarcasm will have you let your guard down, only to become alarmed moments later, when you realize the tragedy behind the reality he is describing. I was definitely taken by surprise, teary-eyed, rapid heartbeats and all, during certain passages. Well, not to get ahead of myself; I'm only 45 pages into the book. But I have gathered enough food for thought to last me days, if not weeks. And as soon as I finish typing this, I'm back to the book.


I suppose it is also a good time to mention that I have no intention through my blog to shame anyone who is not vegan or vegetarian. I do not condemn anyone for their choices, and I did not change my eating habits in order to make others look bad for theirs. I am simply here to find out for myself what is the best diet in the world and, more importantly, how do we define best. I want to know why we eat what we eat, what is myth and what is reality when it comes to nutrition, where does my food come from, what goes into the growth of my food, how do my food choices shape the ecosystem at large, and how does my body really feel about the food I put in it. 

Is food the only way of feeding my body? Because, if it is, then I'd say our food choices are some of the most important choices we make during our lives-- you know, right up there with what name to pick for our babies, what religion to call our own, and what color we should paint the walls in the kitchen... that type of thing :) 

{This is what I found after I pulled apart all the leaves of a bok choy plant to cook them. I thought it was the cutest thing, so I kept it on the kitchen counter like that for a couple of days. It looked like a vase with flowers to me}

So far, I have enough rational arguments to say that meat, eggs and cheese should probably not be in my diet. I say this out of certain health concerns, but, more importantly, out of a great deal of concern for how we treat animals and the well-being of our planet. Vegan seems a good choice at this point, but I have still so much to investigate until I find out all the aspects of this "omnivore's dilemma"-type of situation. 



So join me on this journey, will you? :) Let's discuss food and challenge preconceived notions; let's find out for ourselves!


Tonight, I leave you with this beautiful quote from Eating Animals because I am amazed at how much beauty fits into these tiny creatures:

"Sea horses, more than most animals, inspire wonder--they draw our attention to the astonishing similarities and discontinuities between each kind of creature and every other. They can change color to blend in with their surroundings, and beat their dorsal fins nearly as fast as a hummingbird beats its wings. [...] Not terribly good swimmers, [...] they like to swim in pairs, linked by their prehensile tails. Sea horses have complicated routines for courtship, and tend to mate under full moons, making musical sounds while doing so."

A treat?

Today I felt normal.

I attempted to have black beans with quinoa and smashed avocados for breakfast, and I couldn't even finish the dish I had prepared for myself.

Given that I had gone 4 days without any kind of cookie, cake, or chocolate, I decided I needed a treat. I went to Divine Cupcake, famous for their all-organic and vegan cupcakes, and had myself an Island Chocolate cupcake, which is chocolate cake, with chocolate buttercream rolled in coconut. Bliss! (And yes, I'm positive it's vegan, but you can see for yourself.)

For dinner, I decided to relax and take the time to cook a really nice meal for myself. After a stop at the Asian Market and Market of Choice, I was ready to make a Thai Curry dish from scratch. I absolutely love the taste of coconut milk, combined with lemongrass, lime leaves, garangal, and red curry. It is truly a symphony of flavors. See the full recipe here.

I left out the tofu, even though the recipe called for it. When I started out as a vegan, I made a promise to avoid soy products as much as possible, as I believe they are unhealthy. Sure, they are a rich source of protein, but I would like to make the effort and get my protein from more natural sources, such as regular beans and some whole grains.

I still have not made up my mind if, as a vegan, I should eat fish and seafood. So far, I am inclined to think I should not. I think my idea of vegan, in part, is not to eat anything that has a face. Fish definitely have a face. But what about seafood? What kind of beings are they? I tend to think that scallops and mussels, for examples, are not beings. But, as I said, I have yet to decide about this. I did eat shrimp with my curry tonight.

I also bought a complex of Iron, Vitamin C and some minerals today -- I think it might help with the fatigue.

I know many people eager to lecture me on the importance of soy in   my diet as a vegan, or the importance of starting the day with a handful of pills, also known as vitamins, in order to "supplement" the  absence of meat, eggs, and cheese. But I have decided on a different approach: instead of assuming what my body needs, I'll let my body tell me what it needs. I believe wherever there are minuses in my body, those organs will send impulses to my brain and I will crave just the right thing to have in order to supply that need. So far, I decided on Iron because I have felt somewhat anemic at times, and Vitamin C facilitates the absorption of Iron. Plus, Vitamin C is always good for immunity, especially when you're dealing with allergies, like I am.

I'm hungry!

Upon waking up on day 3, there was no doubt to how I was feeling: HUNGRY!

I didn't have to think much about what I have to eat -- my body had needs and it was sending ideas to my head, apparently. I woke up with a craving for quinoa, steamed carrots (did you know that cooked carrots have a higher content of beta-carotene than fresh ones? Some say that boiling carrots before slicing them increases their anti-cancer properties by 25%!), cooked Red Swiss Chard, served with mashed eggplant (Baba Ghanoush) and pine-nuts. I cooked the Swiss Chard in a stir-fry pan, but I used water, instead of oil -- it turned out great.

But 5 minutes later... I was hungry. So I had a serving of raw almonds and a Kiwi. That did it... for about an hour. Then I had another one of those berry-banana-coconut-milk smoothie, and a snack of Arabic Bread and Baba Ghanoush. Felt a little better.

By dinner time, I was ready to eat a LOT. So I made some vegan burgers (like this, minus the cheese, mayo and arugula) consisting of grilled portobello mushrooms, whole wheat bread, pickled roasted red peppers, and a green salad on the side. Now I was full.

Getting Started

I had prepared for this journey for a couple of months prior to starting. I've analyzed the Vegan Food Pyramid, I read about how to combine foods, as well as how not to combine foods. I tried to envision all the dishes containing animal products that I ate and enjoyed, and planned ahead: could I live without them?  Could I cook them without animal products in them? What are some substitutes for eggs and milk? Are they healthy? How much of that could I eat?

Basically, I tried to do everything I could in order to increase my odds of successfully staying on the vegan diet once I got started. And, I have to say, so far, so good.

Day one and two I happened to be at work, working 10 hours a day. I did not have much time to prepare my meals in advance, but I had some backup plans.

Day one, I'm not going to lie, all I had for the first part of the day was a soy latte and LOTS of green and herbal tea. At lunch, I rushed home and put in the blender a splash of coconut milk, along with some frozen organic berries (strawberries, blueberries, marionberries and raspberries), a fresh banana, and some ice. It was an experiment and it resulted in a thick smoothie - similar to the consistency of sorbet ice cream. It was refreshing and filling (lots of fiber)!

Then I went back and continued to slave away in the newsroom :) and when I got off work around 8 p.m., I treated myself to a nice stir-fry vegan dish from one of my favorite eateries in town, 3 Forks.

Food felt so good at this point!

I continued to have large quantities of tea throughout the day. I've been very, very thirsty constantly. My lips are dry, although I always have my tea mug next to me and I sip intermittently. I'd say I drink about eight glasses of liquid a day... and I still feel very dehydrated.

Day two, I started with breakfast from Cafe Yumm: brown rice, Stir-fried tofu (in place of eggs), and a vegan vegetable fritter. Very filling! For lunch, I had the same smoothie as the previous day, and for dinner, I had an organic soup with brown rice and borlotti beans, some fresh carrots, and a kiwi.

I know what you're thinking: quite the start --I have yet to cook a vegan meal for myself. Well, allow me and I will demonstrate my abilities to cook not just vegan dinners, but delicious vegan dinners.

By Sunday, I felt a little light-headed, but I think it's also due, in part, to the fact that I haven't been eating sweets since I went vegan-- and I have been used to having cake, cookies, or chocolate every day.

5.1.2010

Today I became vegan. And I feel great!

On a short break I took from work to come home for lunch, I felt a sudden desire to meditate. I went into my bedroom, opened the windows, sat on the bed, and looked outside at the trees and open sky.

This might sound crazy to some of you, but for the first time since I was little, I could see the life in everything around me. I felt like my breath was synchronized with the wind blowing through the trees. The colors in nature looked so bright and rich, and I was a part of them. I felt just as alive as everything around me!

See? I told you you'd think I'm crazy. :) But I feel so good about this change, that I can't just keep it to myself and figured I have nothing to lose if I share it. After all, if you want to have a balanced circle of friends, you need a few crazy ones, too, right?

In case you are wondering, I expect this journey to be difficult at first. I know 24 years of eating animals and animal products can't just be erased in mere days. I'm aware my body might resist this change at first and feel weak, and I'm aware I might feel miserable as my body purges itself of all the toxins stocked up in it. I'm aware that I have to plan my meals in advance and re-think how I combine ingredients to make sure I get all the protein and calcium I need, among other nutrients.

But this change feels right at this point.
My motivation? Reducing my carbon footprint, living in harmony with the life around me, being more healthy, and becoming more conscious of the life inside me.

My help? My body. Even though I'm asking my body to undergo a drastic change, I believe that by feeding my body a plant-, vegetable-, grain-, and cereal-diet only, I am respecting it, and I trust it to respect me in return and help me feel healthy, strong, and beautiful. :)

Here's to day one!