Your Daily Vegan

Here we be again, with Gardein.

This time, from the freezer section, it’s seven grain crispy tenders.  These little tots serve well as pictured- dipped in some Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce, from the Ginger People.  (I happen to put this sauce on everything I possibly can.  And, I’m addicted to ginger).

Most “vegan chicken” I’ve tasted has had an awful, displeasing, almost disgustingly-chicken-nuggety texture.  These tenders have that nice firm, but not tough, soy-wheat-gluten-y texture that works, without feeling like you’re eating fibrous tissue.  The spice is just right to eat alone or not to interfere with your favorite dipping sauce.  The breading is crispy (when broiled or fried- never cook your frozen Gardein in the microwave- you be askin’ for some nastiness if you do) and doesn’t fall off all over the living room floor- much to the dismay of the doggies.

However, servings per container is listed as 5.  Five?!  There are ten (10) crispy tenders in the bag.  Ten.  Five servings?  That’s just two as a serving.  Right.  More realistically, this is a two-person bag.  But that makes about 650 mg of sodium entering your bloodstream after eating just 5 of these.  I really don’t think the tenders need that much salt.  Processed food such as Gardein, contain way, way too much salt, further exacerbating the public’s addiction to sodium.  So, I care about my blood pressure and won’t be buying these too often.  But they sure are tasty!

Gardein seven grain Crispy Tenders get 4 Goatz for tastin’ good n’ crispy, but not 5, cuz they be too salty, man!

Have you tried Gardein’s Crispy Tenders?  Rate your experience below!

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The Banana.  Mix this puppy with coconut, and it’s over.  Sweet creaminess, with a summertime, tropical flair.  Chock full of nutrients and oils.  I’ve often said that the banana and the coconut are all I need to survive.

In need a quick, cold, sweet eat?  Open a can of coconut milk (hopefully, it already be chillin’ in the fridge) and commence pouring over sliced bananas (which I also enjoy chilled).  Add grated nutmeg (the QUEEN of all spices, in my opinion!), coconut flakes, and maybe a drizzle of agave or maple syrup…Zeus!  Strike me with your pleasure-bolt!

Sweet, Creamy Coconut Milk slathered over sliced bananas and topped with freshly grated nutmeg

If yet, more decadence is in order, try some sliced, ripe avocado.  Power-packed and nutrient rich tasty fats and oils!  (I’ve sprinkled some hemp seeds on this particular serving.)

Banana and Avocado

And, if you’re like me, and can’t help for going overboard once in a while, FRY that banana!  In fact, a previous affair with another fried banana variety was had- and lavishly enjoyed.

FRY that banana then top it with toasted coconut, coconut milk and fresh nutmeg

Toasted banana and toasted coconut flakes, adorned with sliced almonds and freshly grated nutmeg, doused in coconut milk, and drizzled with agave.  I’m going to hades for this decadence.

Just a few tips on making these banana/coconut delights.  Coconut milk in the can is far creamier than that packaged in a carton.  When toasting your banana, a dab of oil in a non-stick skillet is far less hassle than using a lot of oil in a regular skillet.  And, when I say freshly grated nutmeg, I mean freshly grated nutmeg- get the nutmeg “nuggets,” not the pre-packed powdered stuff.

Bananas and coconuts.  Fruits of the gods.  Edible orgasms of mortals.

And, vegan, of course.

Gardein, Gardein, Gardein.  It be everywhere, man.

We’ve reviewed Gardein before, and we shall again- and again, and probably again.  The Beef Skewers garnered 3 goatz, while the Buffalo Wings got one mere goat.

So, how do BBQ Pulled Shreds fair with our taste buds?  As any fool, like myself , with a lick or two of well-learned southern culture will tell you, the success is in the sauce.  No success here, man.

Bland, blandy, blandersen.  No spice, no heat, no juice, no sweet.  These pulled shreds might be a good start for some nice BBQ, but at $6 a pack, I figure I’m paying for the convenience of not having to do anything further than opening the Gardein and slappin’ it on a tortilla.  Ya’ll will need to add some fixins to this.

Gardein BBQ Pulled Shreds, while nutritious, only get 2 Goatz, cuz I don’t feel like makin’ my own sauce tonight.

Have you tried Gardein’s BBQ Pulled Shreds?  Rate your experience below!

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Aaaaannnd we have a winner in the YDV Book Giveaway!  I used this random number generator to find out who our winner was going to be.  According to the nifty widget, #5 is our winner. (Hey, it was when I did it- honest!)
<br /> The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG’s true random number generator.<br />
Congratulations, KatKlaw9 you are lucky number five. Be on the lookout for a YDV winner email in your inbox for the deets!

Don’t be sad if you didn’t win the copy of Vegan in 30 Days. Sad vegans makes us sad. That’s why we’re gonna be doing more reviews and more giveaways in the future! So watch out for more YDV Book Reviews, you could end up with some fabulous and FREE stuff! And who doesn’t like free stuff?! :)

Very recently I had an experience that I simply must share.  It’s a little off-topic, but so important that I had to talk about it.

This is Olli:

Pretty cute, huh?  I know, she’s adorable.  Olli lives with me and has since she was a runt puppy that no one wanted.  She’s a tiny little thing, weighing in at only 10lbs, 10 ounces.  She’s six years old, and she’s been my partner-in-crime ever since she arrived at my house.  My pack (I am fortunate enough to live with 6 felines and 3 canines) and I have a strong bond to be sure, but Olli and I have something different- a little special.  I am her human as she is my co-pilot.

Olli has two other canine sisters that live with her and we all hike, jog, and take walks (3 canines, 2 humans) together.  Last weekend was no different.  We all suited up and headed out the door for, what I believed to be, a typical walk.  We got about half-way and Olli started to scream.  This wasn’t your typical, “Ow!” type of scream- this was non-stop, high pitched and continuous.

I’m going to stop here because I want to say that as soon as Olli started to scream, my heart started to go a million miles an hour.  I am an extremely empathetic person (read: Emotional Tornado type of gal) and so I was instantly set on high-alert.

We immediately turned around to come home.  The other dogs were extremely distressed, as Olli still had not stopped screaming.  I was no more than five minutes away from my house, but it seemed like 20.  On the way home Olli began to vomit.  I was able to get the other dogs home quickly (Olli remained w/her other human because she was still vomiting).  I took off their gear, grabbed some towels and I ran back out the door.  I put Olli in some towels and we raced to the emergency vet, breaking every traffic law you can imagine.  I’m not proud of that, but my dog was seriously ill.  During the 15 minute car ride, she vomited again and released her bowels- then went unconscious.  At that point, I knew it wasn’t good.  We called the emergency vet on the way to let them know we were coming- and they met me at the door to take her in for an immediate evaluation.

All of this took place in 20 minutes.  Long, stressful, teary-eyed tale made short, Olli had gone into “anaphylactic shock” from (what I can only assume) a wasp or hornet sting.

Anaphylactic Shock is a severe allergic reaction that, if left untreated, causes seizures, coma, and death.  Anaphylaxis targets the liver.  Signs develop almost immediately, usually within minutes, after the dog has been exposed to the allergen.  The first signs of anaphylaxis usually include:

• Sudden Diarrhea
• Emptying of bowels (defecation/urination)
• Vomiting
• Severe itchiness & development of hives
• Weakness
• Excessive drooling
• Shallow, rapid, and/or difficult breathing
• Pale gums (tacky)
• Fast heart rate
• Poor pulse
• Cold limbs
• Collapse

Anaphylactic shock is almost always fatal if not treated immediately. If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms, take him or her to a vet immediately.

I wanted to tell you Olli’s story because I learned so much from it.  If you had asked me if I was prepared for a pet emergency, prior to Olli’s sting, I would have said yes.  But was I?  In a real emergency situation you are forced to deal with any lack of planning.  Don’t let a random tragedy remind you that you could have been more prepared.  Here’s what I learned.

• I knew that I needed to get my animal to a vet.  I know which vets are in my area, where they are located- but I don’t have them all programmed in my phone.  I have my regular vet information in my phone, but my vet wasn’t open during Olli’s emergency.  I had to call information to get the number of the emergency vet I was driving to- which is a nightmare when you are in a high-alert situation.  Now, I have all the surrounding vet offices programmed into my phone, including the hours that they are open.  Not only are they programmed, they are also a “favorite” so that I can find them easily and quickly in cases of emergency.
• Do you know how to get to the closest vet office?  Do you know what routes to take or back roads?  Do you know how long it takes to get to each one so you know which one is closest?  You should.
• My regular vet has a medical history on Olli because they have been seeing her since she was a puppy.  But, again, I was going to an emergency vet that needed to know information about her so that they could treat her.  I was flustered giving the emergency vet all the information that they needed, thank goodness I had another smart human with me that could keep their head and give any information necessary.  Now, I have a copy of all of the animals’ medical files in a folder in the car.  Easy to grab on the way into an emergency vet.
• Do you have a first aid kit for your companion animals?  I didn’t either.  I do now.  I’ll talk more about this in a minute.

Being (somewhat) prepared is what saved Olli’s life.  And I am thankful.  But I am also still recovering from the stress and shock myself.  I have never had an experience like that with an animal- I hope to never have it again.  And to be honest, the whole situation has put me in quite a state.  See, Olli is extremely allergic to bees- maybe, we don’t know.  We can’t tell for sure if that’s what stung her- or what exactly her reaction is from.  I can make an estimated guess, and I have, but I’m not 100% sure.  And that worries me.

Anaphylactic Shock can happen if the body is introduced to the allergen one time, but more common is an anaphylactic reaction the second time the allergen is introduced to the body.  That means that most likely, Olli has been stung by a bee before.  Which also means that the next time it happens, the reaction will be worse than this one.  So, aside from freaking out every single time she steps her paws outside, I must be prepared for another emergency.

Rewinding a little to my list of things I learned, remember the first aid kit for your companion animal that I didn’t have?  Okay, here’s where we talk about it.  But before we do, I am not a vet.  I am not claiming to be a vet, I am also not claiming that this advice should replace that of a vet.  This post is for informational purposes only, please consult your regular vet with any questions regarding your own animal’s health.  Now, that said- let’s talk about a first aid kit.  Here’s what’s in my (new) kit:

• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Styptic Powder, or cornstarch
• Eye dropper or oral syringe
• Cotton Swabs/Cotton balls
• Paper Towels
• Rectal Thermometer
• Lubricant such as mineral oil/vaseline
• Disposable gloves
• Cold packs/Heat packs (wrap in towel prior to use)
• Gauze (sterile)
• Non-stick pads
• First aid tape
• Bandage rolls (Vetwrap)
• Band-aids
• Wound disinfectant
• Triple antibiotic ointment for skin
• Diphenhydramine  (Benadryl – get the liquid kind) for allergic reactions (get the proper dose from Vet for your pet)
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• I also carry water, a portable water bowl, treats, doggie poo bags, and a spare leash in my car at all times.

Watch the expiration dates on any medication, and replace as needed.

Olli was lucky, we were lucky.  Olli was given immediate treatment at the vet (One shot of Dexamethasone, coming right up!) and was stable (but not out of the woods yet) within 20 minutes.  As it turned out, the vet we were at wasn’t able to care for Olli (because every pet emergency I have always happens on a weekend) and that she’d have to be transported to the nearest animal hospital.  So, another long teary-eyed tale later, we were able to transport her to the closest animal hospital once she was fully stabilized.  And she improved as time went on, and in a day or so we were able to bring her home.  She’s now at home being spoiled.  She hasn’t fully recovered and is still on medication for her allergic reaction.  There’s more blood work that will be done to ensure there was no damage to her liver, another trip back to the vet in a couple of days to see how she’s doing.  But she’s alive.  And for that, I am thankful.

Olli, recovering in luxury (and showing off her shaved fur)

I hope that no one has to go through the same situation as Olli and I, but if you do please- “bee prepared.”

Some would say it’s not easy being vegan. Though I can sympathize, I beg to differ. Ok, I do realize I have it pretty good, living in sunny San Diego, where fresh produce and healthy lifestyles abound. But the majority of people here still eat animal products. I am certainly the anomaly, even in such a seemingly forward thinking and health conscious city. So how do I do it with such ease? It’s simple. I go with my gut. I live from the heart. I never doubt myself. I know that being vegan is the BEST thing I can be doing for my health, for the environment, and for the sentient beings that are slaughtered every day and don’t have a say in the matter.

For those who find that living such a ‘rebellious’ lifestyle is trying, here are some tips for living a happy vegan life, while still being a functioning part of an unfortunately carnivorous society:

Don’t act like it’s a chore. My mantra is “It’s easy being vegan”. When you make it seem easy, because it IS, others may start to notice. If friends see you floating through your day, eating your yummy plant based diet, and making it appear hassle free, you may start to rub off on them. Maybe they will start to think they could do it too. On the other hand, if you complain every chance you get about why this restaurant doesn’t offer more vegan plates, or this grocery store doesn’t carry that, others will think, “wow, what a pain in the a** it is to be vegan; I could NEVER do it!”

Get involved in your local vegan community. Hang out at vegan restaurants, look for groups on meetup.com, go to farmer’s markets, volunteer at events for animal rights, attend lectures on health and wellness, etc… surround yourself with others who you can feel supported by. Of course I’m not saying to ditch all your burger-loving friends, but it’s refreshing to be in the presence of others who share your views. They may even provide insight into more vegan options in your community. Even if you are shy and don’t know any other vegans, just get yourself out there! I guarantee you will be glad you did!

Plant a garden. Now, don’t say you don’t have a yard. There are so many options… there are the hanging indoor gardens where you can grow tomatoes in your house, there are planter boxes you can put on a balcony, or if you’re lucky enough to have an actual yard, then get to digging! I have a small balcony, and I have made the best I can of the space I have by setting up a small planter box where I am growing tomatoes, bok choy, basil, cilantro, scallions, lemon grass, parsley, and mint. It is a wonderful and empowering feeling to be able to pick some fresh herbs or veggies right out of your own land, and then nourish your body with something you helped to grow. It can be meditative to work on your garden, and it will allow you time to reflect on your amazing decision to live a vegan lifestyle. As a meat eater, would a person take pleasure in going out to slaughter a chicken before they brought it to their plate? I think not. This is one of the many joys of eating plants… take advantage of it!

Share the wealth. Spread the knowledge, the food, and the fun that comes with being vegan.

When you are invited to a potluck, bring the most scrumptious vegan dish you can think of; one that will be a huge hit with ALL the guests! Show those carnivores that plant food can taste downright sinful. I often bring my go-to dish of Southwestern Corn Casserole, and almost everyone asks for the recipe. They are always surprised when they realize it’s sans animals.  I also never go to any gathering empty handed. Whether it’s some sweet treats like chocolate chip cookies, or simply guacamole and chips, bring FOOD! Let’s face it, the way to most people’s hearts is through their stomach. Feed your friends and family vegan food that is delish. Show them that this is a far cry from a self-sacrificing lifestyle. When they see that you can eat cruelty free and healthy, without compromising the taste, you may just arouse their interest.

Also, never hesitate to offer up all the glorious health benefits that come with eating vegan. Some people may not realize that by eating vegan you are dramatically reducing your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and pretty much any disease you can think of! You are also rewarded with increase energy, glowing skin, attainment of ideal weight, and plain old just feeling good!

And if they ask, educate them on the inconvenient truths of factory farming, slaughterhouses, and all the pain and suffering that had to occur to allow them to eat that artery-clogging chicken wing. I can assure you that most people won’t WANT to hear this, but that’s all the more reason that they should! I own a copy of Earthlings (www.earthlings.com) and I offer to lend it  to anyone and everyone. Most people refuse and say, “Oh no I could never watch that, it’s too upsetting”…Yes, ignorance is bliss, but it’s still ignorance!

Don’t apologize for your choice to be vegan. When you have to make special requests at dinner with non-vegan friends, never say sorry. If anything, they are the ones who should be apologizing for feeling the need to put the decaying carcass of a tortured animal in their body, instead of fresh plant food!

Speak up and ask for what you want. This is a piggyback my last tip. When out to eat, no matter where, if you don’t see something on the menu, just ASK. Often chefs are happy to be creative and put together a little unique dish for you. If you are at a casual restaurant, be creative yourself. I recently went for breakfast at a typical ‘diner’ and didn’t see anything on the menu outside of omelettes and scrambles. After looking at the ingredients that were available for the omelettes, I asked the waitress to bring me a bagel, with some sprouts, avocado and tomatoes. I pieced together a nice little breakfast sandwich, and the waitress even came by and said, “wow that looks really good!” Now if you happen to be somewhere to eat and they say that they CAN’T make some small adjustments for you, then just get the heck out of there! If their food is already processed and prepared that far ahead of time, then you don’t want to be eating there anyways, vegan or not!
In addition to restaurants, never hesitate to ask your local grocery store to carry special items or brands that you would like to try. Most are at least willing to give it a shot, or sometimes they can even just order the item specially for you. Co-ops are particularly helpful in this matter.

Get Inspired. Ever hear of Mimi Kirk? How about Brendan Brazier? Both are vegans that have caused quite a stir in the meat eating world. Mimi Kirk is a drop dead gorgeous woman who credits her beauty and vitality solely to her plant based diet. Did I mention she is 71 years old? Take a look at her in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcvq63B2bOY); she shows her passport to prove her age!  Brendan Brazier is a professional triathlete, as well as an author and speaker, who experimented with a variety of food fads and diets before discovering that a vegan diet gave him optimal energy for his ideal athletic performance and recovery. These are people who are doing impassioned and influential things, and credit their successes to a vegan diet. How’s that for a little ‘kick in the butt’ inspiration?

My first ‘public outing’ as a vegan just so happened to be a barbecue at a friend’s house. I recall the grill being fired up, and everyone grabbing a hot dog or burger to cook up. When someone asked why I wasn’t partaking in this, I opened my mouth to begin to explain, and defend, my new vegan lifestyle. But before I could get a word out, a quick minded friend shot out an answer for me, “She just decided it wasn’t cool to eat animals anymore”. I couldn’t have said it better myself….

Living vegan is a life changing experience; that is not a question. But in my opinion, the most life altering aspect of it is not the exterior lifestyle changes, but it’s the awakening and the consciousness that occurs within you. When you make the connection, and understand the suffering that occurs, and that you have the power to reject this suffering with the choices you make, you are forever changed. Nothing is cooler than that!

Lori Zito is a animal-loving, life-loving vegan who is passionate about spreading the message of better health through a vegan diet. She is fortunate to be surrounded by family and friends who have welcomed her vegan lifestyle with open arms, and many of whom have made small and large changes in their own lives as a result.

She is also a holistic health and nutrition coach, and can be contacted at www.liveinthebalance.com.

Betcha didn’t know that we reviewed books too, did ya? Well it’s true, we love to read the old-fashioned way!  Today we’re reviewing, Vegan in 30 Days, Get Healthy. Save the World by Sarah Taylor. This book is a handy little how-to guide into the practical beginnings of veganism.  My first thought upon receiving the book was, this little book is jam-packed with a bunch of great advice and interesting information!  I think it would be a great book for a newbie vegan.  I like it so much in fact, that I plan to give one lucky reader a copy of the book.  More on that in a bit.

Incidentally, the dedication of the book is really lovely, I had to share it.

For every person who continually strives to do things better and do better things.

Yes, indeed.

One of the best parts about the book is that there is a give and take approach to becoming vegan- the goal being to be a full vegan in 30 days.  The book is broken out into days, removing things and adding things all at the same time- ensuring that the newbie won’t feel deprived.  But this book doesn’t just give you day to day instructions on what to eat, this book incorporates veganism into all other aspects of life.  Taylor takes on topics such as; meeting other vegans, learning how to say “No thank you, I’m vegan,” shopping and what to do in a conversation if someone wants to talk about veganism.  Things that, as a newbie, you may not know or have questions on.

I’m one of those, I-gotta-have-a-plan-because-then-I-will-have-a-goal-to-work-towards-and-that-makes-me-insanely-happy,  kind of person.  I tend to make a plan for something that I want to accomplish and work towards a goal.  Once I reach the goal, I reassess and recommit to a new goal.  This mindset has allowed me to accomplish all manners of things.  This book is set up in a similar manner, so I relate very well to it- and I think that most people would as well.

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

(This is excerpt is Day 27 – Learn how to say “No thank you, I’m Vegan” – page 72.  Taylor is at a dinner party and her friend had just realized that the vegan cake she had made wasn’t really vegan.  Taylor goes on to talk about how to deal with the situation, being a vegan.  And, it’s spot on.  The emphasis is my own.)

In this very touchy situation, many people would argue that  I should have eaten a little bit anyway.  After all, my friend had gone to so much effort, peeling apples with her kids into the wee hours of the night, and no one else wanted a near vegan pie!  I understand this point of reasoning, and if veganism was purely a personal preference for me, I probably would have done just that.  However, because I am a vegan for ethical reasons, I have a personal policy that I will never knowingly eat animal products. I believe that one of my roles is to set an example for others and to live out my values in public.  Therefore, there was never a question in my mind as to whether I would eat the pie.  The question was how to best handle the situation.

Taylor advises that you let your host/hostess know how much you appreciate the thought and kindness behind their actions.  And I couldn’t agree more.  I really like how Taylor provides compassionate solutions to common non-vegan situations.  Here’s some more samples of what you’ll find inside this book:

• Day 13: Take a tour of your local health food store
• Day 15: Try a new recipe
• Day 21: Meet other vegans

So much good stuff packed into 104 little pages!

My only criticism of this books comes in the beginning of the book.  Day 2 is all about knowing the basics of veganism and it’s here that Taylor says, “Honey comes from the nectar of flowers, and is produced by insects (bees), as opposed to animals.  Therefore, vegans differ on whether honey is a vegan product or not.”

Straight from Wikipedia:

Insects (from Latin insectum, a calque of Greek ἔντομον [éntomon], “cut into sections”) are a class within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are among the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms.

I want to take this time to remind folks that humans need the bees to survive.  By now I’m sure everyone has heard of this little thing called and ecosystem, right?  Well, we need the bees to pollinate our crops- unless of course Monsanto is developing another genetically modified self-pollinating seed- which, they probably are.  But I digress, on to the rating…

I give Vegan in 30 Days. Get Healthy. Save the World. 4 Goatz for being a great resource for new vegans. I’ll bump that up to 5 Goatz when Taylor realizes that insects are, indeed, animals too.

Have you read Vegan in 30 Days by Sarah Taylor? Rate it below!

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Now for the fun part. Remember how I said I love the book so much that I am going to give away a copy?  Well, I am.  So here’s the deal.  I’m giving away one copy of Vegan in 30 days. Get Healthy. Save the World. to one lucky YDV reader.  To enter to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this article with your tip or suggestion for a new vegan.  Let’s create a great list of awesome tips to help make it easier to go vegan!  The giveaway will last until next Friday (6/11/10) at midnight, plenty of time to get a great tip or advice put together!

My #1 tip for a new vegan?

• Don’t leave your house without a vegan snack in cases of emergency.  You never know when vegan food won’t be available to you, and being prepared will ensure that you never have to go hungry.  I make homemade trail mixes (or cut up veggies/fruit) to take with me when I leave my house.  Then, if I get hungry, I can snack on something vegan and healthy.

So, what’s your tip?

Introducting YDV Presents: Stories of Vegan Evolution, our newest series devoted to learning more about our fellow vegans.  These are the stories of their personal evolution into veganism and asks the ever important question, why vegan?

What Vegan Means To Me

When I was first offered the opportunity to contribute to Your Daily Vegan my first thought was of countering the Top 10 silly and mostly uneducated comments I had heard since becoming a vegan 3 years ago. Living in Austria surrounded by tractors and cows in every field chewing luscious dandelions, where people assume that all their meat is grown in their own neighborhood by someone they had gone to school with, I have heard it all. Mentioning I’m a vegan in these parts I have faced scorn from strangers and family alike. However the wonderful thing about being in my forties is that the approval and acceptance of other people mean very little to me. I don’t feel the need to defend my actions anymore and I follow the beat of my own drum. So the more I thought about it the more I realized such an article would be more about defending what some call an extreme and crazy lifestyle instead of giving a true explanation of what being vegan means to me.

I could tell you that I gave up meat and dairy for my health, or that it is about the environment and leaving a smaller footprint on this glorious planet of ours. Or I could say that it is about all the cute and cuddly and even the not so fluffy animals, which of course it is, how could it not be, but even that is not the true reason why I became a vegan.

What it boils down to is being able to look in the mirror each morning and having respect for the person looking back. It’s a purely selfish reason. Don’t we all want to feel good about our actions? Don’t we all want to be the best person we can be? Watching a video of a sow crammed into a gestational crate unable to turn around, does not give me joy. Watching a piglet being treated as a product, deformed and mangled as he is castrated and has his curly tail and ears cut off only makes me feel enmity towards the people who put him there.

Most people do their grocery shopping and they see the bacon in shiny Saran wrap, I see suffering and a life spent in agonizing boredom neatly packaged for the consumer. Products are given mouth-watering names such as Blackforest or honey-baked ham, baby back ribs and pork tenderloin. Before I knew the whole truth I bought into it each week, but as I ate my ham sandwich there was something somewhere inside me, that didn’t make me feel good. It wasn’t until I became a vegan that I realized that feeling in the pit of my stomach was guilt. Guilt for contributing to the miserable life and the horrible death of a being that wants to live life on it’s own terms. Guilt for filling the pockets of farm factory owners who make their living causing unthinkable pain. I didn’t want to be a person who merely says how horrible meat production is and that somebody really ought to do something to change the way things are done, I wanted to do more.

It was a big change for my family, but we have stuck with it and I don’t see us turning back. Being vegan has opened up so many culinary doors to an entire world of new and wondrous ingredients. I had never tried tahini or tempeh, I thought quinoa was for the birds and soaking beans for hours was too much work. I had to learn to cook all over again, but for the first time in my life I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. I learned to cook dishes I never knew existed and as time went on and my body got used to the changes everything I ate tasted better because there was no longer that lingering guilt for having participated in the untimely death of another being. I love going to the farmer’s market and seeing the rich colors of the seasonal vegetables. The crunch of a fresh carrot, the taste of freshly picked raspberries from my backyard. I feel free and yet more connected.

That guilt I used to feel in my gut is also gone and when I see a cow in a field she is no longer a steak or producer of milk, she is a fellow Earthling, a friend. When I look at her I like myself for being vegan.

Marion Raby was an on-again off-again vegetarian for 33 years and became a vegan 3 years ago. She believes every animal has a right to live a long and happy life with their own kind, with blue skies above and green grass underfoot.

She is also a artist, her paintings have been shown in the US and in Europe. (www.marionraby.com). She is currently living in Austria with her vegan husband, vegetarian children and 5 furry friends.