Confused about What Vegan Really Is?

Okay...so this story makes me feel a little guilty.  Stick with me!

Earlier this week at work, one of the women from another department brought me a bag of homemade cookies.  She had apparently been passing out little bags of cookies to lots of different people.  When she came to my office, she said, "I know you're vegan, so I made you these special cookies."  I thought that was very sweet.  She started naming off ingredients like quinoa flour and such, and then she said honey.  I couldn't help it, but I just blurted out, "I don't eat honey."  It's true.  I don't.  Most vegans don't.  It's animal protein (even though it's an insect and not a large animal), but I also don't appreciate what bees go through when we steal their honey.  Daniel Hammer, in his article entitled "Is Honey Vegan?", explains it best:

Honeybees . . . are able to experience pain and suffering . . . . Honey, beeswax, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis and venom are taken from bees for human uses. In the process of acquiring these, beekeepers regularly disturb the bees’ homes by removing the honeycombs from the hive. When this is done some bees will inevitably be injured or crushed, and any bees who sting the beekeepers will also die.

So, anyway, I blurted out, "I don't eat honey," implying that I wouldn't eat the cookies. 

She frowned and said, "What?  You don't eat honey?  Why not?" 

I replied, "It's an animal product." 

She said, "Animal?" 

I then said, "Yes, lots of vegans don't eat honey." 

Again: "Why not?"

"Do you know what they do to bees to get their honey?"

Then her tone completely changed and she said, "Oh.  You're one of those PETA vegans, huh?"

I'd been reading Rory Freedman (an outspoken well-known vegan) earlier that day and felt empowered.  I kept my tone calm and said, "I am vegan for every reason there is to be a vegan--for health, the planet, and animals."

Anyway, both she and I agreed that my carnivorous children would enjoy the cookies, and the next day I composed a Thank You card where I simply thanked her for the thought and told her I appreciated it.  But I felt guilty.  Guilty because I'd looked a gift horse in the mouth.  Guilty because someone had done something so completely selfless and unsolicited.  Guilty because I could have simply just said, "Thank you."  But I didn't.  I told her my feelings.  Even without the honey, I don't eat a lot of sugar anyway.  I suppose it would have been easy enough (I guess) to simply say thanks.  In fact, when I related the story to my husband and daughter, they slapped their foreheads (a la "I coulda had a V-8") and said I should have simply thanked her.

But it's not that easy.

You see, the longer I am vegan, the more firmly I feel about my eating convictions.  And I wanted to set the record straight.  This woman told me a while back that her daughter is vegetarian.  Well, what if her daughter becomes vegan?  If the daughter were to become vegan, well, at least her mom will have a heads up about honey.  And, while we're on that subject, not all sugar is vegan either.  In fact, most cane sugar is not vegan, and it's because of the filtering process.  When I use sugar, I usually use Sugar in the Raw (which is vegan) or Sucanat. If you're curious to learn more, you can read "The Great Sugar Debate: Is it Vegan?"

So, I suppose I need to be calmer, but if you're going to cook for a vegan, you might want to find out what that means.  For example, I would have been perfectly happy with Agave in those cookies!  :)

Vegan Living

This little post today will deal with issues other than food, so if you want to skip, feel free.

However, I want to talk about other vegan issues.  By now you've read so many of the reasons why I began eating vegan--health, environment, conscious/ethics.  For that same reason, I began looking at my entire life in a different way.  That leather jacket I've had for over twenty years...?  Angora sweaters...  All of a sudden, I began looking at my clothing in a different way.

But even before then I started buying makeup, health and cleaning products that were cruelty free.  I didn't like the idea of animals being tested just so I could wear mascara.  Really, companies have been using the same ingredients for decades.  Either these companies know how they work or they don't--you don't have to test the same things over and over and over.  Sadly enough, in my quest, I've also discovered that we slather horrible chemicals all over ourselves and spray it into our environment.  But I digress.  Today I prefer to look for vegan products if I can--those that are not tested on animals and also don't use animal ingredients.

I only bring this topic up only because I discovered that, as I began to question my food choices, I began looking at more areas of my life.  If you do too, don't be surprised!  :)

Vegan Schmegan!

You know, I never would have thought I'd been vegetarian (let alone vegan) long enough to say I'd heard a lot of funny reactions to my dietary and lifestyle choices, but I've heard more than I would think I should in such a short amount of time.  I'm already sick to death of being asked how I get my protein!  But I realize most people are trying to be respectful and are geniunely curious, so I answer them respectfully as well.  A lot of people don't know exactly what vegan is, though, so I'll cover here the range of vegetarian eating, for those who wonder exactly what vegan means. All of the eaters I describe below are considered "vegetarian":

1. A lacto-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from her diet but includes dairy (such as milk and cheese).
2. An ovo-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from her diet but includes eggs.
3. An ovo-lacto-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from his diet but includes eggs and dairy products.
4. A pesco-vegetarian is a vegetarian who eats fish (just like a pollo-vegetarian eats chicken) .  I never quite understood this one, but there it is anyway.  There are also other weird variations on this theme, but I gotta tell ya...my opinion is that a vegetarian eats no meat, be it fish, fowl, or other!  If a person is lactose intolerant and excludes milk products from his diet, he doesn't all of a sudden become a bovine-pollo-pesco-ovo-vegetarian.  Where do we draw the line?  There's a new term for these people which I find less objectionable, and that is semi-vegetarian.  That term, to me, implies a person who is vegetarian some of the time, and I think that's okay.  I don't want to judge someone else's eating choices, but I don't think they should call themselves vegetarian when they really aren't.  There. I've said it.  Yes, I think I feel better.
5. A vegan is a person who excludes all animal products from her diet.  This includes not only all animal flesh but also foods harvested from animals (by this, I mean cheese, eggs, and the like).  This even includes products like honey.  Even though the formal definition of vegan refers simply to the act and not the spirit, many vegans take the vegan act past the diet.  In other words, lots of vegans (yes, that includes myself) choose to use products that are vegan (make-up and cleaning supplies, for example) and avoid wearing anything made from animals (for example, things made with leather, wool, or angora).

I started out by simply excluding meat from my diet.  I was convinced that I would never want to give up cheese.  But my journey has brought me there.  After a while, it was also easy to exclude eggs.  And now I have shunned all dairy.  I realize that not everyone wants to be this "extreme," but I've done it for multiple reasons: my health, the environment, and my conscience.  And I really do feel better all the way around for it.

Environmental Reasons to Become Vegan

This article was originally published on Suite101.com.  To see the article in its entirety and its original state, click on this link:  Environmental Reasons to Become Vegetarian. 

There are many reasons people become vegetarian--most often, people stop eating meat because of their health or for ethical reasons. But sometimes people become vegetarian for environmental reasons.

The term "sustainable agriculture" is often used when vegetarians speak of their choice to be meatless to save the environment. The idea is that farming should be self-sustaining (sustainable farming can include raising cattle). Because a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle requires less water and pollutes less, it is considered to be more sustainable.

Go Vegetarian to Save Water

Ed Ayres, in the Time Magazine article “Will We Still Eat Meat?” lays out the facts in no uncertain terms. He says, "To produce 1 lb. of feedlot beef requires 7 lbs. of feed grain, which takes 7,000 lbs. of water to grow." Note that he equates 7,000 pounds of water to raising just one pound of beef to maturity. Considering many feedlot cows can end up weighing well over 1,000 pounds, it's not hard to see how much water is used to simply fatten up cows for slaughter.

Global Warming Concerns


Most people have heard that global warming is caused by an increase in the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and carbon-specifically carbon dioxide (CO2)-is usually identified as a culprit. Some people don't know that methane is also a large contributor to global warming. The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook cites John Robbins's arguments that cattle on the planet "produce nearly 100 million tons of methane." Robbins's organization, the EarthSave Foundation, also mentions that cattle are just one of many other animals that are consumed by human beings.

Deforestation


The Vegetarian Society claims that meat eating causes deforestation in two ways. The first is that land (such as rainforest) is cleared to grow grain to feed cattle; the second is that land is also cleared to raise cattle. They mention that one "third of the world’s land suitable for growing crops is used to produce feed for farmed animals." It is "inefficient" to use land to feed animals that become food for human beings when using the land to directly feed people would result in more food and less land use.

Environmentalism Can Start With One's Diet

It really is possible to save more water and contribute less to global warming by going vegetarian or--at the very least--reducing one's consumption of meat than by doing many other things that help lessen one's carbon footprint.

(Original article publication date:  September 20, 2009.)

Reasons to Become Vegan

This article was originally published on Suite101.com. To see the article in its entirety, click on this link: Reasons to Become Vegetarian. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re already vegan or on your way, so you might decide to skip this post!

The United States (as well as other Western countries) tends to have a diverse population, but it is apparent (based on the existence of the Food Pyramid) that a majority of citizens eat a varied diet that includes both animal and vegetable products. When a person chooses a meatless lifestyle, very often that person has a clear reason for becoming vegetarian. A person might choose to be vegetarian due to health reasons, environmental concerns, or for ethical beliefs.

People Become Vegetarians for Health Reasons

Perhaps one of the most common reasons people choose a vegetarian lifestyle is for health reasons. Consider this fact: "The total direct medical costs in the United States attributable to meat consumption were estimated to be $30-60 billion a year," according to Health Benefits of Vegetarian Diets. The website also states that another benefit of a meatless way of eating is that consuming plants offers protection from cancer.

Due to the increased fiber found in most vegetarian diets, other benefits include fewer gastrointestinal problems or discomfort. The above website also states that vegetarians have fewer problems with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, food-borne illness (such as E. coli and salmonella), and strokes. Considering that-according to the Centers for Disease Control-heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the top three causes of death in America (diabetes is number six on the list), many people have good reasons for avoiding the consumption of meat.


People Become Vegetarians for Environmental Reasons

Many people worry about the impact a meat-based diet has on the environment. Considering recent concerns about climate change and global warming, it's no wonder many people look to their eating habits and decide to change.

GoVeg.com boldly states, "The most serious environmental problems of our time are all directly linked to eating meat." The website outlines the grave environmental impact a meat-based diet causes. Some vegetarians who aren't necessarily concerned about their health worry about their carbon footprint and choose a meatless diet for that reason alone.

People Become Vegetarians for Ethical Reasons

Some vegetarians--many of them vegans--choose not to eat meat for ethical reasons. These people often object to eating meat because it means that an animal had to die to feed them, and sustaining their own life by killing an animal is not a good enough reason to eat meat. Many vegans also feel that eating dairy products (including eggs) or other animal products (like honey) exploits animals and, thus, choose not to eat any animal-based foods.

Becoming a Vegetarian is a Personal Choice

Some vegetarians have chosen this lifestyle not for one but multiple reasons. Whatever the case, there is no end to the amount of information available to anyone who decides to change her eating habits.

(Original article publication date:  September 10, 2009.)

The Toxic Standard American Diet

We're poisoning ourselves everyday.  I'm not talking about smoking or pollution, drinking, illicit drugs, or exposure to the sun or radiation.  I'm talking about our food, the food we eat everyday.

Yes, our food.  Dare I say we all have food poisoning?

If there are any carnivores out there reading this, you might consider stopping, but you should keep reading for your health's sake.  Americans eat meat and other animal products, for starters.  Hundreds of years ago, it used to be that the rich died of the diseases we all do now.  Why?  Because they ate the foods that all Americans eat now, things like meat and dairy products.  Rich and poor can afford to eat these foods now, because the price of meat and dairy products are artificially deflated (along with certain crops) because they are subsidized by the U.S. government.  Don't believe me?  Find an independent farmer out there.  Ask how much a steak or fryer costs from them wholesale.  You'll probably be surprised.  It's not just due to the savings of mass production (and I promise not to get on my soapbox about CAFOs here).

More than meat, look at all the refined sugars and other products in our diets, along with chemicals, and so many additives and preservatives, it's not even funny.  And today we also have to deal with genetic modification of our foods.  It's a wonder we live to be 50!!!

Here's a short list of junk you can find in most "safe" foods:

• Animal fats and proteins (many of them hidden)
• Sugars, and sucrose is no longer the most common
• High fructose corn syrup
• Genetic modification (one of the most common is soy)
• Flavorings (just because it's natural, don't assume it's healthy or safe)
• Colorings (why do we have to add more color our food, for heaven's sake?)
• MSG
• Crazy amounts of additives, many of which are unnecessary and very likely unsafe
• Saturated fats
• Trans fats

For more information, you can find all kinds of articles online.  I have written a few articles on what is in our processed food (one such article, for example, talks about the "Common Hidden Ingredients" in microwaveable burritos).  Some people purchase foods like this at the store every day.  There are so many other horrible things we eat, sometimes things we think are healthy (like many salad dressings!).  Frozen dinners and pizzas, soda, chips--yes.  We know those things are bad.  But even the items labeled "healthy" usually aren't.

Can we go too far?  I'm not sure.  Depends on how long you want to live but more than, how well you want to live while you're here.  Many of these ailments/diseases are caused (directly and indirectly) by the food we eat and the personal care products we use (whether the mainstream media will admit it or not--I recommend checking out the website Natural News for more info).  Some of these you'll know, but others you won't, and if you don't believe me, do a little digging.  It'll shock you:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Alzheimer's
• Osteoporosis
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Stroke
• Depression

Can you believe that if we ate right (really right, not Food Pyramid right), we could avoid and possibly even cure this list????  And even if you don't quite believe it, do you really want to take that chance?

Why Veganism?

I was raised in a meat-eating family. In fact, my dad hunted for food--deer, elk, antelope, and occasionally other animals like rabbits or quail. And it was viewed as acceptable on all levels--the USDA, for example, recommended so many servings of meat/meat protein daily; the Bible says that God had given us animals for food (Genesis 9:3); and my father had come from a very meat-and-potatoes background. Don't get me wrong--they ate lots of vegetables too, but a meal without meat just wasn't considered a meal.

So I was never taught--on any level--that there was anything wrong with eating animals. And understand this as well: I don't judge people who eat meat, but anyone who gets in my face about being vegetarian will get it back from me!

One of my first memories of eating meat is of chewing on a piece of steak. I don't know if it was gristly or not, but I remember chewing and chewing on the stupid thing and it wouldn't break down enough to go down my throat. And I came from an "eat-everything-on-your-plate" family, so I didn't dare spit it out. So I chewed and chewed and chewed some more. I think I might have finally given up. I don't really remember. But even at a young age, I was a vegetable fan. I didn't like green salads too much, but I loved just about any kind of vegetable I could get my mouth wrapped around, even the ones most other kids hated, like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus. Sure, I had my dislikes, but overall, I loved 'em.

When I left the nest to attend college, I found myself eating very little meat. Sure, I ate some. I had more at the cafeteria when I lived on campus (and it was usually in a dish, like Turkey Tetrazzini), but when I moved off campus, my meat eating really dropped. I worked for a pizza restaurant and had the occasional slice of pepperoni or ham and cheese sandwich, but I ate a lot of salads, pasta, and breadsticks. It was at the age of 20 that I realized I wasn't a huge fan of eating meat. I didn't usually admit it out loud, but I knew it in my heart even then.

When I married and had children (again, remember I was taught to cook the meat-and-potatoes way!), I found that ground beef was one of the cheapest meats out there (I didn't know at the time that meat is subsidized by the government so that its price is artifically deflated). So I became a master chef with hamburger, inventing dishes like Meatball Stew and perfecting old favorites like Spaghetti. I bought chicken once in a while and inherited fish and game meat from my parents. After cooking and eating this way for years and years, I began not feeling as healthy as I used to, particularly in the gastro-intestinal sense. My stomach bothered me a lot. I often felt uncomfortable and bloated after eating.  And even after I stopped smoking (YAY!), I still had a lot of stuffy nose-type problems.

My husband asked me to put him on Atkins a few years ago.  Ugh.  It sounded too good to be true and it was.  I lived with eating meat for my entire life, but eating this much meat, cheese, and eggs pushed me over the edge.  Eggs quickly dropped off my list as did ham.  I decided just a month into Atkins that I never wanted to eat those two things again!  I didn't lose any weight (my husband lost a lot, though), and I felt miserable and totally unsatisfied.  After a year of "doing Atkins" fairly faithfully, I decided it was definitely not for me.

Then, one day about a year and a half ago, my husband had been researching healthy eating again, and he came across a PETA challenge to eat vegan for thirty days. I jumped on the chance, as I had been considering vegetarianism anyway. So I prepared. I tried to cook all the meat in our freezer before we started. I bought a vegetarian cookbook. I stocked up on dried beans and frozen veggies. And I planned a thirty-day menu.

Well, a lot of the recipes were lacking flavor, but I was starting to feel better by the end of the month. The rest of my family, though, was feeling deprived. At the beginning of the next month, they resumed eating meat and I did not.

I feel lots better. But I didn't stop there.  It was just the beginning of a long journey for me. I started researching the effects of a vegetarian and vegan diet. I now understand the health and environmental implications of a carnivorous diet. I have become a vocal advocate for healthier eating. I do try not to push my views on others (although my kids and husband will argue otherwise and, in their case, it's true), but I'm always happy to discuss it, and I write articles about vegetarianism regularly. And, let's face it--cheese comes from milk, and milk is taken from cows. Bottom line? It's exploiting cows.

And finally I have made it to being vegan. I said for a long time that I didn't think I could give up cheese (things like milk and eggs were easy), but--in my research--I've discovered that a lot of cheeses are not vegetarian (most cheeses use a product called rennet to culture them; rennet comes from cow and calf stomachs). In addition to that, cheese just really isn't healthy on many levels, from all the animal protein we ingest to its addictive qualities. In addition to that, though, cheese comes from milk, and milk comes from cows. Bottom line (and why many vegans are vegans): eating cheese exploits an animal, whether it's a cow or a goat.  I breastfed all four of my children, and when I think of cows being milked their entire lives, it's very easy for me to say no to milk products.  I felt that it was important that my children be breastfed, but I wouldn't want to breastfeed hundreds of people for the rest of my life!  It's not natural!

So now you know. Am I radical? Maybe. I didn't used to be. But I'm glad I've become vegan. There's just too much stuff out there that we have to dig to find out...about eating meat, drinking milk, how our food is raised, grown, treated. Reading Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation started opening my eyes (I read that a few months before the PETA vegan experiment, so I was primed!), and I keep reading. I urge you to as well!  And if you're becoming vegan and are still somewhat new to it (like I am) or are still considering it, good luck!  It's not too hard once you get started.  And now?  I'll never go back!