vegan flirting...

As if I don't have enough things to do, be concerned with, use my energy on, and to research, now I am rethinking the foundation of how I eat.

None the less, my addiction to documentaries about food, agriculture and the environment is taking over. I guess I love causes and this is one of the many my heart is drawn to.

Not that I am not interested in anything strict or overly structured regarding food...that sounds like hell. I don't like being told what to do or how to do it...so a rule book on how to eat is not my idea of a good time. Plus, I like beer and cookies, (although I am trying to minimize processed sugars because I feel SO much better with out it). Strict is just not for me.

Over the past 2 years I have watched a half dozen documentaries and read quite a few books on food and the last few I consumed are infecting my brain...in a good way...but in a way I can no longer ignore.

As I was watching the last film and reviewing the latest book with my hubby, he said, "I don't want to be a strict vegan, but I like the idea of going vegan". I laughed and said, "is there any other option for vegan other than strict?". Aren't those two things interchangeable...vegan is strict, right? He meant, that he wants to be vegan 90% of the time or something like that. Okay...now we're talkin.

I feel like I have been exposed to too much information to put the blinders back on and feel good about food I used to eat. Ugh. Now I will be super opinionated and piss some of you off...sorry...I love you.

I don't want to ingest food that has been pumped full of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, cleansing agents, etc. I don't want to eat food that was previously living in horrific conditions and then slaughtered. Beyond the horror factor of living and killing conditions...I believe negative energy resides in their physical being, because of how they lived and died. I feel as if I am getting some of that traumatic and negative energy when I ingest that meat.

I don't want my family to eat dairy from a cow that is constantly preggers so that it can produce milk and has their offspring taken away from them.

In my heart of hearts, I know the most humane way for meat or dairy consumption, would be to get it from an animal that lived on a farm where they roamed grassy farm land, ate food that was healthy and safe, got medical attention if they were ill and then were killed in the most humane way possible. That type of meat is not convenient to get and is expensive to buy. There is also that killing part and even if its humane, it's still killing.

There are a hundred other reasons to bring up on this issue, but these are on my mind at this moment.

I am still working my way through this. One day I eat eggs, the next few I eat no animal products...and so on. The one animal product that I really enjoy is sushi...other than that craving, I could easily walk away from eating animal products. I think I may start with a vegan 'cleanse' and see how I feel. Eating more plant based foods and whole grains...limiting processed foods too. Limiting processed sugars and other foods is making me feel so much better and happier.

Please share your thoughts with me on this and if you have a vegan recipe you love, please post it. Save your corner of the world in your own way....smile more, eat one less animal based meal per week, plant some flowers, compliment a loved one, think a happy thought, say a prayer...whatever it is....give it a shot. Change the world by changing your world, one baby step at a time.

If you are curious about the documentaries and books that are infecting my brain, here's a few to check out:

Documentaries that I really LOVED -
Forks over Knives
Food Matters
Dirt
Food Inc.
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Books that I enjoyed -
The Kind Diet
Fast Food Nation
You Are What You Eat

Until next time, sweet dreams!