Vegan? You're Crazy!

Ever since I was a young girl, I had a problem with meat. It drove my parents nuts. Particularly my father. But knowing that it had once been a living, breathing animal made it revolting to me. It truly bothered me.

You might say that switching to a vegetarian diet was inevitable. My on again off again relationship with meat was doomed from the start. 

Over the past two years, I've learned enough about factory farming to not only find meat repulsive, but now also milk, eggs and cheese. Where I could eat a little pizza not so long ago, now I cannot. 

I have to admit that I never thought I'd be able to "live" without butter or cheese. But I truly don't miss either. 

The interesting thing is that I've found there are more awesome meals available to prepare than ever before. As a meat-eater or as a vegetarian. I'm trying and serving foods I never even knew existed, before! For example, kale, quinoa, wheat berries, radicchio, and edamame. 

Where one might think there'd be inordinate restrictions and an unending array of bland foods, there has been more flavor and variety! And, what I eat is definitely more colorful and attractive than it once was. Putting together a plate for dinner is like arranging art on a canvas. And, I'm encouraged knowing that a wide variety of colors translates into a greater range of vitamins and other healthful nutrients. 

Yes, I get enough protein. Yes, my meals are balanced. Yes, I have more energy than I used to. And, yes, my kids eat enough calories. Um, so do I, frankly. If you've ever seen me, you know I'm not a stick. 

I rarely get ill, now. That's been awesome. I used to catch absolutely anything that was "going around". I was sick every, single month. Seriously. I seem to be more resistant, now. 

I know what some of you are thinking. You could never eat tofu. Yuck. And veggie burgers from the freezer department? Ew, too gross for you. Right?

Well, surprise! I agree with you on those counts. The sheer number of ingredients listed on those "mock meat" packages makes them unappealing to me. I like my food real. Whole. And tofu just isn't my thing, either. Don't care for the texture. 

Not all of us vegans like the same things. Just like you meat eaters, out there, don't care for the same foods. We're all unique.

What do I eat?

Well, yesterday, I had peanut butter (the real stuff. No additives) and jelly ("All Fruit") on whole grain wheat bread, carrot sticks, and leftover red grapes set aside for lunch. 

Supper was a beautiful salad (baby spring leaf-lettuce mix, chopped broccoli, cauliflower florets, shaved carrots and sliced cucumber, topped with a homemade dressing of herbed red wine vinegar and sliced almonds) and garlic & olive oil couscous with garbanzo beans and dried cranberries. Sliced cantaloupe rounded out the meal.

Breakfast? I admit I eat strange things in the morning. For example, baked red potatoes with salt and pepper, drizzled with pure maple syrup. Absolutely heavenly! So creamy! I ate a few strawberries with it. 

Before you judge and label us vegans as "crazies", please see us as individuals. We are people with our own likes, tastes, and reasons for eating as we do. 

I can get along with you, and accept you (despite how I feel about what's on your plate). Please do the same for me.