Comments (6)

By kilax, June 27, 2009 9:13 am

Alright, it’s the big question! CourtneyInControl asked, “What made you decide you want to go vegan?”

Disclaimer: My intent is not to convert you to veganism, just to share my feelings on the subject!

I’ve been a vegetarian for over 8 years. The idea of becoming vegan (not eating milk or egg products) did not become intriguing to me until I lived in Rome, in 2006. I volunteered at an animal shelter with a lot of vegans who shared information with me about the lifestyle. I believed in the cause, as well as the health benefits of the diet, but honestly, I was NOT ready to make the change yet. I didn’t want to spend time worrying or caring about what was in  my food, especially when living in Rome! I wanted to be carefree and eat as much pasta and gelato as I could fit in in 7 months (rest assured, I accomplished that)! I didn’t want to go to the trouble of learning even more of the Italian language to read food labels, and ask waiters in Italian, “Does that have dairy or egg in it?” I was just lazy.

Since then though, I made a somewhat conscious decision to cut back on dairy and egg products. I didn’t eat them that often. When I lived by myself, I didn’t even keep those things in my apartment. BUT, I did enjoy the occasional slice of pizza, bowl of ice cream, or scrambled eggs.

Since then, I’ve constantly run across information on factory farming and animal exploitation. Honestly, I do NOT search this information out, because I cannot stomach it. If I read/see/hear something cruel, I CANNOT get it out of my mind. It makes me feel sick.

But since I kept finding myself running into this information, I did force myself to think about it, and came to the conclusion that I must use my actions to voice what I believe:

I believe that animals should not be exploited for our gain. I believe they are sentient beings, who should have the basic right of living a free life. I believe they should not be used for food, clothing, research, or entertainment, even if there is no unnecessary suffering.

I feel like cutting out dairy and eggs is one small step for me. Animals are used for more than just food. There are many ways they are exploited that I do not agree with. But I honestly cannot go on a rampage through my house throwing away all of my leather products, glue, the tires off my car, etc. I can only make small steps towards a more compassionate lifestyle.

I really want to share some of the awful things I’ve learned about animal exploitation, but I don’t want to ruin your day, if you are like me and cannot get the images out of your head, so I am going to share some links below.

Thanks for reading with an open mind.

Continue reading 'Vegan Saturday II | Why go vegan?'»

Comments (24)

By kilax, June 19, 2009 7:53 am

What foods are on your “will not eat” list?

I don’t want to encourage picky eating (says the vegetarian/vegan), but I am curious to find out what foods do not appeal to other people.

Besides not eating meat, dairy and eggs, I also do not eat tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.). They give me severe headaches, so I avoid them altogether. Sometimes even the smell of them is enough to make me sick.

I avoid olives, mushrooms, and seeds, because I do not care for their taste. I will still try dishes that have these foods in them, but I am probably not going to like it if they are the main ingredient!

And brussel sprouts. We tried. We really did. I think this requires another go-around.

Side Note: Why are all of my Friday Questions about FOOD? I had two other questions in mind that were NOT food related. Hmm.

Comments (14)

By kilax, May 13, 2009 12:53 pm

I’ve casually mentioned here that I am in the process of becoming vegan. I call it a “process” because there is research I need to do (NOT because I plan on making becoming vegan a process by slowly phasing out dairy and eggs). I don’t want to jump into veganism before I fully understand the way the lifestyle affects my health. First, I want to create a balanced diet, learn the many different names of animal products found in processed foods, and fully understand the lifestyle, THEN make the change.

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but only recently begun researching. I wanted to participate in Chase Daylight’s 30 Day Vegan Challenge in April, but didn’t. At the time, I discussed it with my nutrition commadre (Steven), and he pointed out that it may not be a good idea to alter my diet too much before our 5/2 half marathon. I thought that was a good point, so I’ve been waiting.

Yesterday, I was at lunch with Diane, and she asked me if I had started the vegan diet yet. I thought it was super considerate that she asked me (to which I answered “no,” even though I had a vegan lunch) and it made me think that maybe people would have questions about me becoming vegan, or veganism in general. I want to use this post to invite all of you to ask me any (serious) questions you have. I will write a post and answer them all when I am ready to make the switch. I will also give an explanation then of what the lifestyle is, and why I am following it. There is a lot I want to say now, but I will wait until then.

Funny note – after I got done writing this, my mom called me and asked if I had started the vegan lifestyle yet. She said, “Make sure you get all your protein!” I told her about this post and that if she wanted, she could be the FIRST person to leave that question. I bet it will take her awhile to get here though.

Comments (10)

By kilax, February 11, 2009 6:47 pm

Besides the running portion of training for the half marathon, there is also a bit of “diet” training. I need to figure out which foods my body prefers to fuel a run, and eat right before a run.

I already know my body prefers a “first thing in the morning” run, preferably on an empty stomach or after a very light meal. But my schedule doesn’t allow that. I have to run in the evenings on week nights . So, I get home, eat dinner, and run 30-60 minutes later.

At first, I was just getting a stomach cramp every night after my post-run shower. But starting last week, I’ve had a different problem.

(This is the part where you stop reading if you don’t want to know about my bowel movements.)

Three times in the last week, I’ve had to stop during a run and sprint (ha ha) to the bathroom… to poo. You know that uncomfortable feeling, like “I have to go right now“? That is the feeling I had – an awful, sudden cramp that had to be answered immediately.

I attributed the first two times to the fact that I had eaten some of my favorite Valentine’s Day treat the day before. I liked the treat – my body didn’t. I threw them away. One of those runs was a week night one, and one was a weekend, so I didn’t think it was from eating too close to running.

The third time though – last night – didn’t make ANY sense. I’ve been eating healthy for quite a few days before the run, but it still happened.

I did some internet research (you can imagine how fun THAT was), and this is the best article I came up with. It advises to:

• Cut dairy out of your diet
• Reduce your fiber intake
• Don’t eat anything with sweeteners ending in “ol” (sorbitol, mannitol, etc.)
• Avoid cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
• Empty your system before a run
• Eat big meals at least 3 hours before a run

I suspected the first item. Dairy and I have been enemies for quite some time now. And I’ve been having a cheese stick once a day. Goodbye dairy, except for that occasional Chile Relleno that is no where near a running day.

I should be able to follow all of these items, except the fourth and sixth. I gotta eat my steamed broccoli. I love it. And 3 hours? Ha!

I am going to try these things and see how it goes. Apparently, all that bouncing and giggling of your intestines speeds up your need to use the bathroom no matter what, so I may not have any luck.

I’m not afraid to “go” outside if I have to – I’ll do what I gotta do!