Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Today marks the 30th day of the vegan challenge.  I thought it would be cool to hear from both Sandy and myself. There are of course two sides to every story. We have a joke in our house that whenever I say to Sandy,” I have the greatest idea…” that she has to prepare herself for the mayhem that is sure to follow. The vegan challenge was one of those times.

I Said:

Someone that I haven’t seen in a while asked me today,” So how is that vegan thing going?” I answered without hesitation, “It has changed my life.” There it is. That is how I feel after 30 days (plus the hybrid stage) of being vegan. What has surprised me the most is how easy it has been. I haven’t craved the things I thought I was giving up. I haven’t pined for pizza or Baskin Robbins because the foods I have been eating, including soy ice cream and soy cheese pizza have been so soul satisfying that I could not crave anything else. I haven’t even given Cheez-its a second thought which I can hardly believe.

The emotional freedom from the fear of fat this shift has afforded me has been something that I have been searching for my entire life. I have officially not lost one pound in the past month, but my body composition has changed. More importantly, how I feel about my body has changed. In the past thirty days I have felt more at home in my body than I have ever felt. I have felt connected and whole as opposed to being outside of my body watching it move, eat and exist. I have never felt at home here until now. That has been worth every minute of label reading, dairy replacing and explanation to family and friends.

Most importantly, I finally feel like I am really finally being true to what I actually believe. I was content living my life as a strict vegetarian, but at the expense of a different barnyard of friends. So I never, ever ate meat or fish, but consumed dairy and eggs. I no longer feel like thats okay for me. Now that I have opened my eyes to how I was actually living…I cant un-see that. I cant un-feel that and put it back.

It is now perfectly clear to me that to be satisfied, blown away and amazed by a sensational meal has never and will never require the suffering of another living thing. I think that is amazing, liberating and exactly how I want to live my life.

This is just the beginning of our journey where we change the world one meal at a time. If we can do this much good in a month, imagine what we can accomplish in a few more. Lets keep it up, continue to grow, continue to share and bring everyone along with us that will even attempt  to try a veggie burger or almond milk. Small steps creating great change in our lives and in our world. It just takes the first step and we are already at a steady jog. I am glad we are on this journey together, everything really is more fun with friends.

She Said:

So, it’s my turn to ring in on the 30 days of trying vegan.  As Sherry mentioned, this is one of those times when she says “I had the greatest idea…..” and the next thing out of her mouth means I have to be flexible and try something new, be a part in something that is a shift, a commitment, a venture that undoubtedly impacts my previous agenda, whatever that may have been.  In this instance, I can say wholeheartedly, that the latest “greatest idea” really was one.

I’m an admitted cheese-a-holic, I live for farmhouse cheddar, the sharper the better and nothing can be more divine than fresh baked bread and local cheese with a glass of wine.  Seriously, you want me to give up cheese?  I mean, the real stuff, the cheese that ages in caves and lives inside of cloths until it matures to perfection?  This is part of being vegan?  Well  OK,  I’ll do it for 30 days because I love you, because it’s important to you and because I’m willing to push my culinary limits that knows anything is better with cheese.

So, here we are having prepared 90 meals (really more like 120 meals, because we constantly eat) and I’ve only used vegan cheese sparingly, thank you Daiya for making it possible to sprinkle some cheese wannabe onto my latest pizza concoction.  It has surprised me how much I have not missed my old dairy friend.  Until now, I thought that pasta MUST be served with cheese, but in reality, I can season anything sufficiently to live without it.  I had no idea.

More importantly, I had no idea that my body would respond to being without dairy so positively.  I have lost  a few pounds on our 30 day journey, but most notably, I have noticed that my body is vibrating higher.  It is hard to quantify, but my body feels better, my limbs feel more connected to the rest of me, I’m aware of a general happiness in my body from head to toe.  There is something distinctly different in my body and my soul.

I’m happier for the choices we make each day.  I enjoy experimenting with new food options and pushing my usual pantry friends into a new place.  Even more to the point, I feel more honest about my belief that my food consumption is not at the expense of another being.  This matters to me now more than I knew it would.

30 days is up and I’m game to keep it going.   This journey has just begun and I want it to continue, on purpose, for real, my choice now.  Let’s be vegan and see where it takes us next.    Stay with us and share your thoughts, your journey, your new experience, they all matter, one commitment is as great as another.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: 30 day challenge, compassionate eating, dairy free, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience