Struggles here and there

Today I'd like to write about the struggle I undergo on a somewhat frequent basis--the decision whether or not to eat something that I find morally objectionable. I no longer go through this about meat--the smell repels me, and there's not much that would convince me to actually eat flesh again. However, cheese is another matter, as are eggs... they're just yummy. And ubiquitous in most recipes I see. (Side note: I have learned something about cooking. You have to be really, really good when you can't smother your creations in cheese!)

The issue is compounded by the fact that I have to (HAVE TO) eat gluten free (I have Celiac disease). I haven't had any gluten in a long, long time, but if I did, I'd get very sick, and you wouldn't want to be around me. (Also, Celiacs who eat gluten over and over can develop cancer of the stomach and other nasty things.) So, when I travel or similarly lose complete control over what I eat, I have to first make sure that my food won't make me sick. This often limits me at breakfast, for example, to fruit (if I'm lucky) and omelets. So far, I do eat eggs when away from home. I just get hungry, you know? But I don't feel completely okay about it; that's why I thought I'd blog about it.

I don't see much on the webs about struggling as a vegan. I see a lot of strong vegans and strong critics. :) I feel it's best to be honest and say, yes, it's difficult to give up things you've been eating your whole life. Yes, I miss cheese. Yes, I eat it on occasion when it's the only thing (or one of the only things) I can have at an event. But as I enjoy that creaminess (the mouth feel, right?), I think about the suffering of the cows whose milk was taken to make that cheese. And that makes it a good bit less enjoyable.

The good news, to me at least, is that humans are so adaptable. When we put our minds to it, we can get used to just about anything! And that includes cheese. Yes, even cheese. Which is why I'm hopeful that in the future I'll find ways to avoid it, even if it means getting a little too hungry for comfort, or experiencing some nostalgia here and there, or even a sense of loss. If there's anything I've learned as a vegan, it's that food is intimately connected to my memories, moods, habits, and social life. But I'm in control, after all, and I'm working on making some changes. More on that later.

Update on B-12 Issue!

Hi, there -
I just finished reading this article ("Where do you get your B-12?") and am so excited about... science!
The summary statement is that B-12 is available from plant sources, and you must simply make your own decision about whether to supplement. I've been taking B-12 a couple of times a week, but based on this information, I might not buy another bottle when mine runs out. Hooray!

Beautiful Earth Day Celebration Today

One of the great things about this little city is the community of folks who come out to support the downtown farmers' market. Today's market was an Earth Day celebration, and I wore my new "Treehugger" shirt. The little yogini and I attended a family yoga practice right there on the grass to start the afternoon. After that, she strolled with her best friend, and I bought green tomatoes (just begging to be fried!), mango pepper jelly, mint (for mojitos), and rosemary (for focaccia).

I saw something on Facebook about how every day is really Earth Day, and that pretty much sums it up for me--it's nice to have a day where everyone talks about it, but one benefit to being vegan and trying to live a "kind" life is that each choice becomes a place where your own Earth Day plays out. Do I grab my reuseable bags, even though I'm running late, or do I just use the plastic ones at the supermarket? Do I buy the gluten free bread with egg in it, or do I find time to make my own, so that I don't participate in the egg industry in any way? Some choices are tougher than others, but the good thing is that we can be conscious of each one and really think through the consequences.

Update/It's been a long time!

Holy cow! I can't believe the last time I wrote here was in July 2013! For the longest time, I wouldn't allow myself to write here until the writing I was *supposed* to be doing (for work) was done. Since things never slowed down, I never blogged. However, I'm recommitting, mainly for myself, but also in the hopes that these posts might be helpful or interesting to someone else. (I also don't want this blog to join the graveyard of previous blogs I've started...) 
My sweet husband says he probably won't write here anymore. By the way, he didn't really stick with his experiment, once it was over, although he was very succesful and enjoyed it. So, more to blog about, such as how to raise a vegetarian?/vegan? child when one parent still eats meat, for instance! See you soon!

WoW Dos Semanas!!

No lo puedo creer, llevo dos semanas sin comer ningun producto animal! Ha sido un proceso bastante dificil y creia que hiba ser por las carnes pero no mas por los productos dulces. La primera semana fue super dificil pero ahora lo he podido controlar y prefiero comerme una naranja o un guineo antes de comerme una dona. Llevo 8 dias ejercitandome con el programa Insanity para ver me hiba a sentir con este cambio de dieta. En verdad que me siento normal, algunos pensarian que me hiba sentir debil por no comer carne, pero hay muchos productos que puedes conseguir con una cantidad increible de proteina como lo es el Tempeh. Eso si, en el cuarto dia sin comer carne, me sentia como se me hubiera tomado una Benadryl, en un limbo, dormido, lento, duro alrededor de 5 horas ademas que estuve en el ba~no cada hora, pues si no la pase muy bien como pueden ver. No se si fue una etapa de adaptacion o de detox, no se pero lo que he leido, esto puede pasar. Lo mas interesante de todo este proceso es que he comido cosas que en mi vida habia probado y que sob muy ricas y saludable, una de ellas es el Kale, me encanta el sabor ensaladas y en jugos. Lo que tengo que aprender es cocinar vegetales y buscar opciones porque durante este tiempo mi esposa es la que ha cocinado. Cuando pienso en que cocinar lo que pienso es en que tipo de carne voy a utilizar. A pesar de todo no ha sido tan malo y hasta ahora no me arrepiento en tratar ser vegano. Vamos a ver como me va cuando llegue a la Isla del Encanto.

My DHA arrived today!

Supplement time! I have done a lot of reading on vegan nutrition, and I am now supplementing with B12 everyday, DHA (sourced from algae) a couple times a week, and Vitamin D (D2, plant-based) when I think about it. I will be going back to iodized salt on my food when I make it to the store. It turns out iodine is very important. Of course, I also try to eat lots of natural sources of vitamins and minerals--more on those efforts another time. In this post, I wanted to share with you some of what I've been learning.


What I am beginning to think is that perhaps one reason that many of those who try vegetarian or vegan diets give them up is that they aren't properly informed about nutrition. There are plenty of celebrities in the media who talk about how they "just couldn't live on salads," or how they "just needed the protein in meat." Well, guess what? No one can live on just salad, and protein is in a lot of plant sources. Eating ethically and healthfully takes education, and I am doing my best.

We all need B12. But you don't get it from plant sources. And if you are deficient, you will have problems. So, the solution is to simply take a vitamin. Easy, right? If you have a 100mcg pill, you take it daily, and if you have a 1000mcg pill, you take it 2-3 times a week. (I learned this by reading Vegan for Life, and one of the authors, vegan dietitian Virginia Messina, has a great website with lots of good info.) However, if you have been off animal products for a while, your stores might have gotten depleted, which can be corrected by upping your B12 for just a couple of weeks, then continuing to supplement according to the guidelines above. So I've got another week and a half left of taking 2000mcg, figuring that the time I've not been eating meat, combined with nursing a baby, might have helped lower my reserves. (Disclaimer, in case some Internet crazy later decides to sue me: I am not a doctor, I am not a dietitian, check with your physician (who probably, by the way, will inexplicably never mention to you the benefits of a plant-based diet) before you try this, yadda yadda yadda...)

I think that a lot of people might actually be B12 deficient and wind up (erroneously) concluding that a vegan diet isn't for them, when a simple supplement would help them have more energy and feel better in general.

We welcome your comments, by the way, in English or español!

Tratando una dieta vegana

Pues si, yo soy el esposo, mi parte sera escrita en espanol. Perdonen por errores pero voy a escribir de mi tableta. Nunca pense en que trataria de dear de comer carne o cualquier producto animal. Cuando conocia personas que hacian esto pensaba que estaban loco y que era algo muy extremo. Todo comenzo con la pelicula Food Inc. Aprendi a como nuestro sistema esta tan corrupto que no velan por la salud de nosotros y lo unico que importa es cuanto dinero pueden hacer. Cambie mi dieta en tratar de comer productos organicos. Pero unos anos mas tarde mi esposa, que nunca le gusto mucho la carne, decide tratar una dieta vegana. Yo, por supuesto, la apoyo 110% pero nunca pense en tratarla. Un dia decido ver el documental Vegucated, y me abrio los ojos el como nosotros los humanos no nos importa como tratamos los animales en estas grandes granjas, ademas de que no hay motivo de comer tanta carne Como lo hacemos. Muchas de estas cosas que vi en el documental, eran cosas que mi esposa me habia mencionado cuando leia uno de los libros que la inspiro, escrito por Alicia Silverstone, llamado "The Kind Diet". Pero nunca le preste importancia hasta que vi el documental. Have 6 dias que no he comido carne y para un puertorriqueno, pesto no es facil. Lo mas dificil han sido los dulce, estos me han echo pensar que tenia una adiccion a la azucar. De mirarlo siento que mencionan mi nombre. Hoy hay una fiesta de despedida y vamos a ver como me va. Asi que sigan mi cambio.