3,287 Days of Veganism
Need some powerful pointers this Meatless Monday? Don’t miss Michael’s 5 Easy Breezy Tips for Transition at the end of his blog!
When I was a baby I would eat frozen peas straight from the freezer. They should have known then.
On Saturday, January 23, 2010, I celebrated my ninth year of vegetarianism, which, as I’m sure you’ve deduced from the title, means I’ve been meat-free for 3,287 days.
The extraordinary part of this tale is not the longevity of the commitment, but rather the fact that I never wanted to be vegetarian in the first place. You see I wasn’t one of those characters who purposely worked towards a more compassionate life because of some ethical uneasiness about eating animals. I was never a truth seeker, but rather a truth-stumbler, a by-the-way do-gooder, an accidental moralist.
My story begins nine years ago at an upscale seaside restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida. The setting was lovely, with freshly starched table clothes and artfully prepared cuisine. It was the kind of restaurant where a big city foodie might dine if he had missed his connecting flight and was stuck in a place like St. Petersburg, Florida.
That particular evening I had chosen a rather pricey dish of chicken bathed in cream sauce to satisfy my hunger. My girlfriend at the time was vegetarian and was therefore subjected to a dreadful medley of over-steamed vegetables nestled in a bed (or rather futon) of desperately uninspired grains.
“Damn vegetarians,” I thought. “They ruin everything.”
When the food arrived, I grabbed my utensils, cut into the succulent breast, raised it to my mouth and…almost threw up? Wait, what?!
This once delicious morsel was no longer a morsel at all. The brilliant dinner had somehow gone from chicken to Chicken. My internal alarm was activated and I immediately began to panic. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t eat this food.
The next morning, in a desperate attempt to reclaim my barbarian ways, I tried to scarf down the heftiest turkey sandwich I could find. No go. Somehow that cute vegetarian girl with the steamed vegetables had gotten through my thick skull. The damage had been done.
I wanted to understand these inconvenient feelings and so I headed to the bookstore to read everything I could about vegetarianism and animal agriculture—a subject I literally knew nothing about.
Oh my God, every minute of every day, a land area equivalent to seven football fields is destroyed in the Amazon basin for animal production? Wait, vegetarians have only 40 percent the cancer rate of meat-eaters? Hold up, in the Unites States alone, 10 billion farm animals are slaughtered each year for food? What the what?!
After only a couple hours of ferocious reading, vegetarianism was no longer acceptable—it was vegan or bust for this guy! I didn’t know how I was going to do it, only that I would do it and I’d be damn good at it. I am nothing if not tenacious.
As I began to eliminate animal products from my diet, I noticed that something pretty miraculous was beginning to happen. The acne I had struggled with throughout adolescence disappeared overnight. My eyes got brighter. My body felt stronger. I started to feel good—really, really good.
Almost nine years later and 85 pounds lighter I still feel absolutely fantastic. The days of chicken and cream have been replaced with tempeh and steamed vegetables. The eye rolls I once so generously doled out to vegetarians have been transformed to grins and good conversation. And perhaps most importantly, the harm I once unknowingly caused has been replaced with compassion and thoughtful action.
After nine years of plant-based living, I can say with crystal clear confidence that adopting a vegan lifestyle is the single best decision I’ve ever made.
You know, Gandhi told me to be the change I wish to see in the world. Well, G, 3,287 days down, thousands and thousands more to go!
Top 5 Tips to an Easy Breezy Transition
1. Patience is a Virtue – “Wait! ‘Whey’ is a dairy product?!!! I had no idea!!!” When you first start eating a vegan diet, you’re going to discover that animal products have many a mysterious name and can be found in the strangest of places. Be patient, dragonfly! Transitioning to a new way of living takes time and a side order of patience will serve you well!
2. Respect the Process - “There’s no way I could ever give up cheese. Not a chance.” OK, so don’t give up cheese…for now. Just because I went vegan almost over night, doesn’t mean you have to! Compassionate eating isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Respect the process and allow yourself the courtesy to transition at a comfortable pace. The destination should be veganism, the roadmap should be your own.
3. Try the Eggplant - Even before I’d ever tasted eggplant I just knew I was going to hate it. And I was right! I think it’s one of the grossest foods on the planet. But the point is: I tried the ugly vegetable. When you begin transitioning to a vegan diet, you’re going to discover an array of foods you’ve never tasted. Don’t be afraid! Even if it’s a little scary, try the dang eggplant (or whatever your version of eggplant is). You just might love it!
4. Self-Educate for Success – You probably didn’t learn about veganism in school or at home, so how are you supposed to achieve success? The answer: self-educate for success. Grab a book or visit a website. Learn as much as you can about your new way of life and incorporate the new information as you go. Knowledge is power and power is rad!
5. Reach Out, Reach Out, Reach Out – I loathe asking for help, but sometimes it must be done. You’re not going to be an expert on vegan living right away, so find someone who is. Ask a friend, contact an organization or reach out to someone new. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, so hang up your pride and reach out, reach out, reach out.
- Posted by Michael on January 25, 2010 at 5:00 am
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Tagged as: education, literature, vegetarian, weight loss
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This is such a wonderful, well-presented article. I’m in the process of transitioning from meat-lover to vegan animal-lover, and this affirmed my choice and offered great tips. Thanks for your thoughtfulness.
I think “G” would be proud. haha and a side order of patience…yes please! great article!
This is a really great post. Thank you for sharing your story of change and reminding me of how best to support others moving toward veganism!
I offer free ponchos for people who are sick, and I also tell many of them about this diet. I would like to tell all of them.
Cute story and fun post! Does your ex know she changed your life?
sometimes in my practice, i take people of the veg. diet. i see so many problems: anemia, tiredness, osteopenia/osteoporosis… at this point i’m not sure that everybody should be vegetarian.
Right now I’m respecting the process. I’m unsure whether or not I want to become a vegan (or vegetarian for that matter) but slowly, slowly I am reducing my meat intake and actually thinking about what I am eating, where it came from, and how it was raised.
I love this. So inspirational. I wish everyone could read this post to see that it is in fact a marathon, not a sprint, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard. Bravo to you sir!
Great blog it is odd how one day it all just clicks and your not the same. Every monday morning wake to a car carrying me in to teach Culinary Arts daily is gets harder when it comes to the meat courses. One day it just clicked and although I appreciate everyones desire to eat and enjoy there food my brain just wont go back. thanks for the great tips.. it is a long distance run we have a lifetime to get it right but one day at a time build and makes a healthy happy body and earth. Callie
Dr. Veronica, I suggest pointing the vegetarians you see with problems to a nutritionist. These problems are rarely caused by lack of meat/dairy. Sometimes people decide to go veg without learning how to eat properly, and so live on Oreo cookies, pasta and cereal. Clearly this is not a recipe for health and vitality either.
I love this article. I am a vegetarian and not vegan. I would love to become vegan one day but due to circumstances im not able to. Its hard right now being vegetartian in college but Im making sure I get all the plant based food I need.
Woo hoo. Congrat’s on your nine years of being meat free. Excellent “story”. I’ve been a vegetarian for over fifteen years. I’d love to take it further and become a vegan. I mostly eat raw food….so just need to eliminate urges for dairy such as certain cheeses and yogurt.
Thanks for a wonderful article.
I am worried now, should I not consider going vegan because of the issues Dr. Veronica mentioned? I have hard of vegans having medical issues and a lack of nutrition, hmm, not so sure vegan is right for me.
I love this post; and I love that you describied the change to veganism as a journey. I’m almost 100% vegan but the one thing I struggle with is milk in my one cup of coffee a day. i can’t find a good milk substitute that works in coffee. Any sugesstions would be MUCH appreciated.
Very well written Mr.!! Thanks for sharing
~Looking for a good milk substitute? I really enjoy Almond Breeze, Almond Milk… If nuts are an issue try VitaSoy…Both of these are found in a tetra pak.
Great motivational story…I swiched to vegan completely overnight on December 1st after I finished chemoradiation for cancer. I’ve never felt or looked better in my life. I miss nothing about the old way I used to eat and I can’t believe I waited so long to make the change.
RE: Dr. Veronica’s comments and response about the oreos: Christina is right! It is an orthodox Armenian tradition to go vegan for lent. My roommate was so happy to find Hydrox cookies were vegan. She didn’t pay any attention to the vegan sources of protein and nutrients. Pasta and cookies it was! You can’t just take out the meat — you have to *replace* it with vegetarian/vegan sources of protein. As the blog says: read, read, read!
Thank you for this valuable story that you have shared with all of us. I am also in transition and I think it is important to take baby steps on your own JOURNEY.. Blessings
For the folks that Dr Veronica’s vague warnings frightened off, go check out http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/ and see how many of them look sick or weak.
Also check out this triathelete’s book for tips on staying healthy and active http://www.brendanbrazier.com/book/index.html
I don’t suggest that veganism is for everyone, but you don’t know if its for you until you try it. Don’t be scared off by the alarmists. If you go vegan for awhile and you feel you really HAVE to supplement with animal products, you can always do that. And even if a vegan does decide to reincorporate animal products into their diets doesn’t mean that need to fall back into the cruel and crazy habits of the Western Diet.
I’ve been Veg for over 25 years, and I was more anemic when I ate animals than I’ve been since I stopped, so I don’t always buy the anemia argument anyway. Christina has a point. Far too many doctors use eating animal products as a panacea for nutritional ailments when *education* and proper food combining may have just done the trick.
I hate eggplant too!
Thanks for sharing your story.
Eggplant is awesome. My problem is butternut squash. : )
Anyways, people can have problems with a vegan diet just like with a diet that includes meat. Please do educate yourself – pick up a book “Becoming Vegan” written by two nutritionists. Familiarizing yourself with areas that you should pay attention to will ensure that you can maintain a healthy vegan diet for life.