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.

Navigating The World Wide Veg

I confess: I’m a die-hard surfer. No, not the big wave COWABUNGA kind. Although I live six blocks from the Pacific—I spend way more time surfing the web than I do at the beach. I’m a bona fide Internet junkie. What’s worse? I’m a vegan Internet junkie.

I stay awake into the wee hours of the night energized by my insatiable curiosity for all things veg, googling search terms like “vegan sources of alpha-linolenic acid” or “how to de-seed a pomegranate.” I read the menus of veg eateries in towns I never plan to visit. I scour for the perfect pair of vegan boots to complete my fall wardrobe. I eat up all the gossip on veg celebs. I drown myself in the latest and most critical medical literature. I admit: I once even took a virtual tour—via a You Tube video—of the inside of a vegan’s refrigerator.

And, my addiction doesn’t get put on hold in AM. As Associate Editor and Web Editor of Vegetarian Times magazine and Vegetariantimes.com, it’s part of my job to keep my finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving World Wide Veg (WWV) and to contribute to it—Vegetariantimes.com offers the world’s largest collection of nutritious and delicious vegetarian recipes!

It’s no newsflash that technology has does wonders to make the universe a smaller place. No matter how far apart we live, we are citizens of the same global veg village. That’s the real beauty of it: we’re in this together, connected by the information highway. The WWV makes it easy to connect with uncountable like-minded vegheads across the globe, sharing veg recipes, news, etc. It’s about being inspired and inspiring others, using technology as fuel to spread the good gospel on vegetarianism and healthy living like wildfire.

Because you are reading this blog right now, you’re probably already just as tangled up in the WWV as I am. We could all use a little help navigating the WWV. Below, please find my list of hot clicks. This list is by no means a “Best Of”; it’s just my suggestions of not-be-missed WWV destinations. Check ‘em out, and pretty please with an organic cherry on top leave comments sharing the gazillion and one I missed!

Vegan Radio is a bi-weekly vegan broadcast and podcast, available for download as MP3 files subscription through iTunes. This show will simultaneously keep you laughing out load and well-informed on all things veg, with news and commentary delivered by three of the most likeable vegan radio hosts imaginable plus a guest lineup including the most inspirational voices of veganism such as Raw Foods Goodess Ani Phyo, Vegan Triathlete Brendan Brazier, vegan body builder Robert Cheeke, and co-author of Skinny Bitch Rory Freedman.

@veganhelp on Twitter makes it easier than ever for vegans to help want-to-be vegans make the transition. This twitter “bot” simply reposts tweets from users it believes want to go vegan so others can respond to their inquiries. Example: “RT @TheVeganRD Need a cookbook recommendation for someone just starting to go vegan. She likes to cook, doesn’t always have time. Has a 3-year-old.” All you need to do to lend your advice to others is follow @veganhelp on Twitter and respond to tweets by clicking on the bit.ly link.

Obamafoodorama Want to have something interesting to add to the conversation at the next dinner party you go to? Obama Foodorama—“A Daily Diary of the Obama Foodscape, One Bipartison Byte at a Time”— covers all things red, white, and foodie, from a brief history of the White House cupcake habit to the groundbreaking White House kitchen garden.

Locavore iPhone App makes it a no-brainer to eat local and in season, making it easier than ever to stick to a 100 mile diet. Locavore automatically detects which state your in, tells you what foods are currently in season (i.e. papayas, eggplant, oranges), offer food pics, locates farms and farmers’ markets near you, and more. Available through the iphone App store.

Meatlessmonday.com is a global movement to cut back on meat consumption for both health and environmental reasons. The campaign has a long history in America; it was launched during WWI, resurrected during WWII, recreated in 2003 as a public health awareness program, and has gained world-wide momentum in the past year, with the help of supporters like Paul McCartney and his daughters Stella and Mary. Join the movement!

Vegetariantimes.com allows you to search over 12,000 tasty vegetarian recipes by ingredient; by specialty diets such as gluten-free, vegan, and low-cal; by ethnic cuisine, by holiday, by season, etc. You can even print your shopping list! The site also offers a free downloadable Vegetarian Starter Kit, Editor’s Picks of top stories, a super helpful Ingredient Substitution Guide, a must-read Editors Blog, and more. Plus, you can find VT on Facebook  and Twitter, posting mouthwatering recipes and foodie news updates.

Meetup.com A simple search for the word “vegan” on Meetup.com yields a whopping 755 groups; a search for “raw food” yields 656 groups! As the website’s name implies, these groups “meet up” with like-minded pepes around the globe. Meetup groups are as diverse as the cities and towns they meet up in, from the Vegan Outdoor and Adventure Group in Westminster, CO, to the Boynton Beach Raw Foodies in Boyton Beach, FL.

Vegetarianstar.com Extra! Extra! Read all about Alicia Silverstone’s book launch party for her new book, The Kind Diet, or the release of Kosher Vegetarian, starring Natalie Portman. Vegetarianstar.com is a star-studded blog that reads like a newspaper, dishing out a healthy portion of celebrity vegetarian gossip and news. Eat it up!

Veganbodybuilding.com The athletes featured here showcase plant protein’s power to build muscle and fuel endurance athletes. Got a burning question? Veganbodybuilding.com’s Forums discuss everything from Martial Arts to Vegan Dating. Plus, where else can you order a grass green headband embroidered with VEGAN in bold all-caps or a sunshine yellow TEAM VEGAN tank top?

And, of course, Crazy, Sexy, Life!!!

P.S. Please leave your comments sharing your fave WWV destinations below!

Educating Lil’ Miss Muffet: Empowering Children By Telling the Truth

Happy Meatless Monday! Today, Ruby Roth, author of That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, joins us to talk about educating youth about animal rights issues. Be the fifth person to tweet @CrazySexyLife with a link to this blog and win a copy of Ruby’s book!

Ruby Roth, Author

As you can imagine, That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals was a tough sell in the children’s book publishing world (I’ll be planting seeds for the rest of my life to replace the forest of trees that are my rejection letters). Every editor feared the subject was too subversive, too extreme. The ambivalence I encountered seemed to center around a prescribed notion of children–that smallness equals weakness and frailty. “No, no, no,” the publishers insisted, “this book is the spider beside her, who frightened Miss Muffet away!”

Well, toot toot (that’s my own horn)! I’ve read the book to hundreds of kids, and I’ve experienced, in fact, the exact opposite. Children are not only curious about serious topics like climate change, animal rights, endangered species, and veganism, but receptive and responsive. Often during readings, I see their little wheels churning…then….pop goes the weasel! Up shoots a hand and out comes an insightful exclamation related to their lives (a 4th grade girl likened factory farms to what she had just learned in class about slavery!). Kids are so smart and so discerning and function from a much more instinctual, heart-centered place than we adults do. When they find that they can help solve a problem, be it the mistreatment of animals or pollution, simply through their choices, action is not a question but a conclusion. They’re down to go green. And this is a powerful group! The education of elementary school children was a major factor in the success of Los Angeles’ recycling programs. Kids went home and essentially radicalized their parents. Now L.A. has one of the highest participation rates in the nation (1).

As we round the corner of conservation and head towards adaptation, our kids are confronting the extensive impact our choices have had on the planet. To survive healthfully, they’re going to have to choose more consciously as they grow up–from recycling to spending to the way they eat. But they can’t make choices if they don’t know there are any. So how do we talk to kids about the world’s Cruella deVils? About the doings of the Wicked Witches and Boogeymen? The quickest way out of any predicament is to simply tell the truth. And kids like the truth! They appreciate feeling like they are being let in on a secret that’s been kept from them (“Not many kids know this, sweetiepie, but here’s the deal…”).

Just the other day, I was talking to a friend about how one particular university laboratory was purchasing monkeys directly from Nepal for use in medical research tests. My 4-year-old was listening and suddenly interrupted, “Ruru, what you talking about?” I stuttered and was about to scoop her up, change the subject to Kung Fu Panda, and avoid a potentially scary conversation when I caught myself. Are you serious? I scolded myself, You wrote That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals! This is an opportunity to teach and empower! So the conversation went like this:

Me: I’m talking about how some companies take animals out of the jungle and put them in cages and test shampoo and medicine on them. And that hurts the animals.

Akira: And they can never ever get out of their cages?

Me: Right. What do you think about that?

Akira: I don’t like when animals are in cages because I love monkeys and I am a monkey because I am the year of the monkey.

Me: That was an awesome year. And I don’t like when animals are in cages either. So I make sure not to buy things from companies that use animals. I only buy things that are vegan. See this bunny logo on the toothpaste? That means this company does not use animals. Next time we’re at the store, can you help me find the products with the bunny logo?

Akira: I want to do that right now.

I was happy I told Aki the truth. In order to empower our kids to choose responsibly, it’s vital that they understand their connection to animals and the environment and that they experience their choices rippling out into the world. Our next stop at Nature Mart will be a new, more conscious experience for Akira. I say in my book that each day, we have the power to change our lives. This is a very important concept for any of us to absorb—and one to emphasize when you’re telling a kid the truth: we do not have to fear things that we have the power to change. Had anyone shown Miss Muffet the light, she might have chucked the curds and whey for apples and almond butter. She might have recognized that there was a choice. And she might have loved spiders.

Ruby Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when the children’s interest in veganism inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things, the first children’s book to address the emotional lives of animals, factory farming, the environment, and endangered species. More info at www.WeDontEatAnimals.com.

(1) City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Sanitation; Waste & Recycling News, March 2, 2009 edition; updated June 11, 2009.

Today’s Activism…Be Creative!

Melisser, The Urban Housewife

As the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale has just passed, a week where people all over the world came together to bake not only for charity, but to show people that vegan food is fabulous, I can’t help but think about activism in general.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough to help those in need, especially the millions of animals who rely on those who can speak for them. Animal activism can also seem scary or difficult, as it’s easy to picture angry mobs protesting in the streets or being asked to approach strangers to debate your beliefs. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. I had the good fortune to hear Josh Hooten from Herbivore Clothing Company speak at the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down earlier this year and one thing in his talk about activism that stuck with me was, do what you are good at to help the animals. Okay, maybe that wasn’t his exact quote, but it’s the gist of his message and it should be spread far and wide!

Activism is easy once you know where to start and there’s so many ways you can make your voice heard. No one is going to be an effective animal advocate if their heart isn’t in it, so it’s your job to take what you do well and use it. Do you like to bake? Start bringing treats to your co-workers and impress them with the cruelty-free sweets we all know are fabulous, but they haven’t discovered yet. A bake sale for your favorite animal rights charity spreads the good word even further! Passing out free samples of vegan food is an excellent conversation starter as well as a way to get people interested in incorporating new items in to their diet.

Groups like VegFund make this even easier, as they pay for vegan food samples for groups to distribute! Leafleting is a very simple way to get the word out without too much fuss. A smile, a busy area, and a stack of fliers such as “Why Vegan?” from Vegan Outreach are all you need. You can also spend a day dropping off fliers at cafes, coffee shops, and other places willing to let you leave them there. You never know who could pick one up! If you like to organize events, maybe a movie screening such as an Earthlings viewing is up your alley or a show where bands play and the cover benefits animal organizations. Not a social butterfly? Spend some time signing and circulating online petitions or writing letters to your congressperson and ask your friends to do the same. If you’re technically inclined, you can offer your services from coding to graphic design to your local animal charities. With just a few hours helping out, you can keep them running smoothly, so they can focus on the animals who need us!

Most of all in being an effective advocate for animals stay positive! No one likes a crabby vegan, it perpetuates stereotypes and turns people off of cruelty free living. Veganism is easy and also happens to be the best thing you can do for the animals, the environment, and your health. Live by example and let others know you’re living well. Anyone can be an activist, even YOU, so get out there and be that voice for the voiceless. The animals are counting on you!

Melisser Elliott is the author behind The Urban Housewife, an award winning blog detailing her culinary adventures from vegan dining around the world to the sweets in her own kitchen. When not at the keyboard, she runs San Francisco based vegan bakery Sugar Beat Sweets, participates in animal activism & vegan outreach, & spends time with her husband Ryan, & rescued friends Strummer, Beamish, & Scurvy.

Empower Women, Save the Planet

While we’re all busy counting food miles and building better windmills, we seldom take a step back and look at the elephant in the green room: our staggering population problem. Quite simply, we humans are too successful and we’ve got a sick planet getting sicker. Something’s got to give, but what? How? Population issues are a cultural, political, and moral hornet’s nest. But there is one factor that can influence population above any other: Women’s Rights. Empower women, save the planet. Of course, empowerment is a natural right of its own that needs no outer cause, but the fact that we might restore Terra Mama to boot sure sweetens the deal.

Whether to have children, and how many, is of course a very touchy subject.  In underdeveloped countries the factors in these decisions tend to be immediate, whereas in developed countries we have the luxury of debating the long view.  Eco-consciousness has made the womb a battleground, with each side claiming moral superiority and accusing the other of selfishness. Adoption is an ever-important conversation that brings out the passions. Those who have children are derisively called “breeders,” and there is serious talk of forced sterilization.  There is even something called The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, which hopes that humanity will stop baby-making altogether and die out none too soon.  As Orwellian or silly as these solutions may seem, they do remind us of the magnitude of our population problem. Even if we don’t adopt a China-style one-child approach, it’s clear that the days of big families need to be over. No one can argue that each new life – now with longer and longer life spans – creates a new carbon footprint.

It took tens of thousands of years for human population to reach 1 billion, around the year 1800AD. But in just 200 years since, we’ve seen the graph shoot sharply upward. It took only 130 more years to double. Then 47 years to double again. We are now adding a billion every 12 years and today our population stands at 6.6 billion. By some estimates we’re already beyond what the earth can handle. And yet population seems to be a taboo subject in the environmental debate. This is because we instinctively believe that population solutions will infringe on our most basic human rights. But a new way of looking at it sees the opposite as true: the solution will actually come from the expansion of rights, most especially for women.

Developed, industrial countries have a lower birth rate; developing countries have a high birth rate. This is known as the Demographic Economic Paradox. It’s a paradox because it contradicts what we see in nature – the more successful a population, the more offspring they have. But with humans there are many cultural factors that flop the equation. Foremost among them: women’s lifestyles. Developed societies tend to have higher gender equality. This means more job opportunities, education, economic freedom, access to family planning. Population expert Robert Engelman of The Worldwatch Institute spent decades interviewing women around the globe. He found that the average woman would prefer to have only about 2 kids. When women are free to control their own destinies, birthrates go down. In the US, where gender equality is relatively high, the birthrate is now 2.1 children per woman. In 1950, prior to the equality movement, the rate was 3.8. The US currently ranks #126 on the list. Hong Kong is rated the most economically free, and it also happens to have the world’s lowest birthrate.

In contrast, the #1 country is Niger, whose women pop out a whopping 7.75 babies each. Africa is home to 18 of the 20 countries with the highest birth rates. It’s no coincidence, then, that Africa also has 17 of the 20 poorest countries. Women there have little opportunity to pursue their dreams. As Karan Singh, a former minister of population in India, said, “Development is the best contraceptive.”

The world’s poorest women are dragging a lot of cultural baggage on the road to self-actualization. Religion plays a huge role in keeping them producing children they may not want. In one global poll of Christians, the frequency of church-going was directly proportional to the number of children a woman had.  Those who never attended had 1.67 kids, while those who went several times a week had 2.5. The Catholic Church, for all it’s recent green talk, still deems contraception a sin and advocates tax cuts for large families. Islam of course has some major gender inequality to work through. In the west, we’re horrified at the stories of female subjugation, symbolized most clearly by the burka. Indeed, in Afghanistan, where just this past week three girl’s schools were attacked with poison gas by Taliban, the female literacy rate is just 12%, the lowest in the world. Their literacy equality also ranks dead last, where less than 1 woman for every 3 men can read or write. (In some developed countries, the women have a higher literacy rate than men). Not surprisingly, of course, the birthrate in Afghanistan is 6.53, fourth highest in the world. Here again, education is fundamental to women’s empowerment.  None of this is possible so long as men continue to misinterpret scripture to perpetuate their dominance.

Politics is important. Family planning programs have played a crucial role in reducing unwanted pregnancies in developing countries. And yet, for the past four decades, US politicians have been playing ping-pong with aid policy. Under Republicans, aid organizations receiving government money are not permitted to mention abortion and are curtailed in the distribution of contraceptives or advice. After only a few days in office President Obama reversed many of those rules, and comprehensive family planning information can once again flow to the people who need it most. And when they don’t get it, women will find a way to regulate pregnancy – sometimes dangerously. Folk-remedy abortions kill tens of thousands per year and infanticide rises where women’s choices are few. There is a long history of women regulating fertility, often on the sly. Contraception is mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphics several thousand years BC.

But as we gloat over our low western birth rates, we must remember that not every child is created equal. One American child creates as much CO2 as 106 Haitian kids. Over the next four decades, Africa will add 10 times as many kids to the world as the US, but the CO2 output will be the same. So, while development and industrialization are obviously at the root of our environmental problems, they are also paradoxically the key to our solutions.  The challenge is to empower women while working to reduce the consumption footprint that comes with empowerment. Engelman says, “Government population control doesn’t work. We need to give control to women. Women naturally end the world’s population growth. They don’t want more children, they want what’s best for their children.”

Further Reading: Robert Engelman’s More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want