Eat Like You Give a Damn!

Jenny, Dylan (rescued as a veal calf) and Doug

Hello Crazy Sexy Posse! My name is Jenny Brown and I am the Co-Founder and Director of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary—a non-profit organization and shelter that rescues farm animals and works to end the systematic abuse of farm animals everywhere. I am mother to over 150 furred and feathered souls who have, in one way or another, been abused, neglected, discarded or abandoned. I am also a cancer survivor! Yay me!

At the wee age of 10 years old I was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma or — in other words — BONE CANCER (gasp!). I endured almost 3 long years of chemo and lost my lower right leg. I’m also a veggie-lovin’ vegan who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and never even heard the word “vegetarian” until, uh, college? Seriously. There was rarely ever a vegetable cooked in my house that didn’t have a ham hock (aka: pig’s knee) in it! Every meal incorporated meat or dairy (usually both) until my first semester of college where not only did I hear the word “vegetarian” but I became one instantly after reading about the plight of farm animals. It was then that I made some life-changing connections between the meat on my plate and the miserable life of the individual it came from.

My guess is that if you’re a part of this online community you’re probably taking steps to get healthy, adopt a greener lifestyle, kick your cancer’s ass, or all of the above. I am sure you are also beginning to understand that adopting a well-balanced vegan diet is a great way to possibly achieve all these goals. And let’s not kid ourselves—old habits are hard to break. Changing your diet can be really challenging—especially since we live in a society where animal products are BEYOND prevalent—they are the mainstay. But if you need more reasons or motivation for moving towards a plant-based diet, how about 100 of them —because that is roughly the number of animals you will save each year by going vegan!

Andy the pig – rescued last summer from slaughter

And chew on these stats: The average meat eater is responsible for the deaths of some 2,400 animals during his or her lifetime. In more personal terms, during a 75-year life span, a typical U.S. resident is responsible for the suffering and death of 10 cows, 34 pigs and other small mammals, 2,535 turkeys, chickens and ducks, and uncounted numbers of aquatic animals. Good Lord! We’re walking graveyards!

Sadly, most people just don’t realize how dramatically meat and dairy production in the US has changed over the past 50 years. Those childhood images of happy animals living on sunny, idyllic farms couldn’t be further from reality. Virtually all animals that are raised for food — or their products — live miserable lives in intensive confinement in dark, overcrowded facilities called “factory farms.” These nasty corporate operations emphasize high volume and profit with little or no regard for the environment or humane treatment of animals.

Animals raised for food endure a life of suffering which is something not evident in the neatly wrapped packages of meat offered for sale at grocery store counters. We are so disconnected from the process of raising and killing animals that if you ask a child where meat comes from she might just say the freezer!

Albie wearing his artificial leg, Photo Credit: Ambers Clark

We pay others to do our dirty work. Bruce Friedrich (one of my heros!) asks, “ how many of us could spend an afternoon cutting animals’ throats, or even watching it? And then ask yourself in what other areas of your life do you pay others to do things you find too repulsive? And how ethical is it to pay someone to do things that are wholly unnecessary and too atrocious to watch?”

So just do it guys – cut out the meat and dairy! It’s so easy and when you really break it down, think of it this way: Is the trivial pleasure of your taste buds worth a life of misery for some poor nameless farm animal that feared death? That wanted to live? That mourns for the calves or the piglets torn from her? That suffered her entire life in a gestation crate or in a battery cage so that people can eat her flesh, her mammary secretions (milk) or her unfertilized embryos (ahem, eggs).

My husband Doug and I started Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary to not only help as many farm animals as possible but to get people thinking about the individuals behind the corpses on their plates. The ones who come through our doors are but a tiny fraction of the billions of animals suffering RIGHT NOW for the meat and dairy industries. But together with these animals our job is to raise a greater sense of ethical awareness—to fill the collective hole in the conscience of society—and hopefully in turn, save more animals by convincing people not to eat them.

Carli the dog acting as surrogate Mom for tiny Clover the goat

Sanctuaries are unique in that we have the opportunity to potentially open the hearts and minds of those of who visit. Seeing is believing, and once visitors are able to see and interact with these animals in a natural, loving environment, there is no denying that they think, feel and simply enjoy life.

So if the temptation of pepperoni pizza or that hamburger is stronger than your health-motivated will power, remember that those slices, that patty and those wings came from someone.

As Albert Schweitzer– the great humanitarian & philosopher—once said—“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” This is what I ask of people and what I ask of you. And if you need a good dose of ethical motivation, come on down to our sanctuary sometime and let your heart, not your habit, do the guiding!

Originally published February 19, 2009.

10 Essential Ingredients for Quick and Healthy Meals

Healthy food fast is easy if you have the right ingredients in your arsenal and don’t let stress or time gum up your nutrition as a top priority. Here are 10 essential ingredients that will maximize your chances of success in today’s busy world. Having the right quick ingredients on hand will help you continue cloud surfing your way through health euphoria even on extra rushed and wild days. Always have on hand:

1. Organic Salad Greens. Salad doesn’t have to take hours of prep or your life savings to enjoy. Get a bunch of tasty, dark, salad greens, and enjoy them daily with nothing but low-fat dressing, or a tad of brown rice vinegar, olive oil, and sea salt. The greens can be pre-washed, but know that they often spoil faster.

2. Low-Fat Salad Dressing, or Olive Oil + Brown Rice Vinegar in a 2:1 ratio. Even the cutest of tushes need salad dressing on their greens. One of my favorite bottled dressings is Trader Joe’s Light Champagne Vinaigrette. But when it’s out of stock in my fridge, the olive oil/brown rice vinegar/sea salt combo or the following tahini dressing are perfect for dolling up the lettuce mountain.

Tahini Dressing for Veggies
Makes 1 cup (16 Tablespoons)
Prep time 3 minutes

1/3 cup tahini?(sesame seed butter)
1/3 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt

1 Blend ingredients together until smooth. Add additional water, 1 Tbsp at a time, for a thinner dressing.

2 Store dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stir or re-blend if dressing separates.

NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per Tbsp: 35 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 115.5 mg sodium, 1.5 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 0% vitamin A, 3% vitamin C, 2.5% calcium, 3% iron

Note: Alternatively, use unsalted almond butter in place of tahini for an equally delicious dressing.

Recipe from: Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Skinny Dish! by Jennifer K. Reilly, RD.

3. Dried Beans or Lentils: On a slow Sunday, cook up a heap of dried beans (pinto and black are favorites) or lentils (which only take about 20 minutes) and then freeze them in 1-cup portions for quick access anytime. Just drain and toss them on a salad, into a stir-fry, burrito, or stirred into soup. Or blend cooked beans or lentils with 1 cup salsa for a fast bean dip or sandwich spread. To do a “quick soak” for beans, cover them with water in a large cooking pot and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour. Drain water. Add new water. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 1 more hour.

4. Quinoa: (“keen-wah”). When you’re rushed for dinner, brown rice–or even white rice for that matter–takes way too long to cook. Quinoa is not only a great rice substitute rich in fiber and protein (and a gluten-free food), but it only takes 15 minutes to cook. Get pre-rinsed quinoa if you can, or rinse the seeds vigorously in water before cooking to remove the saponins. Quinoa is a seed that’s eaten like a whole grain, and can even be mixed with fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and non-dairy milk for a fast breakfast the next morning.

5. Berries: Fresh or frozen. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are so full of life-extending compounds while also being rich in fiber and low in calories, that you’re better off opting FOR these sweet little miracle makers at meal or snack time. Toss them into breakfast cereals or smoothies, atop salads, or eat them by the handful. Sure feels better than the sugar crash of a vending machine candy bar!

6. Non-Dairy Milk: Fortified almond, coconut, hemp, oat, or soy milk have all the calcium and vitamin D of dairy milk, less sugar, better taste, fewer calories, and don’t cause mucous production, inflammation, and weight gain the way dairy milk does. Enjoy unsweetened almond milk with 45 calories & 0 grams of sugar per cup or original coconut milk beverage–include it in smoothies, pour it onto a bowl of high-fiber breakfast cereal, or add it to tea. Mmm!

7. Broccoli: The florets are so full of antioxidants, cancer-fighters, and hormone regulators, and they’re not a particular threat to pests. So, conventionally grown broccoli isn’t riddled with pesticides, which means it’s OK if you can’t buy organic. Steam, roast, stir-fry, or curry it (cook with curry powder and light coconut milk, see below), or dip the florets in bean dip for a satisfying snack.

8. Canned Coconut Milk: Canned light or full-fat coconut milk (1/2 cup or more) and curry powder (2 tsp) can turn any veggie or veggie combo into a gourmet curry dish. Add beans for protein and serve over quinoa.

9. Kale: Rich in blood pressure busting chlorophyll, immune-boosting antioxidants, and calcium that is absorbed twice as well as dairy calcium, kale is a true powerhouse. Juice it, toss it into smoothies, stir-fries, or bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with a touch of olive oil and salt (stir after 15 minutes and return to the oven) for a crunchy veggie side dish even kids will crave.

10: Dark Chocolate: A few squares will powerfully satisfy your sweet tooth and are loaded with antioxidants. Work from a large bar—a small piece at a time—so you aren’t tempted by other sweet foods in the office or at home.

For more quick and easy plant-powered recipes including a whole host of 8-minute meals, check out Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Skinny Dish! by Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D., with foreword by Kris Carr which launches today!

Photo credit: Ula Nice

How to Handle Unsupportive People

Congratulations! You’ve taken the first steps toward living a healthy lifestyle or maybe you’re already a wellness warrior vet. In any event, you’ve grabbed the unicorn reigns of your present and future, and for that I want to give you a virtual hallelujah! Yet, sometimes making healthy choices can be tough – not only on a personal level, but on a social one. So how do we deal with unsupportive friends, family, co-workers and strangers? Here are some of my personal tips; but I know you have a slew of suggestions too; so share ’em in the comments, love!

Step 1: Understand their motivation.
It’s easy to feel angry and frustrated when you’re bombarded with odd looks and questions like “Where do you get your protein?” or “Aren’t you worried about osteoporosis and nutrient deficiency?” To approach these questions and concerns with a clear mind, it’s important to know where they’re coming from. Perhaps your mother only knows about animal-based sources of protein and calcium, and she’s genuinely worried that you’re going to damage your health. Your sister might fear that you’ll never enjoy another night of bonding over movies and vanilla milkshakes, which has always been her most treasured moments with you. Maybe your best friend is addicted to McDonald’s and facing an uphill battle with her weight and cholesterol. She might be defensive about her own diet and taking out her insecurity and ignorance on you. The people you’re closest to might be wondering if they’ll have to change too. Mostly, a negative reaction stems from fear of change and a lack of education. Once you understand the motivation behind their reaction to your diet and lifestyle, you can build a positive strategy for communication. If your audience is open and ready to receive information and new experiences then get ready to unleash your hot wisdom, wit, love and compassion. Remember, judgment sucks. No matter what side of it you’re on.

Step 2: Be prepared.
You can’t be a teacher without going to school yourself! When you’re dealing with a skeptic who responds to facts, have some handy research and websites to lean on. If they’re a bookworm, suggest that they read a couple chapters from books like “The China Study,” “Crazy Sexy Diet,” “Becoming Vegan” or any of Neal Barnard’s many books. (Here are a bunch more reading recommendations.) Sometimes only a well-crafted film can bring on an “a-ha” moment. Check out these mind-opening flicks: “Food Matters,” Simply Raw,” “Forks Over Knives” and “Food, Inc.” If you want to feel confident when put on the spot, make sure you can answer common questions about the plant-based diet. Check out The Vegetarian Resource Group’s website for lists that cite vegan/vegetarian sources of calcium, protein, iron and other nutrients, so that you’re not at a loss for words when asked how you survive without the moo juice. While you’re at it, you may want to ask a few of your own questions. Point out the benefits of checking the ingredient lists on packaged foods, and ask your critics if they’re aware of how preservatives and things like high fructose sugar affect their health. Ask them if they want more energy and a better nights rest? Certainly Crazy Sexy Diet can help with that – cellulite too (um, but be gentle with the cellulite thing. You may offend. Asking your Aunt Ruth if she wants to lose her jiggly ass fat is probably not an effective go veg strategy!) Don’t overwhelm them, but a few friendly inquiries about their own choices might help them understand why you’ve chosen to eat more whole, fresh, plant-based foods.

Step 3: Be strategic.
Dealing with unsupportive people comes with the territory when we become “Prevention is HOT” cheerleaders. In the health trenches, communication and education are part of our mission, and we have to be willing to take some knocks. If you want to be a visionary, you can’t play it safe or small; but you can play it smart!

Before responding to a question or concern, take a deep breath and flash your bright smile. Let your answer come from that space, rather than a negative or defensive place. This small effort can change your entire interaction for the better. Secondly, believe in yourself, tootsie! You’ve done your homework and you walk the walk, so there’s no reason to think that you don’t know your stuff. You are very smart. Feel it, believe it. Early in my journey, I was faced with moments of brain-freezing panic while at conferences with a bunch of white coats, talking to hundreds of people about their health. Suddenly, I wanted to crawl under the table! In these situations, I have to be my own biggest supporter and trust that my knowledge, research and experience will carry me through. It’s all at my fingertips when I take a breath and trust. If you do that, you can’t go wrong.

During the conversation be a listener. It’s a two-way street and your companion deserves the same patience, love and understanding that you expect. If you think they’ll be open to it, use humor! Laughter, especially if it’s naughty, is a fantastic strategy. Trust me. J These interactions don’t have to be a frickin’ drag and, if you can get a few chuckles out of them, you might be able to open their mind and heart a little more. The entire experience will seem less serious, annoying and intimidating so that both of you can chat more freely. Also, share your personal triumphs. No one can argue with the renewed energy, clear skin, better sex life (ooh la la), weight loss or lower cholesterol you know you possess as a result of your clean and green diet and lifestyle! Pique their curiosity by sharing how Crazy Sexy healthy and happy you are.

Finally, don’t waste your energy on people who are not in a place to receive information or respect your personal choices. Plant-biased vampires and toxic people are not worth your precious time, so send them off with a smile (or a bite) before they can zap your zing. Recently, I coached a gal who had reunited with a college pal who was still clinging to their long ago days of debauchery. She wanted the old Sally back and accused her of losing herself. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see the joy and fulfillment Sassy Sally had found in her life after she let go of burning (and boozing) the candle at both ends. Instead of being happy for her, she picked apart her diet and lifestyle over dinner. Sally was exhausted. Her responses were met with blank stares and their visit left her feeling frustrated and unsettled. Rather than spending hours dissecting Sally’s approach to eating and living, she could have identified that the conversation was going nowhere fast and used a trusty, holstered response:

“I appreciate all of your questions, and I’d be happy to email you some resources later so that you can do some of your own research.

“I totally understand that this lifestyle isn’t your thing. Can we just leave it at that and have a good time?

“I’d love to just relax and hear about what you’ve been up to! If you’re still interested in learning about my diet, I’d be happy to lend you some books. If not, let’s agree to disagree.”

Step 4: Be proactive.
Now that you’re flying high on green juice, you may want to find fellow enthusiasts! It’s so much more fun when you’re swapping tips and sharing positive experiences with people who are in the same boat. There are tons of places online and probably in your community to hook up with these radical radishes. Check out Meetup.com, My Crazy Sexy Life, my Facebook FanPage, your local health store and veg-friendly restaurants, vegan and vegetarian festivals, or join a local vegetarian association.

One of the best ways to educate others is by being you! Host a party and pack the table with your favorite vegan and raw goodies. Bring your juicer or blender with you when you visit friends and family, and treat them to a glass of green goodness. Going to a potluck? Knock their socks off with your best dish. If you are a creative whiz in the kitchen and a master of veg-substitutions, your pals will be wowed by your vegan chocolate birthday cake and they’ll realize that this lifestyle is not about deprivation. Grandma’s butter cookies don’t need to be trashed at the next holiday gathering, but maybe you’ll start your own tradition by bringing a delicious vegan cookie that makes mouths water. Why not bring the recipe too? Holidays, parties, and family dinners are prime locations for strutting your new skills in the kitchen. So get cooking, dehydrating, juicing and blending! Healthy, nourishing, delectable food is love and education in one.

OK, your turn! How do you cope, share, educate, listen and grow with the people in your life who might not be up to speed yet with your diet and lifestyle? Share your knowledge and personal experiences!

Photo credit: cayooo, SweetOnVeg, thegreenganster

Prescription for Health: A Meat-Free Diet

It’s come to this:

Researchers in the United Kingdom are now suggesting that fast food chains should hand out cholesterol-lowering drugs with cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and other menu items to combat the effects of these fatty foods. But they also say that statins don’t stop all of the unhealthy effects.

As a doctor, I agree that statins are not the solution, and I’m calling for a reality check.

Decades ago, we learned that the fat and cholesterol in meat boost the amount of cholesterol in consumers’ blood. And that leads to heart attacks. So doctors advised us to cut back on meat and get to know vegetables.

Then it was carcinogens: As meat is grilled, cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines form on its surface, suggesting an explanation for the higher cancer rates in meat eaters compared with vegetarians. Chicken turned out to produce much higher levels of carcinogens than beef.

Then it was chemicals. Studies showed that mercury, other heavy metals, and various pesticides show up in animal tissue. Suddenly, fish was our worst nightmare. State and federal monitoring agencies issued strong warnings, especially for children and women in their reproductive years. Vegetables could be washed or peeled, but that wasn’t possible with fish or other meats.

Then it was germs. Salmonella and campylobacter from the meat counter ended up on our kitchen counters and caused thousands of cases of illness every year. The bacterial threat reached a new level when E. coli O157:H7 in hamburgers killed diners of the Jack-in-the-Box chain in the Pacific Northwest. These and other dangerous uninvited guests still turn up routinely on beef, poultry, and shellfish. And government agencies spend millions of dollars trying to contain the problem.

The headlines went a step further. Mad cow disease emerged in European and sporadically in North American cattle. It is not caused by fat, cholesterol, carcinogens, or germs, but by a rogue protein, known as a prion. Government and industry officials spend millions on testing and culling operations, and neurological researchers study the relationships between mad cow disease and rare forms of dementia. Meanwhile, scientists might observe that there is no mad asparagus or mad eggplant disease.

And there is no strawberry flu or avocado flu, either. But bird flu and swine flu have emerged as potential pandemics. Birds and swine carry viruses, just as other animals. Ordinarily they would pose no risk to humans. But our collective appetite for pork and poultry means millions of pigs and chickens are raised for meat. Once the H5N1 virus enters a poultry farm, it spreads rapidly. And overcrowded pig farms offer a breeding ground for new forms of influenza, like H1N1. For months last year, swine flu hovered just below pandemic level. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all it takes to trigger a pandemic is for the bird flu to infect a person carrying a seasonal flu virus; the two viruses could spawn a disease vector like the one that killed 50 million people in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

And now, in an attempt to counteract heart attack-inducing meat and dairy products containing saturated fat and cholesterol, we need to take a statin every day.

It’s time to wake up and smell the problem. Another study has shown that a vegetarian diet has essentially the same effectiveness as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Millions of Americans now say no to meat. As they do so, their cholesterol levels plummet. Their coronary arteries open up again. Their waistlines shrink and their cancer rates drop 40%. A healthy vegetarian diet could revolutionize the health of the nation.

Photo Credit: flick3r&fade

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.