Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Vegan Diaries: A Retrospective

Now that my month of veganism is over, I can finally look back and analyze exactly what happened. To be honest, it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There were moments early on where I had cravings for certain foods, like soft drinks, sweets, and dairy products. But that only lasted for about two weeks, and after that, all cravings completely disappeared. Shoot... I'm done with veganism, and I still haven't had the hamburger or milkshake I was predicting I'd be jumping all over.

It was actually a weird experience going to a supermarket today, because now I have an unlimited choice of foods to pick from, and it's frightening. I about couldn't handle it today, so I resorted back to buying the "safe" foods I've been living off of for the past month. I feel like Tom Hanks' character from "Cast Away," where, after being on a deserted island for years, I'm resorting back to my old barbaric ways of eating now that I'm back in civilization. Just looking at a frozen pizza or package of hamburger meat sickens me. I don't think I can go back to that stuff after this experiment I just had.

But there will be some foods I'll go back to, like yogurt, cheese, fish, chicken, and eggs. I'll also buy cow milk again, but probably not as much as I used to. Soy milk wasn't as bad as I had first thought, so I'll be adding that to my diet occasionally. I'll also be eating more rice and bean dishes, and I'll definitely be eating more specialty breads. I've been hooked on dipping French-style breads into olive oil lately and eating it, which is something I never did prior to this experiment. And for snacks, I'll probably be eating more healthy foods than I ever did before. I've become so accustomed to eating dried fruits and nuts this month that it seems normal to me now.

So overall, I'll go back to being an omnivore but dabble in vegetarianism every now and then. It was good to try out veganism because it really forced me to think about what I was eating, which is something I've never done before. It really opened my eyes to other foods that are out there, and it made me more conscious of how other people live. But for my active lifestyle, veganism just isn't a good fit for me. I need to be putting certain nutrients in my body that I can only get through certain animal products. I probably lost a few pounds over the past month while trying this experiment out, which isn't a good thing when I'm already skinny to begin with.

Veganism was also socially difficult for me at times, and I really didn't care for that. As I mentioned before, in my home, I have no problem being a vegetarian or vegan, but when I'm outside of it interacting with others, I'm going to be an omnivore to avoid being the odd-man out. Besides, there are a lot of good foods out there in the world to try, and it'd be a wasted life not to experience some of these due to a strict vegan lifestyle.

Well, I guess that wraps it up for "The Vegan Diaries." For all of you out there who've been following along this month, I hope you enjoyed it and it gave you some new insights into a different way of living. I'll be taking a break from blogging for a while to figure out what my next challenge will be. So until next time, you all take good care of yourselves, enjoy life, and eat healthy!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Vegan Diaries, Day 30: Mission Accomplished

Holy crap. I can't believe it.

I made it 30 days as a vegan.

At midnight tonight, it all comes to an end, and I can go back to living my life as a happy omnivore if I wish. To be honest, I've almost forgotten what it's like to be an omnivore. All the decadent foods I used to crave have now become distant memories. I've become comfortable living on the scant foods I've survived on this past month. I could literally keep going on with this vegan lifestyle if I really wanted.

So now that this experiment is over, what do I do now? Where do I go from here? Do I continue to be a vegan, or do I go back to my crazy omnivore ways? I think I'll sleep on it tonight and evaluate everything tomorrow. I'll let you know what I figure out.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Vegan Diaries, Day 29: Vegan Wear

After making all these posts this month, I forgot to mention one other critical piece of the vegan puzzle: wearing the proper clothing. This is one area where I have gone astray and fallen off the vegan wagon several times. Just like the food you eat, your clothing is not supposed to be made up of any animal products. Hence, all leather and silk is bad. And you can't wear any of those beaver pelts you have stashed away in the closet, either. Sorry.

Clothing was just one of those things I didn't think much of this month. All my brain power was devoted towards the food portion of veganism, and I totally didn't stop to think that it carried over into things that are non-edible. Besides, if I hadn't worn a leather belt all this month, my pants would have fallen off, which would've been a real tragedy for everyone. In a strange way, veganism actually FORCED me to wear a belt and to support the leather industry. I was stuck in a vegan Catch-22.

Today, I honestly tried to make up for my lapses into leatherism. I started out not wearing a belt and went around barefoot throughout the house. But then I received a call from Obama headquarters to get my butt down to the street corner to hold signs and wave at motorists passing by because the local television crew was stopping by to film us (must be a slow news day in Chico). And it was drizzling outside, and I didn't want to get my running shoes wet. So... I went back to wearing my leather boots.

I know, I know. I'm not a worthy vegan. I should be wearing hemp everything and spend my entire existence looking like a bum. There's nothing stylish about being a vegan, which is not a great selling point if you really want to recruit new folks.

This vegan lifestyle is way too complicated. Maybe I'll just give up on clothing altogether and sit around my house naked. Oh, wait now... I just realized that the recliner I'm sitting in is made of leather as well.

Dang it.