Being A Vegan

11 years ago, I became a vegetarian for a very specific reason: I did not want to be a part of the inhumane treatment of animals.

I didn’t do it for my health. I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I just couldn’t with a clear conscious eat meat or seafood after learning  and becoming aware of how animals are treated and killed for human consumption.

My rationalization for continuing to eat dairy and other animal bi-products was that an animal didn’t have to be killed for their milk. But still, over the years taking that step from vegetarian to vegan was always something I wanted to do for many reasons. Besides, dairy products, I FEEL, is just not good for the human body. 

But more than that, it's an issue of compassion. Here are a few facts about animal welfare:

~ Over 10 billion land animals and 53 billion sea animals are killed every year in the U.S. alone.

~ Over 200 million male chick offspring are killed annually shortly after birth, because they can't lay eggs and are not considered the right genetic breeding for consumption. They are usually ground up alive or suffocated in plastic bags or foam.

~ Dairy cows are forcibly impregnated to produce milk non-stop for about 5 years. Then they're slaughtered. Their offspring are taken away from them usually within 48 hours. The males are used for veal and the females become dairy cows.

~ Free-range" means absolutely nothing. Birds and their eggs are considered free-range, if they have U.S. Department of Agriculture certified access to the outdoors. This certification doesn’t include size of or ability to access the outdoor area, amount of space allotted per animal, quality of life, or the number of birds living in a single shed.

I realize that many people have conditioned themselves into believing that this is just the natural order of things and that killing animals is a necessary evil. I don’t think it has to be that way, but then again, I’ve always had a heart that felt too big for me sometimes.

I’m about 2 weeks in to being a strict or strict-as-I-can-be Vegan.

The questions I get asked most involve protein and the difficulty of this type of lifestyle.

The past two weeks have not been difficult for me at all. I eat the foods that I enjoy and a lot of them just happen to contain protein. The average woman only needs about 46 grams of protein a day. I often drink protein shakes made with soy milk, but an awful lot of the food I eat contain protein as well such as beans, tofu, veggie burgers, broccoli almonds, almond butter, black-eyed peas, spinach,  whole what breads, etc.

Being a vegan is not about deprivation. It’s about making conscious choices and eating what you love versus forcing yourself to eat what you hate.

For example, I tried quinoa for the first this week because it’s packed with protein. However, I hated it. It was grainy and reminded me of oatmeal…and I HATE oatmeal. So I’ll never eat quinoa again.

For breakfast yesterday I had all of my favorite things: A whole wheat English muffin, 2 slices of veggie bacon, 1/4 cup of potatoes, and some fruit. Very filling!

I also made a citrus smoothie to take to work. It's called a Fat Burner & Cellulite Buster...and man oh man does my cellulite needs busting! It's made with grapefruits, lemons, oranges, and 1 tbsp of turmeric. It was delicious and had the consistency of apple sauce. Outside of the peeling, it was super easy and it gave me a great morning boost!

For lunch I had a salad from Subway, jam packed with foods that I love. Lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, olives, banana peppers, red onions...yum!

As you can see, I'm not starving and I'm getting my protein requirements. I will admit, that this lifestyle is not for everyone. But the more fresh fruits and vegetables a person can get into their diet, the better. 

Thanks for reading!

Always,

Blaque

Letting Go

There is a phrase that goes: "Quod me nutrit me destruit." 

Translation: "What nourishes me destroys me."  Meaning, that which motivates or drives a person can consume him or her from within.

This is an absolute truth when dealing with food addiction, but it’s also an important life lesson. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do in life is to let go of something that makes  us feel good in the short term. We get so consumed by instant gratification that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Holding on to something we think we need or want or love is easy. Being an adult and letting go for our own good and for the good of others…that takes courage and maturity.

If there is something that is consuming your time or energy or compromising your peace of mind…LET IT GO!

Life is short and precious. None of us are promised a next breath.  We shouldn’t allow anything…food, addiction, a person, a relationship that’s run its course, etc to destroy us from within. Don’t let what nourishes you, destroy you. Allow those things that truly nourish you, to exalt you. To strengthen you. To free you!

Thanks for reading today!

Always,

Blaque

p.s. My workout jar is still empty. More on that later!

Level 2 of Ripped In 30...a whole new kinda hell!

Oh, how I wish I could keep calm! Level 2 Day 1 of Ripped in 30 didn't go so well. Clearly Jillian Michaels worships the devil! I mean, only a twisted, sadistic mind would make a person go from strength training to plank jacks right into mountain climbers and then shortly thereafter crow push ups? Really Jillian?
I spent most of Day 1 looking at my TV screen in disbelief and checking to make sure I didn't click on Level 4 by mistake. Thank goodness I got a 2 mile walk in earlier in the day because I truly sucked at Level 2. But like Jillian said during the Level 1 workout "You don't buy a Jillian Michaels video and think it's gonna be easy." So true Jillian, so true. I'm not going to let this level beat me. It may take me more than 5 or 6 days to get it right, but I'm definitely gonna stay the course. Pray for me!

As if I'm not being tortured enough with level 2 of Ripped, I also decided that I am going to once again try to make the transition from vegetarian to vegan.

When I became a vegetarian 11 years ago, I made the decision to stop eating meat and fish and never looked back. For me, it was easy. But this vegan thing...not so much. However, unbeknown to me, I've been consuming sheep and goat cheese every time I have feta on my salads...who knew? That to me, is disgusting. I no longer want any part of dairy of any kind. However, this means an end to ice cream, macaroni and cheese, and pizza as I know it. And it will also require me to read labels closely and educate myself. This is going to be a little difficult, but I think I can do it.

No, I KNOW I can do it! This is a lifestyle choice I really want to commit to. I'm already looking for and experimenting with new recipes. Yesterday I had marinated cucumbers and red onions. They were truly delicious, I could literally eat them every day.

Plant base diets are better for our health, helps with weight loss, is good for the environment, and most importantly to me, takes me out of the animal cruelty equation. So this transition will be worth the effort.

Thanks for reading!

Always,

Blaque