My Vegan Thanksgiving

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to post this. I realize that at this point it is almost Christmas, but the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder have really started to kick in the past couple of weeks and I just haven’t gotten the motivation to post anything lately. But I figured with another hectic holiday meal looming on the horizon I might give everyone (including myself) a little inspiration to make a few delicious cruelty-free dishes to share with the ones you love.

Here is what my plate looked like on Thanksgiving this year:

You may note that there is a big ol’ glass of plum wine. Sometimes you gotta self-medicate to have a pleasant evening with the family.

I made a pumpkin roll that kind of turned into a pumpkin pile. But it was still super yummy!

I ended up making waaay too many of these dark chocolate truffles because after I made the first batch I decided they were so delicious that there weren’t enough…

There were honestly too many sweets in general though. I got a little carried away by baking pumpkin cupcakes and blueberry muffins as well. My sister even made a vegan apple pie, which was absolutely perfect. Overall, the holiday was extremely pleasant, and I look forward to preparing another massive batch of goodies for Christmas! I hope that the end of the year is treating you all well. I plan on making a few other posts I’ve been thinking about before the new year gets here. ♥

 

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It’s Flu Season (For Non-Vegans)

Around this time of year I always notice those around me beginning to sniffle, cough, and miss work or school. This used to make me quite anxious because I knew that I would soon be next. I can still remember as a child getting sick in a seemingly continuous cycle throughout the year. At the time I viewed this as a normal part of being young. I couldn’t wait for my immune system to finally build defenses against these different illnesses so that I could stop wondering when I would find myself once again writhing in discomfort from another stomach bug or sore throat.

As I got older, I did begin to notice a decrease in the frequency of these illnesses. But still I could have never imagined making it through an entire year or more completely healthy. The worst part was that I didn’t think much of this at all. I thought getting small sicknesses regularly was normal. I didn’t think there was anything to be done about it except to deal with the symptoms when they arose.

Now that I have been vegan for a significant number of years, I’ve begun to notice that I don’t ever really get sick at all. I can’t even recall the last time I had a stomach ache. I used to dread the days I would inevitably spend immobilized in bed, trailing back and forth to the bathroom in an aching delirium. Now it is very rare that I even have to deal with a slight cough. I began a new job over a year ago now and I have yet to take a single sick day. While when I was in school I was guaranteed to miss at least a few weeks each year.

I will never cease to be amazed at the incredible transformation I have experienced in quality of life since transitioning to a vegan diet. It honestly saddens me that so many people will never know just how good it feels to be alive in a fully healthy body. I feel as if I could almost compare it with taking a psychedelic drug. Not in sensation of course, just the sheer wonder of discovering a completely different physical and mental experience that previously you had no idea your body was capable of.

It is becoming more commonly known that a vegan diet can improve longevity and long-term health. The World Health Organization has stated consuming processed meats is just as cancer causing as smoking cigarettes. Yet we continue to permit parents to feed these products to their children, while any parent offering a 5-year-old a cigarette would be considered appalling. Child services would certainly intercede on the child’s behalf in the latter case when really both are the same in effect. Human beings tend to be quite incompetent when it comes to following scientific information to it’s logical conclusion in practical application. We also seem to have a difficult time delaying gratification in order to obtain an ultimately much more gratifying reward in the future.

I wanted to write this post to perhaps help give more people the motivation to try a vegan diet if not for the sake of the animals and our earth, then for their own benefit. If you are young, avoiding heart-disease, diabetes, and cancer most likely isn’t something you are too concerned about at the moment. But the health benefits of eating plant-based, whole foods may be appealing to more people if they knew that there was more to it than that. It is hard to express how different and pleasurable it is to just be in my body now. It almost feels as if the universe has given me a magnificent gift for doing what is right. I hope more than anything that some day we will all live in a vegan world where so much suffering will finally end.

I have often wondered what effect consuming so much pain, fear, and stress hormones has on the body. As far as I am aware there have never been any studies done on something of this nature. It’s important to remember though that the animals most of humanity eats are not healthy. They are sick, tortured, miserable beings, many of whom have never had good food themselves or even felt the sunlight. I truly believe that this must have some consequence and I think that consequence is the way I used to feel and the way so many still do. My friends, I desperately hope that you will feed your body with love and not violence, and receive the rewards the universe has in store for you.

Live fully. Live vegan. ♥

Eat Like You Love Yourself

My whole life I have struggled with disordered eating. I’ve never been thin enough. My stomach has never been and probably will never be flat, and I know it’s impossible for me to have a “thigh gap” without being dangerously underweight and malnourished. I’m almost ashamed to say it, but despite all of the incredibly important and meaningful reasons to go vegan, I went vegan so I could be skinny. Thanks to the plethora of vegan alternatives and high calorie plant foods that never happened, but I was lucky enough to finally get the message anyway and stay vegan for the animals.

Despite all of my perceived failures, I continue trying to lose weight. It’s hard for me to remember a time in my life when I wasn’t counting calories, restricting, binging, and endlessly associating food with comfort and shame in a viscous cycle. I know many other women suffer with these same issues. The negative self-talk and the constant comparisons can become all-consuming. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

As I have become more involved with practices such as yoga and meditation, I have begun to realize just how cruelly I have been treating myself all of these years. It’s hard to practice self-love when every meal triggers thoughts of “you’re not good enough.” How many precious moments of my life have I wasted full of negativity and self-judgement? I want to be kind to myself. I know that I won’t change years of bad habits overnight, but I think I’ve finally decided to start consciously trying.

For me, the easiest way to do this is to imagine my brain and my body as two separate entities. My brain is me and my body is a sweet, innocent animal that I care for. Just like the pets that I care for each day, I give them the healthiest food and as much as they desire. I want to also do that for myself. That’s why this week I am trying to make myself the healthiest, nutrient packed, whole-food, vegan meals I can. This way I can eat to my heart’s content, while avoiding all guilt. Because I know that I am giving my body so much love and energy.

I’m not going to lie. I still hope to lose a significant amount of weight this upcoming year, but I hope that in this way I will be able to do so with a positive mindset and with self-love. I have been doing well so far and hope to continue eating in this way.

Wish me luck! ♥

Do Not Buy These Products!

I am not certain how other grocery stores around the country (or world) are set up, but the ones in my area seem to be purposefully misleading. The stores that I frequent generally contain all of the strictly vegan food products that I buy in a designated area. It is sometimes labeled the organic section. This is very convenient, but can also be quite frustrating.

Frequently, I still find myself scanning over many items among the selection that are not vegan or not even vegetarian. These items such as “organic eggs” or “grass-fed beef” are set among vegan products as just another “healthful alternative” to more commonplace foods. However, as we vegans know, this is not the case. Despite packaging labels like “free-range” we know that these foods are still contributing to the abuse and subjugation of our animal friends and that meat and dairy, no matter how it is raised or processed, is still unhealthy for the human body.

The brand Go Veggie!, shown above, is one example of this misleading situation. For the first few years of exploring the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle, I saw this green packaging, suggestive brand name, and lactose free label and bought this product countless times under the impression that it must be a vegan cheese alternative. However, after finally reading the ingredients on the back of the package, I saw that these “cheddar flavor slices” did contain a small amount of dairy!

I was alarmed and outraged. It seems like brands such as this one are purposefully trying to obtain more customers by deceiving them. Not only that, this cheese tastes awful! It is not nearly as close to the taste of cheese as are true vegan alternatives such as Daiya. Upon further investigation of the Go Veggie! brand, I found that they do produce actual dairy free cheese products, so I am not entirely sure why they are even making this alternate, non-vegan, merely lactose-free option. This company just does not sit well with me.

The point is, never let yourself assume that a product is vegan just based on its packaging or placement in the grocery store. As much as we’d all like to stop obsessing over endless lists of ingredients, unless it specifically says it is vegan, there is a good chance that it is not. Don’t let these bullies push their products on us unknowingly. Make sure your money is supporting true vegan brands.

Stay vigilant, my friends. ❤

Inexpensive Vegan Meal

Once you become vegan, it may be hard to think of cheap food options. For the most part, fast food is out of the question. Which, in the long run, is a wonderful thing. However, being a college student, I know that sometimes an extremely cheap meal is necessary. Today I would like to share with you one of the cheapest, most delicious vegan meals that I make myself.

This meal consists of only two ingredients, not counting simple household things. Better yet, these ingredients only cost around two to three dollars! And you will be able to make a ton of food! This meal is also extremely simply and quick to make. So here you are, dears.

Vegan Cabbage and Noodles:

Ingredients:

1. Spaghetti noodles (or whatever noodles you prefer, spaghetti is just the cheapest)
2. Cabbage
3. Salt
4. Pepper
5. Olive Oil (or any type of cooking oil)

Instructions:

1. Boil water and begin to cook noodles
2. While noodles are cooking, put a thin coat of olive oil into a frying pan
3. Add chopped cabbage
4. Cook until tender, adding salt and pepper to taste
5. Mix cooked noodles and cabbage together

I generally don’t measure the exact amount of noodles or cabbage I use. You can make more or less depending on how hungry you are or how many people you are cooking for. I found that this meal can come in very handy for the vegan with not much to spend. It is yummy, filling, quick, cheap, and easy to prepare! I hope that this can help any struggling vegans out there or any that would just like a quick vegan version of an old favorite.

Stay peaceful, my loves. ❤

5 Benefits of a Vegan Lifestyle

Unlike many people out there. I have no interest in guilting anyone into becoming a vegan. I do not want anyone to feel like they are an awful person for eating meat, because not so long ago, I was one of those people. It can be extremely hard to break away from the norms of our society. It is even harder when you feel like to do so you have to admit you have been committing evil and shameful acts. So don’t look at it that way. We all make mistakes, and the meat and dairy industries are working hard every day to make sure that consuming animal products is one of them. Instead of focusing on the abuse and the pain and all the years you have been a part of it, focus on all of the positive aspects of veganism! Your body deserves to receive the nourishment it was meant to have. Be kind to yourself! Allow me to show you the benefits of veganism instead of just the consequences of carnism.

1. Weight Loss: Veganism is a wonderful and healthy way to shed those extra pounds. A lot of people try vegetarianism as a way of accomplishing this, but as one of the many people who have tried that and failed, I can tell you that veganism actually does work! A vegetarian diet leaves most people suddenly replacing the meat in their diets with more bread, pasta, pastries, and cheese. This may even cause you to gain weight. However, veganism forces you to center your diet around fruits and vegetables. It is awfully hard to be unhealthy and vegan. Even high calorie vegan meals are better for your body and are less likely to be turned into fat. Unlike calories from meat and dairy, which cannot be burnt up without exercise, plant based calories can be used immediately and efficiently by your body. When you eat the things your body needs, you will gravitate towards the weight nature intended without really trying.

2. No Food Hangovers: You know that feeling you have right after eating a decadent meal at a restaurant or after a holiday meal? You almost just want to lay down and die. Well, thanks to a vegan diet, I no longer have to suffer through that. I can eat as much as I want during a meal, yet I still feel wonderful afterwards. I don’t feel heavy or bloated at all! It is such a relief to know that horrible “too full” feeling is in the past.

3. Quicker Food Prep: One of the benefits of veganism that never even crossed my mind is how much easier cooking is. I am not a chef by any means, but I assume many of you are, so this may be a bigger plus for you than it is for me. I would always remember waiting for, what seemed like an eternity, for my mother to finish cooking dinner each night. Now that I use imitation meat or tofu for most of my dishes, I no longer have to wait nearly as long! While meat needs to be cooked thoroughly until it is safe, imitation meat/tofu only needs to be cooked until it is warm, which takes much less time. I am the first one to eat at any barbecue!

4. New Foods: Making the transition to a vegan diet closes the door to many classic food options. However, it also opens many doors to new, exciting, and foreign foods as well. The best part is, these new dishes are healthy as well as delicious! Many of my favorite foods were not discovered until I became vegan. There is not a single day that I miss meat or dairy. Also, veganism allows you to appreciate more fully the simple foods that you used to take for granted. I have never loved broccoli, bananas, and apples more. Fruits are as they should be to me now, a delicious delight.

5. Overall Health: By far the best part of veganism is the health aspect. I have never felt better in all of my life. I have more energy than I ever have. I am able to do more at the gym. Even my thoughts are more clear and organized in my mind. Vegans life longer and are less likely to develop problems such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. These are some of the biggest health problems in America today. This generation also eats more meat and dairy products than previous generations. This is not a coincidence people. Don’t destroy your body. It is the vessel that will carry your consciousness through your whole life. Be kind to it. Take care of yourself. The best part is, doing so will allow you to care for all those innocent animals as well.

So there you have it! Five of the best benefits of becoming vegan. Those aren’t the only ones either! Leave a comment and tell me one of your favorite parts of becoming vegan. I would love to hear what you have to say!

Stay peaceful, loves.