30 Day Plan: Go Vegetarian.
I have been very hesitant to write about this because A) I'm afraid I'll cave and fall off the wagon and B) I write for a green website and often about vegan issues, and I am fairly certain everyone I work with assumes I am already a vegetarian if not vegan.
But the truth is that the only meat not in my diet right now is red meat, and that's only because I heard that it increases the risk of breast cancer--- so I cut it out. But I've been toying with the idea of going vegetarian for awhile, because I really do love animals and would like something to hold over other peoples heads! Additionally, working at Ecorazzi has really shed some light on the benefits of nixing meat, so I decided that I should give it a try...eventually.
I've read that going veg for 30 days and setting a start and end date is the way to do it, I've just been looking for the right time to put down the turkey, cold turkey.
Enter the Genesis Awards! An event I attended over the weekend which honors celebs and media types for their work with animal activism. I got to sit in on the ceremony, which was catered by celeb vegan chef Tal Ronnen, and watch as presenters like Olivia Munn and Betty White awarded filmmakers and broadcasters for revealing the dangers of factory farming, or highlighting a story about a puppy mill, etc..
The thing is, this event was essentially like being forced to watch PETA videos for two hours while being served vegan ravioli. The footage that went along with each award included cows being beaten, monkeys dying in cages, baby chicks being thrown into grinders, that kinda fun stuff!
So, while nibbling on my vegan cheesecake (note: some things do taste better with dairy I'm sorry to say!), I decided that I would start my 30 day vegetarian diet that night. Meaning that from Saturday, March 19th until Sunday, April 17th I will be all veg all the time.
Today is Day 3 of being without meat, and so far so good. This morning I had whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast, as a snack a banana, and my lunch (pictured) of hummus, pita, taboulie and falafel. Everything has been yummy, I don't feel deprived (yet), and I'm pumping myself up with the promise of veggie burgers in the very near future. I've also started taking vitamins in case I'm not getting enough of something (though what, I couldn't say).
Luckily I live in Los Angeles, and aside from all of the restaurants having veg options, I also am two blocks from a vegan Thai restaurant called Bulan, and four from a macrobiotic joint called M Cafe--- going vegetarian looks like it will be pretty easy.
I've also promised David that if I went veg, I would cook a vegetarian meal once a week for us to try (yes, this is an easy way for him to get free food but I also suspect that he may be curious about going veg and eating healthy). So, every week I'll be trying out a new recipe and seeing how I do in terms of cooking sans the meat, and I'll provide David's feedback on it as well!
If anyone has any recipes/tips/snacks that help make the transition into veg easier, I am all ears!
March 21st, 2011 - 14:43
congratulations. if you ever need any recipes let me know. I have a ton of them. my veggie burgers are awesome by the way.
March 21st, 2011 - 14:47
Thanks Ryan! I’d actually LOVE a great veggie burger recipe if you can share! This is a fantastic start
March 21st, 2011 - 14:57
You’ll probably hear this a lot but sign up for Vegan at Heart http://www.kindgreenplanet.org/programs/veganatheart/welcome/ – such a great program run by a terrific person!! You can cruise the past missions and get fantastic info, the comments are often really insightful and helpful!
We love our meal group, too, in which 3 families cook for each other one night per week– with our hectic schedules, it makes it really nice to know that twice a week we’re going to get a really healthy, nutritious meal delivered to our doorstep!
Good for you for doing this, hope you have lots of fun exploring all of the options out there…
March 21st, 2011 - 15:00
Wow, a veg meal group sounds amazing! What a great way to make the experience that much more fun! Thanks for the tips!
March 21st, 2011 - 20:08
When I went vegan, I read some article that said the average person basically eats 11 staple meals that they rotate. So, you should think of 11 vegetarian meals you like that you can make and sort of start from there. It won’t be so difficult! And like with any diet, if you have a “set-back” or fall off the wagon, that doesn’t invalidate the rest of your work and shouldn’t deter you from your goal. Good luck!
March 21st, 2011 - 20:10
oh and if you don’t already know, http://www.quarrygirl.com/ is the best LA vegan blog.
March 21st, 2011 - 20:44
Thanks so much Megan! Having an LA vegan blog is going to help so much!
March 21st, 2011 - 23:49
First of all: congrats! I only recently (a little over a month!) went vegan, cold turkey, and have been cooking my meals at home as much as possible using all the vegan food blogs as inspiration. My favorite is Vegan Yum Yum, which has archives full of delicious recipes.
I also highly recommend reading about nutrition; in my corner of the world (north Europe) such books are readily available, so I’m sure you can find them as well.
March 22nd, 2011 - 05:46
Cool! I haven’t been to vegan yum yum so gonna have to check it out! I really should get a book and read up… any recommendations??
March 24th, 2011 - 23:47
I’ve mostly been reading nutrition books in my mother tongue, not English, but “becoming vegetarian” and “becoming vegan” by Melina Vesanto keep popping up on Amazon