Day 9 - BFN and Vegan Politics

Today has been a rough day. Not because of my diet or health, but because we found out that our umpteenth try to get pregnant has not been successful. As the pending other mother, it is heartbreaking to watch the person you share your life with pour her entire being into this one thing and not have it work out month after month. It's a helpless feeling too, even though I support her emotionally I can't do a damn thing about the biology. Why can't we just have babies like other couples do? Why can't we just leave the condom off one night and wind up with an "oops" pregnancy a few weeks later? Ugh.

Anyhoo, today was tough and of course it was busy at work (which is my usual luck). When I finally got a chance to take a break, I grabbed an issue of a popular vegetarian magazine and was startled at how politically charged it was. A letter to the editor denouncing Ellen for an award she received for her vegan activism because she's also a Cover Girl spokesperson. A self-proclaimed feminist vegan arguing that we should not be using certain sexist terms when complaining about the meat industry or meat heads in general.

I guess I'm just not there yet. I chose to stop eating meat with J at the beginning of lent because it was something to give up and I knew I'd be eating a healthier diet. I continued that practice because at the heart of my decision to be vegan is the treatment of animals. If meat weren't made from animals, I'd probably eat it. I'd love a meat tree, actually. But knowing that meat used to be a living, breathing, feeling creature, I can't bring myself to eat it. That's pretty much the extent of my agenda when it comes to being vegan. But...I've only been doing this for a little over a week. Maybe as time goes by I'll have a change of heart and keep a spare can of red paint in my purse to toss at someone wearing leather shoes.

What about you guys? Has anyone else felt overwhelmed by vegan politics/activism in the early stages?

Cost & Effect

J and I found out the hard way that the only time one should do shopping at Whole Foods is when one has a million dollars sitting in the bank. Which we do not.

We went a little crazy yesterday and got some things we had been needing and some other things we were excited to try (soy yogurt, almond milk ice cream bites, homemade granola from a local vendor, a new scent of incense to really drive home the "hippy granola lesbian" stereotype). We decided that next time we were going armed with a strict list of things that can only be bought at the specialty store and to save the rest of it for our regular grocer.

So far the food has been mostly delish and I haven't eaten anything that I've regretted later. I am loving that my food is FRESH and whole and that I'm not eating as much out of boxes, cans, or the drive thru lane anymore. Also in the interest of a complete body cleanse I discontinued taking my happy pill which has left my head less than happy. Mostly dizzy and lightheaded, which is no fun at all. I was hoping that I'd tapered off enough that I could get away without any withdrawal symptoms but it seems I'm not so lucky. So I continue to drink tons of water to help flush it out and stay on top of my Omega 3s (not necessarily vegan but for now I need to take the supplement -- if anyone has suggestions for a vegan-friendly omega supplement I'm all ears). I was only taking it to keep me afloat during a very tumultuous year and realized that I probably don't need it anymore. I am pretty good at judging my mental state and if I start to see that I need chemical assistance I'll just go back on it again.

For now it's time to curl up with my girl and a few episodes of Weeds, our new addiction (no pun intended) and a welcome distraction from this ridiculously agonizing TWW.

Doubts

Today is the first day that I've had any sort of doubts about this vegan thing. Why, you ask?

Dairy Queen, those cow-hating bitches* and their Buy 1, Get 1 for 25 cent blizzards.

J and I used to live in a college town, where DQ was never more than a few blocks away. We spent many nights quietly lounging around the apartment, when all of a sudden one of us would whisper softly "deeeeee cuuuueeee" and we'd be in the car on our way to blizzard town.

I miss blizzards tonight. Ice cream in general, actually. I'd like to look into soy ice cream the next time we're at the grocery store. Hopefully I find one that I will like and/or tolerate enough to get me through my craving.

When we heard Rory Freedman speak last week she mentioned a certain substance in dairy that was addictive, which is why we crave it so much. Cheese has the highest concentration of this substance (casein, the main dairy protein) which act like opiates when digested in the human body. I wonder how much casein is in ice cream...it sure would explain why I want it so bad tonight!

*DQ, I love you. Even if you do sell dairy.

Day 5

It's Day 5 kids, and I'm lovin' it. (Take that, McD's!) I do have a slight cold, however, which I am not lovin.

Right now I am trying not to overwhelm myself with too much information. I made the mistake of looking up cruelty-free cosmetics companies and was horrified to find that nearly NONE of the cosmetics I use are on the list. I'm not about to toss what I have, but I will have to be a little careful when I go purchase new things to make sure they are on the safe list.

Also, I have no intention of tossing my leather purses or shoes. I just want to do little things here and there that will make a bit of difference.

I have already had a few friends tell me to make sure I am eating enough protein, vitamins and minerals. I assure you all that I have been watching my intake of all 3 very carefully since I've started and will continue to do so over the course of this journey.

That being said, one of my good friends commented on my last post how surprised she was that I could eat regular, brand-name foods and still eat a vegan dinner. I have no plans of making everything from scratch (hell, I am definitely not that talented in the kitchen). I am all about convenience foods, so as long as the product is vegan-friendly I'm going to use it. Unless of course I find out that Ragu tortures its tomatoes before jarring them. Then I'm screwed...

Day 3 - I Kinda Like It

Yay for followers already! You guys have more faith in this project than I do. ;)

It's Day 3 and I am feeling fantastic. I don't think I've felt this good in months, actually. Here's what I've been eating:

Day 2, cont.:

- homemade guacamole w/ fresh avocado + salsa (which ended up turning miss J into a convert guacamole-eater -- she LOVED it!)

- tortilla chips

- PB&J in a flat bread roll-up

Day 3:

Breakfast: bowl of Cheerios with soymilk and frozen blueberries

Snack: Venti soy latte w/ 2 pumps vanilla syrup

Lunch: PB + banana on flat bread roll-up, fresh cantaloupe, baby carrots w/ hummus, mini box of soymilk (I didn't realize how much soymilk I'd had until I swallowed the last sip from my box. I think tomorrow I'll try to scale back a bit.)

Snack: More homemade guacamole & a few tortilla chips

Dinner: Rotini pasta, Ragu Garden Fresh pasta sauce cooked with 1 pkg Smart Ground, nutritional yeast flakes sprinkled on top

I have determined through trial and error that I prefer Soydream milk to Silk or other brands, although I do use Silk soy creamer for my coffee b/c they are the only ones who make it. I know I need to eat more green, leafy veggies. We have baby spinach in the fridge but unfortunately forgot to pick up things to put on it. I like my salads piled high with veggies, and right now all we have are baby carrots. We'll probably go to the store tomorrow after work methinks.

So far, this vegan thing is not so bad. I was incredibly satisfied by the pasta dinner tonight, and even my love agreed she would eat this way all the time if all meals came out tasting like tonight's. I can't wait to try out more things on her. ::cue sinister "mwhahahaha" laughter::

...unless of course she ends up pregnant, than I'll be gentle. ;)

I also took a peek at the book Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook today and was really impressed with the recipes and how everything was laid out. I love that the authors teach people like me (meaning, people with little to no kitchen know-how) how to cook potatoes and artichokes in a friendly, non-pretentious way. Do any of you own this book or care to recommend your favorite cookbook for vegan beginners?

Vegan?!

This is B from "Just a Pair of Moms in Training". I've decided recently, after J and I spent all of March and most of April as vegetarians, to take the plunge and try a vegan diet for a few days. I'm not expecting too much for now but I wanted to create a space where I could talk about the experience being a new, possibly temporary, vegan.

Why do I say "possibly temporary"? Because I loves me some cheese and dairy. And when I say loves I mean I want to roll around with parmesan, bathe in Moose Tracks ice cream and slather up with strawberry Dan.non yogurt all day.

The thing is, I'm a big animal lover. And after hearing Rory Freedman (of "Skinny Bitch" fame) speak over the weekend at VegFest in Michigan, I am having *gasp* second thoughts about dairy. I've done a little research on dairy cows (even organic ones) and it doesn't sit well with me. Currently I am struggling with similar feelings that Rory had when she first took the plunge into vegetarianism. If I'm such an animal lover, how can I possibly decide to pet one and eat another? It doesn't seem right to me.

So for now, as of yesterday, I'm on a vegan trial run. Yesterday I ate at a vegan restaurant near my work and was really impressed and satisfied afterward. For dinner we ate veggie subs at that big sub chain restaurant. Breakfast this morning is chee.rios with some soymilk and frozen blueberries, plus coffee with soy creamer. All in all, I am feeling okay about my choices and so far do not miss much except for the habit of pulling whatever I want out of the fridge without having to check labels. It's going to be a process for me to get used to I think.