How I went from being a hardcore meat eater to a passionate vegan - Part Two

in #veganism8 years ago


If you haven’t read part one yet, please start there first! Thanks!


The 3-day juice cleanse

It's now late September of 2014, and up to this point I was only considering giving up meat and becoming a vegetarian. I did not make the pivotal connection with veganism just yet but that was all about to change in a matter of days.

I was dating someone at the time who was a flexitarian, and after he saw how much I was struggling to give up meat he offered a potential solution. With his help, he recommended that I go on a 3-day juice cleanse as a way to detoxify my body and reset the palate, if you will. He swore by the effectiveness of this method as he had done it himself several times before with great results. Sure! I thought, what do I have to lose? It sounded like just the thing that I so desperately needed so I jumped right into it with nothing but hope and enthusiasm. By day two, however, I was Ms. Cranky Pants and experiencing FML! syndrome on a whole new level.

Mind you, this was my very first time on a juice cleanse so I was detoxing like a mad woman. I was really beginning to worry that my motivation would slip and that this whole experiment would be in vain. Shit! I need to act fast if I'm going to keep up with this juice cleanse without murdering anyone in the process! It was at that precise moment that I came up with an ingenious plan: Netflix!! I hurried over to my Apple TV, tuned into Netflix, and went straight for the documentary section to see what I could find.... and that's when the binge-watching began.

Little did I know that my whole life was about to change dramatically

The most impactful video I ever saw on veganism is the now iconic speech given by Gary Yourofsky below (he's like the Larken Rose of veganism):

**

Wow. Just... wow.

How could I have been so painfully blind this whole time?

What kind of hellish world do we live in to allow such brutal violence and cruelty to exist? What does it say about us as a species?

Is something as trivial and fleeting as my palate pleasure really worth the horrific confinement, torture, mutilation, misery, and ghastly slaughter of these sentient creatures?

How is it "humane slaughter" when you're using many of the same standard practices you see with factory farmed animals (such as debeaking, dehorning, teeth clipping, tail docking, castration - all without anesthetic - and so on)? And most importantly, how is it humane to snuff the life out of an innocent being whose life is cut too short, and whom has every desire to live as we do? WHAT give us that right? Especially now that we live in a time when we can not only survive, but thrive on a vegan diet?

Is that piece of gouda cheese worth the rape and cruel separation of a mother cow from her baby, over and over again? Wouldn't we be outraged if this were done to human mothers?

Are my omelettes worth the grounding up of live male chicks? Or the battery hens who will never be able to spread their wings or feel the earth beneath their feet or see daylight for most of their miserable existence?

Is my ham or bacon worth the excruciating pain that a pig must suffer as it's being scalded alive due to improper stunning methods?

Are my selfish eating habits worth all the devastation that's being inflicted upon our planet? Is there not a more sustainable way? A healthier way? A way that could potentially solve world hunger?

Now here was the BIG one for me:

How, as a voluntaryist, am I adhering to the Non-Aggression Principle when my meal choices are responsible for destroying the lives of other sentient beings without their consent? Isn't it only right that if I reject those who seek to impose authority over my own life that I pay the same respect in kind to the most oppressed, and most vulnerable beings on the planet?

Wouldn't veganism be more consistent with the NAP? Aren't veganism and voluntaryism really just two sides of the same coin here? To aim for a gentler, more peaceful, and freer world for all?

Aren't speciesism and statism the greatest evils facing us all, and mustn't they be confronted if we're to evolve?

After giving it much thought, I became convinced that they were and had to do something about it.

That was it for me. My eyes were open wide, and I knew right then and there that there was no turning back. I finally found my resolve to change, and I decided that it was simply not enough to give up solely meat but that it was imperative that I go all the way and ditch dairy, eggs, and every other animal by-product as well. I didn't know exactly how I was going to go about making such a major change that quickly, but I didn't care. I was determined to find my way, and use every resource at my disposal to make it work.

I knew myself well enough to know that if I were to take the gradual route, I would fail, as my addictions would win me over. Besides, I had already come this far with the juice cleanse, which was hard as fuck, so I might as well just bite the bullet and be done with it in one fell swoop.

Setting myself up for success

I'm not going to lie to you. The first few weeks were very difficult for me and I had to resist temptation with all my might. It got easier, though, as time wore on.

One of my biggest challenges was the fact that I had very few cooking skills as I hated cooking up to that point (unless I was using my solar oven, then it was cool), and so I had to not only learn how to eat in an entirely new way but also learn a new skill set that I previously avoided at all costs. I knew that this was necessary if I was going to do this right, and not just be a junk food vegan so that's exactly what I did. I adjusted my attitude accordingly and spent that first week researching which essential kitchen tools to buy; which types of vegan foods I needed to stock my refrigerator and pantry with, and got right to it.


My Vitamix is my prized possession in the kitchen

Recipes! Recipes! And METAL recipes! (Yes, metal.)

Pinterest became my new best friend as it enabled me to find various delicious vegan recipes, and I went nuts trying out as many of them as I could! I didn't have to bother investing in cookbooks just yet, and decided to save those for a later time when I had the money to spare.

Since I was craving familiar foods, I simply sought out veganized versions of the foods I already knew and loved. One of the very first recipes I learned how to make is this delicious seitan mushroom stew which made me ever since.

My kitchen got more metal by the day.

Vegan food brands & restaurants

Finding delectable vegan convenience foods was a HUGE deal for me in the beginning as I was developing my cooking skills. Fortunately, I lived in the heart of Los Angeles so there was a plethora of vegan brands available to me. Some of my absolute favorites were Gardein (I was hooked on their fishless fillets especially; made tons of yummy tacos with them!), Follow Your Heart Vegenaise & Tarter Sauce, Miyoko's Kitchen gourmet vegan cheeses (their Classic Double Cream Chive, French Style Winter Truffle, and Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash are fantastic), and So Delicious vegan ice cream to name but a few.


Who says you can't enjoy a vegan-friendly wine & cheese party?

There were plenty of veggie restaurants to choose from, too, and even many of the non-veggie establishments had at least one or two friendly options on their menu (or that were customizable). I was a little clumsy at first when it came to asking the servers questions about certain ingredients but I got the hang of it after a while, and most of time they were usually accommodating.

Educational sources and nutritional information

There is such a wealth of information (and misinformation) out there on veganism that it can seem daunting trying to figure out where to start, and who to trust. It didn't prevent me from plowing through as much of it as I could, however, and sorting out the good sources from the not-so-good ones. I was a fixture on YouTube, especially; I searched for all the vegan channels I could find and settled on a few that I found most useful:

  • Emily from Bite Size Vegan has plenty of well-researched, engaging, and (as the name would suggest) easy to digest videos that address all the basics and most common questions and myths surrounding veganism. What I really like about her is that she's deeply passionate about the subject while still being very approachable, and she takes her research seriously. It was through her that I learned about the invaluable online tool: www.cronometer.com which helps you track your daily nutrition, exercise, and health data.

  • Colleen Patrick-Goudreau from Joyful Vegan is a very intelligent and wise vegan who inspired me greatly with her Vegan Point of View videos and podcasts. She has a composed, compassionate and non-threatening manner of delivering the vegan message which I think is highly effective. She also wrote an excellent book for those who are just starting out called The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. I have it sitting in my library and it's one that I recommend most.

  • Swayze from Unnatural Vegan is perfect for those like me who value reason and evidence over pseudoscience, and who want a purely rational and intellectual approach to veganism.

  • Mic. the Vegan is a lot like Swayze in that he takes a very rational approach as well, and unlike a lot of other vegan YouTubers out there, he doesn't take himself too seriously and knows how to be silly. His videos are highly educational, fun, creative, and downright hilarious at times.

And last but certainly not least...

  • Dr. Michael Greger from NutritionFacts.org who is the guru on nutrition for a lot of vegans out there. All the information he presents is based on peer-reviewed journals and studies on human health and diet. He wrote a New York Times Bestseller called How Not To Die.

Where I am with veganism today

It's been a wild ride these past two years, filled with soul-searching, doubts, struggles, and rebirth. Going vegan was one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my entire life but it's also been one of the most rewarding experiences. I've never felt the level of joy, clarity, sense of purpose, and wholeness as I do now and I can't imagine ever going back to the way I once lived. I have many beautiful dreams to fulfill in this life, and veganism plays a key role in all of them. And while I firmly believe that veganism is one of the best and most comprehensive ways for each of us to make a real difference in this world, I recognize that it's not the only way, and it should not be treated as an end in itself. As Colleen Patrick-Goudreau so wisely said:

"Veganism isn't a goal to attain. It's the means by which we can attain our goals. Compassion is the goal. Veganism is a way to get there."

In my view, veganism, voluntaryism, peaceful parenting, and entrepreneurship, are all powerful ways by which we can create a gentler world for everyone. It's a quest that I'm passionately committed to, and one in which I hope you will share with me.

Thanks so much again for reading!

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In a 1 or 2 years, perhaps even more, before i went vegan i was the kind of guy that literally wouldn't harm a fly, but i ate meat and cheese and everything, i went vegan straight after listening to mark passio's podcast on vegetarianism and after watching melanie joys presentation: carnism: the psychology of eating meat, that he linked to.
I am incapable of ever going back, once i wanted to buy a box of frozen spinach and when i came home i found out i had bought spinach a la creme.. i felt horrible, even though it was accidental.. i put the box back in the store freezer to negate the demand i added for a dairy product.

It's really quite crazy how we've been conditioned from a very early age to think nothing of it, isn't it? The sheer cognitive dissonance that we go through as we're growing up - being told that it's not okay to hit or harm our peers and that we should treat our fellow man with dignity and respect, and yet we're told drink your glass of milk! Finish that chicken on your plate! It's so unreal once you step back and take a really good look at it.

I don't believe I've heard Mark Passio's podcast but I could be mistaken. Melanie Joy is great!! I watched that same talk you mentioned for the the very first time earlier this year, and it blew me away! She makes so many excellent points.

Kudos to you for going vegan! I know just how you feel when mistakes like that happen (I've done them a number of times at the beginning, and then again when I moved down to Chile) but I try not to beat myself up about it as they were honest mistakes and we can't expect to be perfect. All we can do is try our very best. :)

Wow well done you, I can see m daughter going this way too, she's been a vegetarian since she was 9 shes 18 now, I do a lot of her cooking I'm not brilliant at t but she has a good diet, I am started to follow her steps

Thank you! And that's great to hear about your daughter! :-D A lot of kids and young adults today are truly getting it and giving us grown adults a run for our money. :) It's good to see that your daughter is rubbing off on you, and I wish you all the success to make it through!

Thank you, would be nice to see some of your vegan recipes

honestly, I don't think people actually like meat. They like it with salt, carmelization and marinade but plain meat is nothing special.
I could live on this stuff:
https://www.puretrim.com/puretrim-shakes.cfm

That's just it, right?! It's the salt and plants that we put on the meat (by way of herbs, spices, condiments, etc.) that make it flavorful. Without that meat taste pretty damn bland.

Hmm, I've never heard of this Puretrim brand before. Is this something you take now or only when you were living in Canada? There's this meal replacement shake that I used to drink all the time for breakfast when I lived in CA:

http://tanisha.previnex.com/nourify-plus-chocolate.html

It's good stuff!

I haven't ordered any here.
Cool, Nourify looks like similar stuff.

So crazy to see other people going the same way as I did also in terms of philosophy :) very cool. What is your stand on meat created in the lab out of stem cells? Is this something you would eat, because no animal got hurt?
Interested to hear your thoughts.

Oh yeah? I'd love to hear your personal story sometime! I'm always thrilled to meet other liberty-minded veggie folks. Funny that you mentioned the cultured meat topic as I just had this conversation with a good anarchist friend of mine recently, after he brought up the SuperMeat initiative. Personally, I don't have any interest in eating cultured meat as I'm perfectly satisfied with my diet as it is now, but I have zero problem with meat eaters consuming it so long as the ethical promises being made (by not using fetal bovine serum, for instance) are fulfilled.

In fact, Mic the Vegan released an excellent video on this topic just recently:

If anything, I think cultured meat would be a great solution for the pet food problem that vegans face. Whatever can be done to render the cruel, wasteful, and inefficient animal agriculture system that we have today obsolete, is good in my book. This is why I'm very pro-entrepreneurialism; leave it to the inventors and entrepreneurs of the world to develop genius solutions to critical problems such as this one! :)

lmao

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I'd like you to know that I have a deep respect for those who modify their behavior in accordance with their ethics, and I will never fault someone for treating the lives of animals as sacred. As for myself, it seems to me that meat consumption is important to the long-term sustainability of humankind, because animal husbandry allows otherwise useless land to be farmed productively. Aside from that, I believe meat consumption over thousands of generations has led the human organism to become what it is, (in the sense of our brain-based faculties,) and that an omnivorous diet is as much a part of being human as opposable thumbs, bipedal locomotion, and complex verbal communication. Thanks for sharing your perspective. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment @therealdeal :) Based on all that I’ve been learning over the past several years, animal agriculture is one of the worst culprits of environment destruction as it’s largely responsible for ocean dead zones, water pollution, air pollution, rainforest depletion (especially the Amazon), and requires an enormous amount of resources that could otherwise provide the means to feed countless human beings who are starving to death right now. Going the grass-fed beef/“humane” animal husbandry route isn’t going to cut it, either, as there simply isn’t enough land mass to support the current human population. If you haven’t yet watched the documentary Cowspiracy I highly recommend you check it out as it breaks this down into greater detail.

One could also argue that it was the cooking of starchy foods that was largely responsible for the evolution of our modern human brains, given all the data that’s come out in recent years. Either way, it really makes no difference to me as there is absolutely no biological need to consume meat in order to be healthy. Choosing compassion over palate preference is a moral choice, and one that I encourage everyone to take.

Hey great article. More people are becoming aware of so many of the issues surrounding food consumption. The ethical argument is compelling. So too are the health and environmental arguments. I've been vegan for almost 4 years or thereabouts and haven't found a good reason to ever change thus far.

I'm pretty passionate and spent some time unpacking a few thoughts, myself. If you're interested in giving me a little feedback, I'd appreciate the time to take a look (if you're able to swing by, that is).

https://steemit.com/vegan/@nickmorphew/everyone-s-a-vegan-at-heart-ridding-yourself-of-moral-hypocrisy-is-assured-to-lighten-your-heart#@indigoprana/re-nickmorphew-re-vegetarianbaker-re-nickmorphew-everyone-s-a-vegan-at-heart-ridding-yourself-of-moral-hypocrisy-is-assured-to-lighten-your-heart-20170810t100852590z

Keep up the articulate writing. It's very well worth a read.

Warmest regards,
Nick

Thanks, Nick! I'm just catching up on old comments and saw that you left one on part one of this article, too. That's terrific that you've been vegan for 4 years now, and I feel just as passionate about maintaining this lifestyle. I've yet to hear a good argument for not going vegan.

I'll definitely check out your article right now. Thanks for sharing!

Best regards,
Tanisha

Going fruitarian here!