April 2012
130 posts
March 2012
268 posts
My Vegan Journey
Today is the day I can call myself a vegan. I’m very excited and I’m super proud of it! I’ve been a flirt for about six months when I became a vegetarian, and let’s just say I wouldn’t buy any milk or other animal products for my own sake. I’ve only been eating it when I was invited to a dinner or something like that. Right now I feel it’s time to take that final step. I’m anxious to see all the benefits from it and this blog will be for me to document the entire journey. I truly believe I will feel better on all aspects, being kind to all animals on earth and also to myself. Some of my inspirations for all this is Kathy Freston, Alicia Silverstone, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi. I think they are all strong and beautiful women!
“To eat is necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”
—Francis de la Rochefoucauld (via rebeccaadele)
Even though you obviously got really offended (which just expresses some deep insecurities I could really care less about) I still accept your opinion for what it is because you're just being who you are and trying to follow the path you think is right....well, so am I.
Not offended at all :) Your post popped up in the vegan tag and I didn’t elaborate when I responded because I figured from the gist of your post, you weren’t open to discussion. However, sure, it’s my opinion - it doesn’t change the fact that my opinion is based on fact, whereas your opinion is just emotion and well, not ethically sound.
I also have no idea why you’d assume why I had insecurities as I haven’t given that impression whatsoever.
In response to your original post, I’m presuming you’re theist, having said that animals were “put on earth” so it’s probably not worth my time delving into that notion. Briefly, animals weren’t put here, they evolved. They weren’t put here for anyone’s use and because they lack the ability to talk or defend themselves when being raised for slaughter, people like me do it for them.
Because animals aren’t here for our use, then I can’t even argue with your statement about animals being treated “well” before they are slaughtered for food. It wouldn’t matter if they were given the royal treatment before someone decided to eat them they’re not here for us, or to eat.
The large majority of animals being raised by industries for human consumption treats their animals extremely poorly. “Free Range” animals are hardly what you think they are. Even a cow that gets to roam around a paddock in fairly nice conditions is still being raised for food and then being slaughtered. Anyway, why kill an animal for food when you can eat without having to kill an animal for food?
People bringing attention to the truth of these things isn’t generally done in attempt to change “your taste”, it’s just informing you about what really goes on. Vegans don’t try and “scare” people; for example, if you see a picture of a slaughtered cow and find it frightening, that has nothing to do with the vegan who might’ve shown it to you and everything to do with how you reacted to the sight of a dead animal. If we provide facts on what dairy does to your body, or enlighten you on aspects of what goes on in a slaughterhouse, that isn’t to frighten you, it’s to educate you. If you don’t want to hear about it then that’s your prerogative but if you wish to engage in a debate about it, come well armed with fact, not opinion,
IF you’re going to consume animal products, it’d only make sense that you’d want to know what you were putting into your body?
Since I'm apparently not allowed to have an opinion, neither are you. We're both wrong. Now, doesn't that make sense? Shut up, seriously.
The things I believe in are based on fact, not opinion. Seriously.
Much Ado About Nothing: Oops ventilation time: →
caitiemonster.tumblr.com
What seriously bothers me is when people say: “Don’t eat meat! They torture the animals…blahblahblah.” There is so much wrong with that:
1) Animals weren’t put on this earth as decoration. As humans we use the earth and its inhabitants to keep us strong and alive.
2) Believe it or not, there are companies that treat their animals well. Researching and sticking to them for products will express support from the meat lovers.
3) You can’t change someone else’s taste. You do you and stop trying to scare everyone. Because, well, YOLO.
Yeah you better work on that ventilation process. I don’t think enough oxygen is getting to your brain.
ahhhh okay, gotta love bananas!! Hehe. Do you grow your own sprouted seeds? I never have much success with sprouting (perhaps my lack of patience lol) but are those low carb too? x
Yep, they’re low carb. I think sprouted mung beans have about 5 carbs per cup (compared to non-sprouted at about 100 carbs). I think they use the carbs(sugars) as energy to sprout? I really LOVE sprouts - sprouted mung and adzuki beans are super crunchy and awesome in salads. Alfalfa has always been a favourite of mine since I was a kid and sunflower seed sprouts are one of my faves too - they’re really hearty for a sprout!
As for growing them, they’re actually really easy so perhaps you’re not doing it right :D I do mine in both a hemp bag and sometimes in a jar with a gridded lid (made for sprouting). The hemp bag is better than a jar in more humid climates - bacteria can be a problem otherwise. Other ways you can do it is with a jar with muslin over the top or you can even do bigger ones like mung beans it in a sieve.
The key things are to soak them before sprouting (each seed/bean etc has its own soaking time - like I think adzuki is 12 hours whereas alfalfa is only about 4-6) Then make sure you rinse them a lot while they’re growing. If you leave them on the kitchen sink counter then you can do them every time you use the tap, easy.
x
Hello! I was just wondering how you're managing a raw diet that is high carb? Isn't raw eating naturally low carb, besides fruit? x
Heya :D Well I’m eating mostly fruit so there’s all my carbs right there and that’s why I say I’m eating high carb. You might be confused because I’ve posted a photo of a mostly green salad which, although is low in fat and protein is also low in carbs but they have other nutrients in them and they’re important to help the body do things like metabolising fats and getting rid of toxins.
Fruits tend to be rich in vitamins whilst greens are rich in minerals and they also have a higher level of protein than fruits. I’ve also found that eating them helps eliminate cravings for things such as sodium - which something like celery has plenty of.
As for your question - there’s several different ways of eating raw but the way I’m familiar with is high carb, low fat. Some raw foodists eat a lot higher fat content, supplementing their diet with nuts, avocados, oils and coconut but from what I’ve read, we’re better off eating a diet very low in fat (Douglas Graham explains the reasons very well). Plus, I’m unable to eat much fat due to medical issues, so it suits me very well.
When people talk about “low carb” diets, I think they mostly mean low in complex carbs which are things like pasta and breads. They sometimes limit their fruit intake but this isn’t as common with raw foodists.
But yep, I mostly eat fruit for energy, plenty of bananas particularly :D
“The diet of the average American is deficient in 7 nutrients. Vegans on the other hand, have been shown to have higher intakes of 16 out of the 19 nutrients studied, including calcium. So when a meateater asks you “Where do you get your B12?” you can counter with “Where do you get your vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, fiber, folate, iodine and magnesium? And while you’re at it, you can ask them how they keep their sodium, saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol intake under control.”
—(via nobullnobucksvegan)
“If we want to help animals our sights need to move beyond seeming like pleasant and energetic vegans so people will learn by our example not to kill animals. We need to move beyond the ruse that not actively killing an animal actually saves an animal. If we want to help animals we need to challenge oppression, force people to confront their behavior, and be unrelenting in our pursuit of justice. And this takes more than veganism. This takes a revolution and, while what we choose (not) to eat may be an empowering political and ethical statement, it is not a revolution.”
—vegina (via uglyuglyugly)
I don't get it.
So i have been vegitarian since the begining of the year, haven’t been eating many processed foods and haven’t been over indulging on refined carbs. So it is extremely unfair that my skin is getting worse and worse. I’m not talking a few pimples, i’m talking all out war on my face. But I have been eating soooo healthy and drinking plenty of water. Perhaps its detox. But would that take three months?
So you’re still consuming milk products? Dairy is notorious for causing acne problems. Other than that, it could be detox - sometimes it takes the body ages to eliminate crap out of the system. It could be that washing with a mild, organic face wash could help - sometimes it’s bacterial and some people are more sensitive to these bacterias than other people. Does it run in your family? Sometimes genes can play a role.
It really depends on exactly what your diet is too, there could still be something out of balance that could be triggering it. It could even be hormonal.
"militant vegetarian"
Hahahahahha omfg there is just too much funny shit on the internet this afternoon.
For the past few months I’ve been mauling over whether or not to follow a vegan lifestyle, since i’ve already transitioned into a (mostly) vegetarian diet, but I can never seem to find good recipes that are cheap or simplistic enough for me to prepare, since, well… I’m not great at cooking. Any vegans out there have any tips for somebody who’s trying to transition? Any and all tips would be appreciated!
I find most vegan recipes to be cheaper and easier to prepare than anything else. The recipes that I find and post on this tumblr are generally very simple, quick, healthy and affordable. When all else fails, smoothies are a great option, as are various types of salad sandwiches and wraps (or just salads), soups and stews. Snack on fruit, boost things with vegetables and scour vegan blogs, tumblrs and cookbooks for ideas!
You can get your Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino venti, grande or tall. You just can’t get it without insects, to which it owes its pink and rosy color.
In what the company, in a statement, says was a move intended to reduce its use of artificial ingredients, Starbucks has started using cochineal extract to supply its Frappuccinos’ strawberry hue. Cochineal extract is derived from grinding up insects, the dried bodies of cochineal bugs, found primarily in Mexico and South America. Cochineal dye has been used as a coloring agent since the 15th century.
Before you get all cold-and-bothered about your insect-Frappuccino, be advised: Cochineal is considered safe by the FDA, and is widely used for coloration in jams, preserves, meat, marinades, alcoholic drinks, bakery products, cookies, cheddar cheese and many other food products. (my note: I included this paragraph in the quote for those that are unaware how frequently cochineal is used in food products).
To all the people who troll the vegan tag:
Enjoy your burger
Enjoy your cheese
Enjoy your fatal heart disease
