The Other Side

Hey everyone! My name is Laura, and over the next 40 days I will be chiming in on this blog to write about my adventures in dietary choices, but from the other side of the spectrum: the vegan side! I recently made the transition from being vegetarian to vegan, which was and continues to be both an enlightening and confusing experience. But first I feel there are a few things I need to clarify. While there sort-of are different levels of vegetarianism (usually limited to whether or not one eats fish), there seems to be an endless amount of distinctions one can make when choosing to be vegan - not eating any meat, eggs or dairy; not eating any food item that comes from any animal in any way; not eating any food item that comes from or is processed using any animal product; not purchasing any animals products such as leather; etc etc etc. I didn't even think about this when I decided to try out veganism, I just assumed I'd have to cut out eggs and dairy (since I already didn't eat meat). And this is essentially what I did, so when I say "vegan" this is what I mean.

I decided to try out veganism for reasons similar to what Jeff posted below about becoming a vegetarian. The thing I liked most about becoming a vegetarian was that I was more aware of what I was eating and the choices I was making, but after 2 years or so I felt like it was almost too easy and I wasn't thinking about my food choices anymore; they were more habitual rather than intentional. So I decided to change things up a bit. As far as ethical concerns, mostly I feel that the way we produce, process and consume food is unhealthy for us, for our society and for our environment. I think we should base our collective diet on fruits, vegetables, grains (i.e. plants) and reserve meat and dairy as compliments to that base, in small portions (this idea is largely influenced by Michael Pollan). I don't think it's wrong or unnatural for people to eat meat and dairy. But because our culture surrounding food has becoming so skewed in the favor of animal products, I see veganism as a possible way of opting out of that system.

So while Jeff is writing about his meat-eating adventures, I'll be navigating the crazy world of the vegans and reporting back on what I find. Thanks for reading and enjoy!