Hello, I'm Vegan

Hello my lovely readers.

I am not sure I have really talked much about my eating habits in the past, so I am not sure if you knew that I was vegetarian. Well, to be precise, I was vegetarian for 3 years and started eating fish about a year and a half ago so technically that is considered pescetarian.

The other day I decided to read "Skinny Bitch, a no nonsense, a tough love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous." (click here for the link)

It was on the New York Times best seller list and I can honestly say it is such a great read. Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin write in a way that, as the title suggests, is a no nonsense approach that left me laughing out loud at their witty banter. As shallow as the title sounds (they had to draw people in somehow, right?!) It is actually a really interesting book packed full of really interesting facts about the food we eat. What I didn't realize is that this book advocates for being vegan. Now before I scare you all away, I am not suggesting you all go vegan. But just reading the book, and being knowledgeable about the food you put into your body would be a wise decision for anyone, I think.

After reading the book (which I finished in one sitting...it is small), it got me thinking about all of the facts about factory farming that I had so conveniently chosen to forget over the years. You see, I was vegan for a couple of months about 4 years back. At that point I was a freshman in college, living in a dorm with no access to a kitchen and no knowledge of nutrition. So, as you might have guessed, that trend did not last long. But the knowledge remained, deep in the back of my heart. I won't go into detials, I am not one of those people who are going to force my opinions on anyone but if you want to read more about factory farming and other reasons to become vegan including improving your health and helping the environment, you can click here, here and here . Also, I found this really positive documentary on becoming vegan. It is not the typical slaughterhouse documentary that you normally see on PETA's website. It talks about great vegan restaurants, farms, etc. It does have a section about factory farming that may be difficult to watch but in my opinion, ignorance is not bliss, so do yourself a favor and watch it. It may be hard, but it is the truth my friends. So click here



You can also check out these two lovely videos on youtube full of pictures of cute animals and quotes on being vegetarian/vegan





So yes, I have now become a vegan. At first I struggled with the idea of missing out on eggs and dairy (and to be honest I am still struggling a bit with it) but that is perfectly normal. Eating is a learned habit and it will take some time to break certain eating habits. I know that there is the argument that life is too short to not enjoy things. And while I completely agree, I cannot be okay with knowing that I am supporting certain cruel practices. I cannot describe the amazing feeling to you of knowing the impact that I am having on animals and the environment. A clean conscience feels pretty good my friends. Anddddd, being vegan doesn't mean that I will be missing out on yummy treats. It just means that the they will be healthier for me and that I will be doing myself, the animals and the planet a favor! I have already prepared vegan sugar cookies





and cooked this amazing Indonesian noodle salad.


You can find the recipe here.

Okay, so I know this post is long and I so appreciate you sticking with me this far. I give you major credit. I don't want to come off sounding preachy and I will never force my views on anyone. But after reading this I hope you feel a bit more knowledgable about the subject.

As for the future of the blog, I plan on keeping all of the same elements, but also incorporating a bit more vegan/vegetarian tidbits in as well. So keep an eye out for photos and recipes while I experiment in the world of vegan cooking.

images via: here and weheartit.com