UNashamed

On January 4, 2010, I made the radical decision to change to a vegan diet. It did not take any long deliberation nor did I transition into the vegan diet slowly. On January 3rd, I was adhering to the clean and unclean meats of Leviticus 11, and on January 4th, I stopped eating any kind of animal product to include dairy and eggs. On January 5th, I explained the four factors that pushed me to make this decision in my personal blog. [link]

• My lactose intolerance was getting worse
• Watching The Cove documentary
• Chef Mark Anthony‘s vegan cooking presentation at my church
• Watching Amazing Discoveries‘s Life At It’s Best series with Dr. Walter Veith

It has been almost seven months since I changed to the vegan diet, and I can not be happier with the results. I no longer suffer from stomachaches after ingesting dairy products, I have more energy on a daily basis than previously, my taste buds have changed and I am actually enjoying foods that I disliked before, and I am no longer struggling to maintain a steady weight – I have lost a few pounds, too.

Contrary to popular belief, being vegan does not mean starving oneself and only eating a grapefruit in the morning, a granola for lunch, and a few cooked vegetables for dinner. First of all, you need to make sure that you are getting enough nutrients by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts (if you are not allergic), seeds, beans, and legumes. There are also plenty of vegan-friendly food products in most grocery stores today. Here are some of vegan products that make being vegan easier for me:

• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is a lifesaver for the vegan. It is made from soy, is a meat substitute, is high in protein, and if you get an unflavored type, it will take on whatever flavor you want to make delicious taco meat, chili, sloppy joe, and much more.
• Tofu. I admit, before becoming vegan and my taste buds changed, I disliked tofu, but I believe the reason was that the tofu I had tried was poorly seasoned. Like TVP, tofu has no flavor itself so it is up to you and how you cook it to make it delicious. And I, if I do say so myself, make it taste delicious. Seasonings, spices, or sauces will make or break a tofu dish.
• Almond milk is absolutely delicious with cereal, especially honey-flavored cereals like Honey Graham Ohs or Honey Nut Cheerios, or Honey Chex. I prefer Silk PureAlmond, but Almond Breeze is also good. If you are allergic to nuts, try soy or rice milk instead. I do not recommend using almond milk in recipes that call for milk unless you want all your food to have an almond flavor. *lol*
• Rice Cheese is a delicious substitute for dairy cheese and it melts! I use the American flavor on my veggie patties, grilled cheese sandwiches, and even quesidillas. The shredded Mozerrella flavor is great on homemade vegan pizzas.
• Don Lee Farms’ Veggie Patty is by far the best vegan patty I have found. I get a tub from Costco, put each patty in an individual baggy, and freeze them. Then I simply put a patty in the microwave for two minutes to thaw and then throw them in a pan with just a little bit of oil. Add a slice of Rice cheese on top and: “Mmmmm… delicious!” I usually sprinkle just a little bit of garlic, crushed red pepper, and black pepper on the patty as I am cooking it, too.
• Veganaise is a vegan substitute for mayonaise. (No eggs!) Out of all of the vegan-mayos out there, I prefer this brand, especially the Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise. It has a better look, taste, and texture. You can also make your own vegan-mayo using soft tofu. There are plenty of recipes online.
• In the mood for an easy and fast meal? Amy’s offers a variety of frozen vegan dishes including tofu breakfast burritos, vegan mac and cheese, non-dairy burritos, no-cheese pizza, veggie pot pie, and much more. Just look for “non-dairy” on the front and/or VEGAN at the beginning of the ingredients list on the back.

The trick to being vegan is eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and reading labels. I was surprised how many foods contain milk, eggs, whey (whey is milk plasma, a by-product of cheese), or casein (protein from cow’s milk, potentially harmful to the human body). You also need to understand that vegetarian is not vegan. Vegetarians still eat eggs and dairy while vegans do not. For example, some vegetarian brands of cheese even add casein and most vegetarian products like Morningstar add milk and eggs to almost all of their products. I discovered last week while searching for breadcrumbs that most brands of bread crumbs contain milk and eggs, and some breads do, too. Being vegan means becoming a careful label reader.

I discovered when I went to Nashville, TN, for a conference back in February and then moved from California to Virginia in April, that traveling as a vegan is very hard. Being vegan in Nashville was a nightmare. On my first day there, I accidentally had dairy products, which aggravated my lactose intolerance and I end up having an allergic reaction (super itchy skin and red welts). Then I basically starved myself for the next two days, relying on mixed nuts and original Chex Mix, and I was utterly miserable. On Thursday evening when I went out to dinner with a good friend of mine and her husband, I decided to have a chicken salad just to eat something. The next morning before hopping on the plane back to California, I had eggs and hashbrowns to stop my hands from shaking and keep from getting sick. I was so relieved to be home! Then in April on the drive across the continental United States, there was never any garuantee, traveling with a dog and having to stop at only dog-friendly hotels, that the room would be equipped with a microwave and refrigerator, and fresh fruits and vegetables only last so long in a cooler in a hot car. Fresh bread and hummus was a lifesaver there. Traveling as a vegan means a lot of preparation ahead of time, finding grocery stores to buy fresh foods, and the knowledge that there may be times where you will have to make the choice: go hungry or eat something non-vegan.

What about being vegan and eating out? It is also a bit of a challenge, but if you live in a metropolitian area, it is far easier than rural areas. Here are some restaurants that have vegan options:

• Subway offers the Veggie Delight and many also offer the Veggie Max (veggie patty) sandwiches, though you may have to ask as not all restaurants that offer the Veggie Max shows it on their signs. The Veggie Max/Patty might contain egg or milk as a binder… I cannot find out any information on that from their website, but I have not had any of my usual reactions to dairy products after eating it so I doubt it contains milk. I’m still going to eat it. =)
• Chipotle’s is a great place for vegans. Just order the vegetarian with black beans (the pinto beans cooked with bacon) with faijita vegetables, and no cheese or sour cream. A similar style restaurant here in Virginia is Qdoba. They offer grilled veggies (sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and red pepper) and their food seems a little less salty than Chipotle’s.
• Many Asian restaurants, though not all, tend to offer steamed rice and steam vegetables that make a delicious meal.
• Buffet styled restaurants like Ryan’s and Golden Corral offer salad bars, cooked veggies, and a variety of other foods that can satisfy a vegan diet. A word of caution: Most restaurants cook their green beans and peas with ham. Yuck.

I am not a vegan for a political agenda, so unlike some other vegans, I do eat honey, nor am I am vegan for purely religious reasons, as I have recently become aware of groups within the Adventist church who view veganism as a pre-requisite to Salvation (which is NOT Biblical, but I will save that for another article). I don’t sweat the little stuff. Sometimes I had non-vegan foods, but I am not going to freak out over it. I do avoid dairy products more strictly because August 2009 I discovered that I am lactose intolerant when my reaction to dairy went from mild to severe. Apparently, I had been lactose intolerant all of my life, but no one realized it was the dairy that was causing my sneezing, running nose, headaches, stomachaches, etc. Discovering this and three other factors (mentioned at the beginning of this article), encouraged me to try going vegan. Switching to a vegan diet was not as difficult nor as painful as I imagined it would be. Overall, I am quite happy being vegan and how it has improved my health.

If you are curious about vegan cooking, would like to try a vegan dish, or maybe even transition into this diet, I highly recommend checking out Chef Mark Anthony’s website for recipes and videos. [link] Chef Mark Anthony’s newest cooking show will begin airing on 3ABN on Wednesday, June 30th, at 1am, 8am, 3pm, and 9pm CST. Mark Anthony is currently touring the continental United States giving sermons and holding cooking presentations free of charge at Adventist churches and community centers.