#Veganized Veganize VeganFood VeganLifestyle Veganuary Veganuary2019

[carriealena]

Nineteen Steps for Veganuary 2019 🍎🥕🌿🌵💚

A few weeks ago, I had a casual conversation with a fellow gigster, Sandy, who revealed, as if she was in confession, that she tried to be a vegan for a month and failed. We were on standby for a temporary office project. So, to pass the time we chatted for a few hours inside of the food court at the Newport Shopping Centre in Jersey City, New Jersey (just a few stops from Manhattan on the Path train). The bright morning sun pierced through the vast skylight above making us move clockwise around our table to keep the sun from being in our eyes or particularly mine as I was facing east. Sandy is half Korean and half Japanese and she just graduated with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. As we had just met, I restrained myself from prying too much into her personal life. This meant that my automatic response to her confession was that she need not feel guilty or be so hard on herself. I shared my own experience of my family’s initial struggles when I became a vegetarian about midway into my freshman (ninth grade) year of high school when my family had to learn to adapt to my new dietary needs. The relationship strains can be discouraging when a family member takes your decision to not eat their animal-based dish personally. After all, their identity is with the food they have always known. Here is a general guideline for a successful transition:

Pace Yourself – Your body is an organic organism that needs time to recalibrate physically and mentally especially if you are an omnivore going vegan and skipping the vegetarian phase. Start with one meal at a time for the first month. This gives you, family and friends time to learn about your new plant-based diet and lifestyle. Knowing that you have committed to just one vegan meal a day will also give you time to learn how to veganize your life in baby steps. As you gain more support from your social circle then you will the foundation to remain a vegan as you increase your commitment to eliminating animal consumption.

Research, Pray, and Meditate – Religious or spiritual people should unhesitatingly investigate the teachings of their faith or practice to address their own questions or concerns. Praying and meditating will help keep you grounded and focused.

Become Vegan Literate – Read, watch, and listen to classic and contemporary vegan literature and multimedia to learn about the reality of the unnatural lives that animals are enslaved to live on factory farms, the impact of genetically modified foods and insecticides, and the healing power of plant-based food.

Learn Label Translation – In this vein of transitioning to a whole foods plant-based diet, you will find learning how to read labels very helpful. Learning what ingredients are used in processed and packaged food is an invaluable skill that will enable you to avoid accidentally purchasing an animal-based food or product. The same applies to hygiene products, clothing, rugs, textiles for furniture, etc.

Decode the Produce – Learn the codes attached to produce at farmers markets. The codes indicate if the produce is genetically modified, a hybrid, conventionally grown (with an overdose of insecticides) or organically grown, etc.

Prepping is Genius – Making homemade vegan meals takes time. For example, soaking beans and rice the night before helps the beans cook faster and removes aluminum toxicity from the rice. Fruits and veggies (including bananas) should be washed by soaking in baking soda and water for twenty minutes to remove soil and insecticide. Enjoy the time spent washing and chopping produce and be grateful for Mother Earth’s harvest.

Invest in Your Kitchen – Visit your neighborhood specialty cookware retailer to invest in long-lasting cookware, appliances, and serving utensils. Sometimes, there are really good deals at discount department stores that are selling last season’s trusted brands. An excellent quality set of chef’s knives, cutting boards, produce driers and glass food containers and mixing bowls should be your first investments as at least you can immediately make your first raw vegan meal (i.e. a fruit salad or a mixed salad).

Let Bygones Be Bygones – Having new pots and pans are critical to eliminating any possibility of cross-contamination. Donate old pots, pans, appliances and anything else exposed to dead animals and their secretions, etc. Similarly, when you are ready to extend your vegan commitment to your lifestyle, phase out animal-based items in the wardrobe and furniture. Some items are simply not available in a vegan version such a sports equipment and musical instruments. To be sure, double-check with an Internet search. You might be surprised by a new veganized version of the product.

Take B12 Methylcobalamin Daily – There are different kinds of vegans just as there are different kinds of omnivores. Many people start as a junk food vegan because this food is easily accessible in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store and as fast food at restaurants. After all, who does not love pasta! However, you will not get your essential nutrients eating vegan nachos every day (although that sounds delicious). Learn how to trade your reliance on animal products and co-products for plant-based whole foods. Among the daily essential nutrients needed are vitamin B12 methylcobalamin (available only as a supplement), calcium, iron, Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, and vitamin D (supplement if you are not getting enough exposure from the sun) and everything else found in edible plants.

Grow Your Own Food – Nowadays, even people who do not get enough natural sunlight in their homes can grow their own food with an indoor hydroponic garden.

Live Sustainability – Start thinking with a sense of environmental awareness about your consumption impact while shopping, unpacking, unwrapping, storing, prepping, cooking, and disposing thereof. For example, keep the brine from fermented produce and use it to make salad dressing or to flavor potatoes. Learn when to donate food scraps for composting. Research the drop-off events, locations, and times for clothes, electronics, chemicals, and medicines. Reuse, recycle and restore whenever possible.

Host Vegan Meals – Invite people to break bread with you and welcome them into your new lifestyle. This helps maintain your social life and increase awareness about the plight of exploited animals.

Be a Public Vegan – While eating out at a restaurant or an event serving food inquire about any questionable items on the menu or presented at the event lest you go home with an allergic reaction or food poisoning. Restaurants will typically grant special orders. Call the restaurant in advance to avoid any misunderstanding or discomfort. Do not compromise or feel embarrassed as you are protecting your own health and standing up for a future free of animal exploitation.

Be a Vegan at Work – Share your vegan lifestyle at work. Send an email blast to your coworkers that you just left vegan cookies in the break room on a special occasion such as World Vegan Day (November 1) or whenever you are in the mood. Establish a rapport with the coworkers who order the food and talk to them about being a vegan so that they will remember you when ordering refreshments for the next office party.  Inform the human resources department of your dietary needs.

Spend Time With Farm & Wild Animals – Spending time with animals at a farm or sanctuary helps you to connect with the animals and to recuperate from the distractions of life’s daily responsibilities. Visit a rescue farm, a sanctuary or even a mixed or pastoral farm to gain a perspective on how animals interact with humans and live their natural lives in relative freedom.

Take Care of Companion Animals – If farms aren’t appealing then consider taking care of companion animals on a part-time basis or volunteering at an animal shelter in the city. Apply to become a foster parent of companion animals if you have the resources, time, and temperament to do so. Adopting a companion animal that fits your lifestyle can also be fulfilling.

Socialize with Vegans – There are vegan groups on multiple social media platforms. Go for the groups that are specifically for vegans. Seek quality groups with regularly scheduled and well-attended events at vegan venues with event organizers whose bios and social media history are unapologetically vegan.

Take Classes – Taking classes is a great outlet for people who need a structured curriculum to get their bearings. Getting certified is perfect for the ultimate “verd” (vegan nerd) who can then opt into a career as a vegan lifestyle coach.

Be You – Above all else, be you. Be authentic and do not turn into a phony or a fraud. If after trying various approaches you find that the vegan lifestyle is not working then move on. There is nothing worse than an omnivore, pescatarian or a vegetarian falsely claiming to be vegans and causing confusion for people who are genuinely learning about the vegan lifestyle. Be good and be healthy.