Cadry's Kitchen

In a departure from my usual subjects, this post is about one of my favorite forms of exercise, hiking.  It’s about those first uncomfortable moments of exertion, and then the joy that follows when I reach my stride.  It’s about pushing through discomfort to Euphoria.

Looking for Euphoria

On the mountain

Euphoria waits for me.

I don’t know where

I will find her.

She sits and waits.

I labor up to her –

each step heavy –

my breath, a weight.

Until we meet in a gasp.

Rosemary and dill waft in the air

where the brown birds glide.

We look out over the city.

We marvel at its beauty,

at its possibilities.

We delight in our lightness,

And together we run down the mountain

hand in hand.

I bound down the hill –

foot over foot –

to keep Euphoria with me.

Don’t let her get away.

Stay, Euphoria –

Or tomorrow, again I will find her

on the mountain.

Do you remember that old joke about the journalist who was being shown around a prison?  As the warden walked with him through the halls of the prison, a prisoner yelled out, “22!”  And everyone in the jailhouse, even the warden himself, broke into gales of laughter.  About five minutes passed when further down the hall another prisoner yelled out, “81!”  And again, the whole jailhouse was bent over in guffaws.  At this point the journalist asked the warden, “What is that about?  Why do people keep calling out numbers and then laughing in hysterics?”

“You see,” the warden said, “most of the guys in this section of the prison are lifers.  They’ve all been locked up together for a long time, and they’ve told each other every joke they know.  In fact, all of them know every one of their jokes by heart.  So now for the sake of ease, they’ve numbered the jokes, and when someone wants to tell a really good one, they just yell out the number.”

“Wow,” said the journalist.  “Can I try it?”

“Go ahead,” said the warden.

The journalist took a big breath and called out, “54!”  And there was silence.  Not a peep.  One guy smiled.  A little.  The journalist was confused, “Why didn’t anyone laugh?  Isn’t 54 a good joke?”

“Oh, no, it’s one of the best,” said the warden.

“So why didn’t people laugh?”

“Well,” the warden said sympathetically, “some people can tell a joke and some can’t.”

Sometimes it feels like there are about a hundred excuses that people have for not going vegan, and if you’re vegan, you’re sure to hear all of them… multiple times.  (I’ve addressed some of the most common questions and concerns in my Food & Lifestyle Q&A’s at the top of this page.)  But the interesting thing about #43 (I Just Like Food Too Much) is that it’s built on an idea that veganism is a lifestyle of deprivation, of living without good food.

Everyone loves good food and vegans are no exception.  There are endless blogs like this one detailing commentary on vegan cookbooks, personal recipes, pictures from last night’s dinner, and reviews of local vegan restaurants.  In fact, I dare say that I am more passionate about food now than I ever was as a non-vegan.  I considered myself pretty capable in the kitchen, but a lot of my cooking involved opening frozen packages of gnocchi or pouring curry sauce from a jar.  Now not only is cooking a fun and creative hobby, it is also a form of self-love.  I feel good knowing that I’m filling my body with whole, healthy, and life-promoting foods while avoiding foods that are a part of inherent suffering.

Sure, Field Roast sausages with all the fixin's and a batch of potato chips can be a tasty, occasional splurge, but there is so much more out there when it comes to plant-based cuisine.

While there are increasingly more and more processed and packaged vegan foods on the market, and a person could pretty much duplicate their non-vegetarian diet with things like soy riblets and boxed vegan Mac and Cheese with a dessert of Oreo cookies, many plant eaters find that once they let go of their old dietary habits, they come to see food in a new way and with time their palates change.  Sure, there’s room for a delicious vegan cupcake or batch of homemade potato chips, but there’s also so much more out there.

Once I went vegan and started gravitating towards a whole foods diet, I sought out cookbooks and classes and really learned how to cook from scratch.  It wasn’t difficult.  It often took the same amount of time and effort, but the results were heaps better.  It felt like a return to simplicity, but it was also a lesson in culinary complexity.

Creating my own Indian feast doesn't take more time than opening a jar or waiting for delivery. Plus, it feels good to be the master of my own spice-rack domain.

For example, it used to be that when I was making tacos I couldn’t start cooking until I had a pre-made seasoning packet.  In addition to cumin, paprika, dried garlic and onion, those seasoning packets also had stabilizers and fillers.  Now I buy fresh onions & garlic and jars of cumin, paprika, and oregano.  At first it may seem pricier, but those jars last a long time and are a big savings in the long run.  (Plus, spices like cumin have a myriad of uses.  It’s found in cuisines across the globe.  Mexico, of course, but also Chile, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Iran, and Syria.  And yes, what would Indian chana masala be without cumin?)  Embracing my spice rack empowered me to be a better cook.  Now it’s fun to taste soup and think, “Hmm, what does this need?  I know.  Coriander.”  Or “I know.  Celery seed.”

I discovered a lot of produce that I’d been overlooking in my meat and two veg lifestyle, and of course, I also learned about some foods that were new to me like tofu, tempeh, and seitan.  My diet today is so much more varied than ever before.   It seems that every month I’m adding in some new-to-me fruit, vegetable, or spice.  Just today alone I’ve had sprouted wheat and barley, peanut butter, cabbage, carrots, green and yellow onions, garlic, an orange, a peach, green and red bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, an avocado, olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, chickpeas, eggplant, spinach, lemons, tahini, and turnips.

Even healthy foods that I used to eat, I now appreciate in a simpler form.  I used to say that the baby carrot was the best thing that ever happened to the carrot.  It was so small, sweet, and convenient.  But now I think whole is best.  When I buy my carrots, green tops still attached, take them home and wash them, they taste so perfectly earthy.  The baby carrot, while still an acceptable choice, just doesn’t have that full-bodied carrot taste.

All of this is to say that eating a plant-based diet is far from saying goodbye to good food.  It may be saying hello to different foods or different parts of the grocery store.  (Hello, produce section!)  It may mean using slightly different recipes when making well-loved desserts.  Just because it may be a different way doesn’t make it less delicious, and it doesn’t mean the old ways were more valid because we were introduced to them first.

Now, I know what you may be asking…  But what about reason #44?

My college roommate freshman year must have kind of hated me. She was pre-med. I was a theatre major with an English minor. That year I was studying the acting theories of Meisner, who believed that to get to the heart of a character an actor had to find her true motivation and really get there emotionally. To my Meisner instructor and director, it was better to do nothing and really mean it than to force some kind of action and come off as false. The goal? Think Meryl Streep, not I Love Lucy.

While my roommate was memorizing the periodic table of the chemical elements, I was feverishly looking all over our dorm room, through piles on my cluttered desk and piles in my cluttered closet, for a task to use for the next day’s acting class. We had to think of a very specific activity and give it great emotional importance.  (You can imagine how much my roommate must have sympathized with my homework…  Not much.)  Then the next day in class I had to go outside the classroom, think about why performing my activity was so overwhelmingly important, and then act out a scene with another student who was trying to keep me from my task at hand. It seemed that my teacher’s ultimate desire was to have all of her students crying real tears or breaking real chairs.  (My theatre education may not be bringing me pre-med dollars, but it was a lot of fun. It was like taking a cathartic vacation.)

The next year my roommate found another person to live with and I had a different acting teacher/director with an altogether different method. This teacher was focused on Shakespeare and her mantra was, “Fake it till you make it.” She didn’t want her Juliet sitting on the floor next to Romeo repeating the bard over and over until she worked herself into an emotional frenzy. It would be better to tear at your hair and pound at the ground falsely rather than glide through iambic pentameter understated but sincere. Her point of view was that if you point yourself in the direction of where you want to go, eventually you’ll get there. At first, it may be rocky, but eventually it will be solid.

At this point you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with cooking or kitchens or even veganism in general? Did Cadry’s roommate really leave over a difference in liberal arts education, or was it actually because Cadry had some creative ideas about keeping their tiny dorm room spick and span?” And here is where I evade your last question and get to the point. When I was vegetarian and not yet vegan, initially I didn’t go all the way because my thinking aligned with Meisner’s theories.  If I couldn’t be there totally and completely authentically, I shouldn’t go there at all.   One of the reasons, for example, I didn’t go vegan earlier was because I was overwhelmed at the idea of figuring out which cleaning and household products had animal ingredients or tested on animals. It seemed like too much research; I gave up and had a grilled cheese sandwich.

What a waste!   I wish I’d looked at it like my Shakespeare instructor – pointed myself in the direction I wanted to go and trusted I would get there eventually. Have cheeseless pizza and quesadillas made with hummus instead of queso, and then buy the cleaning products I was already buying with the idea that I would get to the research eventually.   It makes no sense to me now that I continued financially contributing to businesses that I knew were harming animals because I felt overwhelmed looking into companies that might be harming animals.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau puts it like this, “Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything.” It’s better for the animals if we do what we can now rather than doing nothing at all because we fear imperfection. We don’t need to lie. We shouldn’t say, “I’m vegetarian” if we’re really eating fish or chickens. However, if we can have a meatless meal every day until we can figure out how to have every meal meatless, then by all means we should!

With the footage that came out last week about the Conklin Dairy abuse in Ohio and the abuse at a California hatchery, you may be asking yourself how you can stop supporting businesses that do harm. When we ask people to use animals as commodities in industries that have inherent suffering, it’s sadly not that surprising when people become so distanced from their own empathy that they act out on the animals. (Interesting side note: the owner of Conklin dairy, Gary Conklin, released a statement through Huffington Post condemning the violence and claiming that, “The video shows animal care that is clearly inconsistent with the high standards we set for our farm and its workers, and we find the specific mistreatment shown on the video to be reprehensible and unacceptable. We will not condone animal abuse on our farm.” And yet, on the video at 1:29 he is shown kicking a cow in the face.)

Violence breeds violence, but peace breeds peace.   Let’s start somewhere.  At the holidays, we all say we want peace on earth. Well, let’s point ourselves in that direction.   Let’s ask ourselves, “What can I do today that is creating the world I want to see?”

Remember when spinning was the thing that vinyl records did?  Or the way we moved around the dance floor?  These days, not only is spinning found in gym classes but also in publicity and politics.  Sometimes I just have to marvel at how unabashedly it’s done.  In many ways, it can feel like a comedy sketch, and yet, it’s “sincere.”  Whether it’s the high fructose corn syrup ads attempting to legitimize their inclusion in products or KFC shilling buckets of deep-fried and battered chickens, biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, and yes, cake in the name of cancer research and perceived altruism (come on), spinning is ever-present.

A few days ago I was driving home from a performance at an elementary school, listening to NPR as the exit signs wheezed by.  (Sadly, things rarely whiz by on LA freeways…)  After seeing the processed food-like substances that make up school lunches and perusing signs detailing the risks of strokes and heart attacks that decorate some school playgrounds, the health of kids was on my mind.  On All Things Considered a piece on soda in America began to play.  They were discussing the shift in attitudes that is occurring over soda’s accessibility and acceptability.  From removing it in schools to raising taxes on it to crying foul on the actions of “the food police,” it seems that everyone has an opinion.

In the first part of the interview Michelle Norris spoke with Gail Woodward-Lopez, the associate director of the Center for Weight and Health at U.C. Berkeley.  Woodward-Lopez noted that 9 to 13 percent of the calories in the average American’s diet comes from soda and other sweetened beverages.

Gail Woodward-Lopez: We have very strong evidence linking those two trends.  And those two trends are so startlingly parallel.  If you looked at a graph, the rise in sweetened beverage consumption would be in exact parallel with the increase in obesity rates.

As the interview continued, Norris noted that teenagers are often told to drink soda in “moderation.”  Moderation is a popular buzz word.  It seems almost any discussion around health and wellness ends in someone chiming, “Well, everything in moderation,” as if it were a mantra.  Of course, it’s a safe thing to chime, because what does moderation mean anyway?  Most everyone would claim that they consume treats and sweets in moderation, and yet, if you look at where we are as a country and as a world, that can’t possibly be true.  It’s safe to say “everything in moderation,” because it’s completely subjective and therefore, meaningless.

Norris: So what does moderation mean?

Woodward-Lopez: …Our idea of moderation is very occasional use, which I think would be a maximum of once per week, if you want it on a special occasion, but definitely it should not be a part of your daily intake.

Woodward-Lopez said that when she was a child, soda wasn’t an everyday drink, and it certainly wasn’t offered with meals.

Woodward-Lopez: …Maybe if I was flying on an airplane or I was at a party, a soda might be offered.  But I think we’ve seen this cultural shift, and we need to shift back to those basic principles that we know are right in terms of intake, especially for children.

All of that seemed reasonable enough.  At this point, Maureen Storey, senior vice president for Science Policy at the American Beverage Association, took to the airwaves, and this is where it really got good.  Storey justified the place of soda in one’s diet by giving this golden nugget of rationale…

Dr. Maureen Storey: Soda is comprised mostly of water.  A full-calorie soft drink has 90 percent water, and a diet soft drink is 99 percent water.  Water is the most important nutrient that we have…

In one miraculous moment, soda became a health food.  After all, it has water in it and water is our most important nutrient!

Am I the only one reminded of that old Bill Cosby stand-up routine, in which he serves his kids chocolate cake and grapefruit juice for breakfast, rationalizing that the ingredients in cake include some of their standard breakfast foods?  Just disregard all of the extra sugar…  Genius!

Norris: If you’re looking at that label on the back of a soda, what else is there that is of nutritional value?

Storey: Of nutritional value, there is either high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose, and that does provide energy or carbohydrates.  And if we are active and need a refreshing beverage after a nice, long walk or a run, you can have a beverage and quench your thirst and stay hydrated.

Norris: Is it advisable after a nice, long run, or after going out and exercising, which you’ve been advocating, to reach for a beverage that has 22 grams of sugar or 34 grams of sugar? Is that nutritionally sound?

Storey: Well, I don’t think it’s nutritionally unsound. There are some studies that show that particularly with children, children who have been exercising may not drink enough water to get back to the hydration point that they need to be at. So with a little bit of flavoring and a little bit of sweetness, they will drink enough then to get back to where they need to be.

"Just a spoon full of high fructose corn syrup helps the water go down in the most delightful way..."

See, ladies and gentlemen?  Soda is actually helping children in getting the hydration that they need!  It’s practically a public service.  If we want them to be fully hydrated, we should first entice them with high fructose corn syrup.  That was Mary Poppins’ motto, right?

I realize that we haven’t gotten to a 68% overweight & obesity rate in the U.S. by Coke alone.  It’s a multi-faceted problem that, in addition to sugary sodas, includes convenience foods, a sedentary lifestyle, a lack of time, and a lack of exercise.  However, when the people who have the most to gain – by pocketbook – disregard or greatly downplay their role in the problem, and in fact, portray themselves as part of the solution, it seems disingenuous at best.

Finally, while on my way home tonight, I stopped at the grocery store.  While the checker was ringing my groceries, he noticed my workout attire.  I told him I’d just been hiking, and he said, “I’ve been thinking I need to start getting fit.  Yesterday my son told me, ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to get sick.  I don’t want you to die.’  It got me thinking that I need to take care of myself.”  And that’s the point.  When we embrace an active lifestyle and we fill our homes with the kind of whole, unprocessed foods we know are good for us, and we remove our homes of those foods that aren’t consistent with our own goals of healthfulness and longevity, we’re helping our families twice over.  First, there’s the direct impact to their own health.  Second, there’s the peace that it gives them to know that the ones they hold near and dear are taking care of themselves too.  What more could any of us want than those who we love most to be healthy?  We don’t have to wait for the experts to agree or the lobbyists to chime in.  Let them spin.  We can do it for ourselves at the grocery store today.

Living vegan, there are times when people will make remarks about animals and the ways they live and die, harsh words, that can come off as rather calloused.  And you know what?  That’s exactly what it is; it is a callus.  It’s a barrier formed from repetitive action.  Just like the calluses that once adorned David’s fingers, when we hurt animals ourselves or pay others to hurt them, we build calluses that shield us from that initial discomfort.   The first time, it may hurt, but after doing something again and again over months and then years, it becomes easier.

We begin our lives as children with openness and unending compassion.  We want to care for the birds that have fallen from the trees or the bunnies who have been separated from their mothers.  That desire to protect animals and care about their feelings is natural, but over time our behavior and actions help us to build thick calluses until we no longer question our part in causing pain to some animals while we revere others.

While volunteering at a local animal sanctuary, I’ve heard of parents who didn’t want to send their kids to the sanctuary for fear that the kids wouldn’t eat meat afterwards.  They’ve said, “I’ve only just gotten them to eat meat.  I don’t want them to stop now.”  Instead of asking children to express their feelings about animals, we ask them to repress those feelings.  (Except for the treatment of dogs and cats, of course.  If a child mistreats those animals, people worry about their stability.)

It’s an extraordinary disconnect we build.  Children are taken to petting zoos, fairs, and aquatic parks.  They feel an innate understanding and love of animals.  They want to touch them, to know them.  Then they’re driven to McDonald’s to feed on some of the same types of animals that they were just petting.  Without malicious intentions, we disregard that we’re asking them to separate from their own compassion.

Growing up, there were some animals that I felt too uncomfortable eating, like deer.  Their long, elegant bodies were reminiscent of our Doberman Pinscher.  They had such beautiful faces and expressive eyes.  When I’d see them standing with their families in fields, I couldn’t help but gasp.  Then as I got older, I remember thinking, “Well, I eat other animals.  They’re really no different than deer.”  I wish I had used that logic to extend my compassion to chickens, pigs, cows, and fish, but instead I started eating deer as well.

I enjoyed cooking, and I still remember the first time I fried chickens’ legs by myself.  I stood in my dorm room while the oil in the electric skillet started to bubble.  I wanted to reduce the fat, and so I pulled at the skin surrounding the legs.  The skin squished between my fingers and wouldn’t come off easily.  It hung around the ankle like a sock.  It really ruined my appetite, and so I bought a whole rotisserie chicken the next time.  I was used to chickens already cut up in parts, and it took some time to get comfortable tearing away at the body of a bird.  However, the prices on rotisserie chickens were pretty good, only $4 for an entire bird, and that seemed like a deal.  Over time, the more that I’d do these things, the less discomfort I felt.  I’d make little jokes.  I developed a callus.  I thought it was progress.

Then years later, I went vegan.  I met chickens.  I held them, so light, so funny and inquisitive.  And now when I see a chicken’s body in a plastic shell at the supermarket, I feel that sensitivity again that I once did. The calluses are gone, and $4 doesn’t seem like a deal anymore.  Her whole life and her whole death, her feed, her care, her killing, and her whole body is only $4.  I feel sadness that she was valued so little.

While people may look at a plant based diet and assume that it is limiting, when we remove ourselves from those feelings of guilt and  discomfort, and we open ourselves to peace, it is expansive.   What is limiting is shutting ourselves to our own emotions.  Like Franz Kafka said, “Now I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you any more.”  When I was eating animals, I pushed away my discomfort when I saw the blood pooling around the steak on the plate.  When I saw pigs and cows traveling down the highway in metal semi-trucks, I turned away.  And later, when I learned how animals live and die within animal agriculture, I had to address my own pain for being part of it.  Seeing it for what it was broke my heart…  Maybe that’s what I needed for it to open.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday…  except for Christmas.  The leaves were a crisp orange, and the fireplace was getting its trial run.  I woke up to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, flipped through the biggest newspaper of the year and imagined the toys in my near future.  In the house, there was an almost palpable buzz of energy as the final touches were made in preparation of the arrival of family.  A wish-enthusiast and a meat eater at the time, after the turkey had been carved, I was eager to make a wish with the “wishbone.”

It’s interesting how perceptions change.  Now Thanksgiving is a holiday whose looming presence fills me more with dread than gleeful anticipation.  As the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving whir by, up go the pictures of happy turkeys all a-smile on grocery store signs while 46 million are getting killed in the U.S. for the winter holidays alone.  (250 to 300 million turkeys are killed yearly in the United States, where they are not protected under most states’ anti-cruelty laws and are exempt from the federal Humane Slaughter Act.)  In the same stores where there are plentiful varieties of fruits and vegetables, nuts and grains, there are lines and lines of bodies of turkeys, most of whom spent their entire lives on factory farms.

With the upcoming holiday on my mind, I got together with my friend, Julia, last week to talk turkey.  Julia has been a regular volunteer at Animal Acres Sanctuary for many years, and she’s the most enthusiastic turkey fan that I know.  Making her way in from an unusually cold Southern California evening, Julia was wearing a button featuring one of her favorite turkeys who ever walked the lawn of Animal Acres.  On the button it said, “Friend, Not Food.”

Julia relaxes with Sophie in the barn at Animal Acres.

A vegetarian (now vegan) of 17 years, Julia was won over by turkeys on her first visit to an Animal Acres event.

“Being an animal lover,” she said, “I knew that I would love the cows, pigs, sheep, and goats.  I always thought pigs were cute, and the sheep and goats are so easy to bond with.  So I was prepared for that.  The birds were not on my mind.  When I took my first visit to the bird area, I was surprised when the volunteer told me I could come inside and pet the turkeys.  They were especially mellow and people-friendly that day, and I had this moment with one of them where I was petting her and she was obviously enjoying it.  She started to close her eyes and doze off a little bit.  I had no idea you could interact with a bird like that.  It was really sweet.  I liked all of the animals at the sanctuary, but the turkeys surprised me because they were so friendly and comfortable with me.  I never expected to be able to interact with them and get to know their personalities.”

Julia was recently featured as the activist of the month for the sanctuary because of her help rescuing some baby turkeys.

The baby turkeys snuggle together in their new home for a nap. Because conventional turkeys are bred to grow bigger and more quickly than they would naturally, they are slaughtered when they are only 14 to 18 weeks old. If these turkeys hadn't been rescued, their lives would have been nearly half over.

“I was asked to meet someone in Santa Barbara to receive the turkeys who had been rescued and then drive them to Animal Acres.  It was a group of 12 babies, about 6 weeks old.  They were chirping in my car the whole time, making baby bird noises.  Once I arrived at the sanctuary and set them up in their barn, they were pretty vocal for the first hour or so but then settled down.  I spent the next two or three hours with them in the barn as they explored their new place.  They were extremely curious but slightly scared and would always stick together.  They were pretty afraid of me the first day, but I went up every weekend after that for the next few weeks.”

“How did you win them over?” I wondered.

“I brought them treats,” Julia said with a smile.  “Lettuce is what they love more than anything else.  The number one rule when interacting with turkeys is to make yourself as small as possible.  I decided to lie down completely and they got really comfortable with me.  That’s the cutest thing about them is that I can tell they’re afraid of people to some extent but they’re extremely curious.  They have an inner fight with their curiosity and fear, but their curiosity always wins in the end.  They want to know what you’re about.  They go after shoelaces, play with hair.  They love anything shiny if you have a nice camera lens.”

“The cutest moment,” she said, “was when I was lying on the ground and getting a little sleepy.  I closed my eyes for a bit and when I opened my eyes again, I had three of them sitting on me, roosting on various parts of my body. They’re very warm.  They’re so little, just handfuls.  One was snuggled up and let me pet her, essentially the way you would sit at home on the couch with your cat.  They were hanging out with me for quite a while.”

“How did they react while you petted them?” I asked.

“When you sit with them and they’re comfortable, they’ll make cooing noises.  It’s incredibly soothing.  Sometimes they fall asleep when I pet them, and sometimes they make me want to take a nap.”

Turkeys in factory farms spend their lives in sheds with thousands of other turkeys, unable to perform any of their natural behaviors.

The lives they’ll live at the sanctuary couldn’t be more different from the lives they would have lived at a factory farm, where the birds live their short lives (about five months) in sheds with thousands of others.  Because they are crowded in and unable to display any of their natural behaviors, it is standard procedure to cut off parts of the birds’ beaks, toes, and snoods on the males without any pain relievers.  (The snood is the flap of skin under the chin.)   Turkeys are bred, drugged, and genetically manipulated to grow as big as possible in as short of time as possible.

Baby turkeys on farms have the upper 1/3 to 1/2 portion of their beaks seared off.

I said to Julia, “Some people justify the way we treat turkeys, because they claim turkeys aren’t very intelligent.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that,” Julia said.  “I was told by an acquaintance once that turkeys are kind of dumb.  I told her that the reason turkeys have the reputation of being dumb is because they’re very friendly and curious, and they were sort of known as the prey who would walk up to the hunter’s gun.  They would come up and say ‘hi.’  They want to know what the hunters are about, and so they get shot.  So people decided turkeys were stupid.”

Why do we protect one and disregard the other?

Julia continued, “We have this hierarchy of animals.  Humans are the most intelligent, and then dogs and dolphins are at the top.  Well, first of all, how do you define intelligence?  Humans usually judge in terms of trainability.  Why do we say intelligence matters so much?  We say it matters the most, because that way we always win.  There are animals who can do things we can’t.  Birds can fly.  Dolphins and bats use echo-sonar.  Dogs and cats have an amazing sense of smell.  We can’t compete with that.  So we use intelligence as we define it and use that as an excuse for what we do to animals.”

“Is that why it’s important to you to be an advocate for them?” I asked.

“I care about all animals and want them to live happy lives.  I think the animals people eat need our help the most, and out of those animals, the birds more than any others.  People easily relate to mammals.  Cows with their big brown eyes…  Pigs are trainable and touted as intelligent.  How many times do you hear people say they don’t eat red meat, only white meat?  I think we need to provide help to those who need it the most, and chickens and turkeys are seen as dumb birds nobody cares about at all.”

“Check out United Poultry Concerns’ More Than A Meal,” Julia said.  “Karen Davis, the founder of UPC, is one of my animal rights heroes.  She has been into animal rights issues for a long time.  Someone cautioned her when she started that if you want to engage people in animal issues, you have to promote the cute and fuzzy animals.  She said if that’s how people think, the birds need our help most of all.”

After the Civil War, Abe Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the aims of healing the wounds of the nation and as a means to restore “peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.”  As we learn more about the curious and beautiful turkeys, we can choose to create peace and harmony in our own lives by choosing foods for which no one had to suffer.  We can do this while we still enjoy what makes Thanksgiving truly special and that is gratitude, togetherness, and thankfulness.  We can still page through the newspaper, flip on the Macy’s Day Parade and watch the floats make their way down Times Square.  We can still hold our families close, if not in person then in our hearts.

And when it comes time to make a wish, we can forsake the turkey’s bones in lieu of a wish for the turkeys.  May others become aware of the gentle spirit of these birds, to the horrors that they live and die in slaughterhouses, and the reminder that when it comes to killing, nothing is neat, tidy, or nice.  There is no such thing as “humane” slaughter.  All animals want to live.  Let’s be thankful for our abundance, and enjoy the abundance of plant foods that we have available to us.  Let’s be thankful for the turkeys and honor their lives, and not their deaths, this holiday.

*Factory farming photos provided by Farm Sanctuary, where you can adopt a turkey this season.  Find a sanctuary in your area to get to know these animals for yourself.

Lemon Basil Pesto is a favorite amongst scurvy-prone pirates with discriminating palates.

Remember when you were a tot, sitting in your high chair, and your mom was choo-choo-chooing away at you, fork raised and headed towards you like a four-pronged train?  Sometimes we have to be seduced into healthy behaviors.  Mom knew this.  She sweetened our initial disdain of peas and carrots by some creative selling with sound effects.  As adults, we really aren’t so far off.  We’re much more likely to do something if it seems fun.  That’s why when you hear people say they want to get healthier, they want to workout, they want to eat better, without a creative plan days become weeks become months.  When it’s always tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, when are you going to be healthy today?  And what is too bad is that I doubt people realize what exactly they are putting off.  If they knew the energy and vitality, they’d wonder why they put that off in exchange for what are essentially habits.  That’s the thing, before we can leave our old habits behind, we have to create new ones.  It is for this reason that I offer up this idea—plan to incorporate new healthy habits as if you’re on a treasure hunt.  Make a map, make it fun, and pillage your treasure.

First step, finding your treasure map.  Attend to those stacks of vegan cookbooks that you bought with good intentions and start perusing them.  See which dishes look the most inviting and exciting.  When you start salivating, you’ve found it.  Attach post-its at the top of the pages until you’ve gathered a few recipes to start.  Have empty shelves where your cookbooks should be?  Search vegan recipes online.

Next step, create an action plan for attaining your booty.  Make a list.  First of all, you want to include easy sides that go well with any meal:  collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, etc.  You’ll also want loads of produce to make tempting salads:  spinach, micro greens, radishes, carrots, celery, beans, dried fruit, nuts, avocadoes…  These are items you’ll be procuring every week.  Finally, grab your recipes and mark down the ingredients you’ll need to buy.  Note which items go to which dishes.  That will help you for two reasons.  One, if the grocery store doesn’t have all of the ingredients you need for a specific recipe you’ll know which other ingredients you don’t need to buy this time around.  Two, when you get back with your groceries you won’t be stuck wondering, “Now what was I going to make with this?”

Beware of Stowaways!

Think ahead.  You’re going to need some bags to carry your treasure home.  Not everyone loves going to the grocery store, and so do what you can to make it a fun experience.  See what totes you might already have around the house.  Closets bare?  You can buy reusable bags at the grocery store, or you can pick up an eye-popping and compliment-inducing bag at Herbivore Clothing.  I have a generous selection of bags, and some of my favorites were actually sewn for me by friends.  They used cute fabrics that they knew I’d like or fabric from my favorite hometown team.  For more ideas and patterns to make your own bags, visit morsbags.com.  Reusable bags are easy to carry over the shoulder, unlike paper bags with handles that rip under pressure or plastic bags that dig into your hands.  Of course, the environmental aspect of using your own instead of clogging landfills or killing sea life with plastic is a no brainer.  As an added bonus, stores across the country are also giving a kickback to people who bring their own bags from home.  Target and Whole Foods give customers a nickel back for each bag they use, and Trader Joe’s enters them into a regular drawing for a $10 gift card.

With bags in hand, it’s time to set sail to the store.  You have your list, use it.  But here’s one more word of advice, find something in the produce section that intrigues you, something you’ve never tried before, and buy a small amount.  Don’t know what to do with nopales?  Confused by persimmons?  Befuddled by jicama?  Buy a small amount, and when you get home, Google!  Fruits are especially fun to try and generally fool-proof.  Remember, cooking is an adventure.  It’s a chance for discovery.  I’ve found some of my favorites by trying something unusual and unknown like rambutan or lychee.  You could be in for a delicious surprise!

After you’ve purchased everything on your list and you’ve landed back in your kitchen, don’t just throw your veggies into the refrigerator.  You don’t want to bury your own treasure.  If you’ve purchased leafy greens that are still wet, throw a napkin or paper towel into the bag with them before putting them away.  Take the tops off of carrots and radishes.  Put them into glass containers, so that you don’t forget about them.  Chop celery, bell pepper slices, and broccoli spears for easy eating.  Think both like a kid and like a parent.  If you want to eat your veggies, make them accessible and easy.

Now, here comes the best part, putting your creation together.  The most important aspect of elevating cooking from a mundane necessity to a culinary pleasure is immersing yourself in the ritual.  Play the kind of music that inspires you, the kind of music you’d play if you were putting together a masterpiece.  Brew a pot of tea or pour yourself a glass of wine.  Slow down and enjoy the experience.  Have kids?  Include them in the fun.  Think of it as a group project and a chance to come together and create.  If it’s just you, cooking can be meditative.  If it’s a group event, it’s a celebration.

Plate your meals and come together.  Enjoy the flavors and reconnect, talk about your day, feel revived and happy to be together again.  If we hurry through the grocery store, and hurry through the chopping, and hurry through the eating, when do we get to enjoy the quite literal fruits of our labors?  Why miss out on an opportunity?  Why miss out on one of the greatest and simplest joys?  To my mind, feeding ourselves and our families is sacred and it’s joyful.  It’s a chance to discover the artist within us and to express to our loved ones that we care.  It’s not just nourishment for our bodies, it’s nourishment for our souls.  So put your play clothes on and let’s have some fun.

If I tell you I had my own little "tea party" yesterday, will you think I meant something by that?

Yesterday while running errands, I grabbed tea at Starbucks.  While there, the barista offered me a sample of one of their new products.

“Would you like to try Via?”

“Is that your instant coffee?” I asked.

“Oh, we don’t say the I-word around here,” he chided.

“What do you call it then?”

“We call it ready brew.”

Language is a wonderful thing.  It is constantly evolving and changing, sometimes by accident and happenstance and sometimes very much on purpose.  When people think “instant coffee” they think of a foul tasting product that isn’t nearly as good as its original.  It is to coffee what those 35 cent packages of Ramen noodles are to haute cuisine.  They’re almost an echo of the product they’re emulating.  So to combat this, a creative exec somewhere decided to revamp the name and call it “Ready Brew.”  It still gives a flair of quickness without weighing the new product down with nasty preconceptions.

We see this in language all the time.  If calling something “used” makes people think it’s dirty or trashy, call it “vintage” and charge more!  If people are averse to “creationism,” call it “intelligent design” and skirt the issue.  In ways that are both political and non-political, words can become charged and take on a life outside of their own inherent meaning.

This idea was resonating with me while reading the book, The Engine 2 Diet.  It was written by Rip Esselstyn, son of Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD.  Rip, a professional athlete and firefighter, was inspired by his father’s groundbreaking research on a plant based diet for use in the prevention and reversal of heart disease.  Not only did he adopt a plant based diet, but he also inspired others in his firehouse and community to do the same.  The book is a fast read with lots of recipes and a challenge to eat what Rip calls a “plant strong” diet for 28 days to lower cholesterol and lose weight.  (After that, he hopes that people will continue on their own once they’ve received dramatic results.)  In essence, what Rip is advocating is a vegetarian diet (not vegan since he uses honey in some of the recipes).  However, he skirts the use of the word, and I think it’s for the same reason that Starbucks doesn’t sell “instant” coffee.  I wager that he thinks people who might benefit from the book won’t pick it up if it says “vegetarian” on it.  So he’s created a new word without the preconceptions, a “plant-strong” diet.  (I have more to say about Rip’s book and recipes in a future post.)

While I can see where Rip is coming from, I’m proud to be vegan, and I claim the word.  Short of coming up with a new name to describe myself, all I can do is try to live my life in a way that embodies what I believe that word to mean.  To me, veganism is compassion and mercy in their kinetic form.  They’re no longer just ideas.  Veganism is the practical application.

Another way to debunk tired ideas about veganism is by showcasing the many faces of true vegans, and debunk those caricatures that may exist in our minds.  I’m starting with today’s post, which focuses on my favorite vegan, my husband, David.  Here’s a little before and after to show you a glimpse of the outward change that this has brought in him, and following that is our interview to show you the inner one.

This is David the year we met.

Many years and lentils later, this is how David looks today.

David, to give people a better idea of your background, tell us about the diet that you grew up eating.

“I grew up on what is probably a very typical Midwestern American diet.  The centerpiece for most meals was probably meat, whether it be hamburgers, meatloaf, fried chicken, or some such.  We generally ate a decent amount of vegetables, but often they were vegetables out of a can, such as canned green beans or corn.  We would often have salad with a meal too, but it would typically be iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber.  In addition to that, we ate pizza fairly regularly; although, I never liked cheese on pizza so I was at least one step towards becoming a vegan.  And my favorite meal of all time while growing up was a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Value Meal, always with a Coke.”

How is that different from your diet today?

“Today Cadry and I eat an almost entirely whole foods-based, organic diet.  I eat a lot more fruits and vegetables than I used to, and any grains that I consume are whole grains, which honestly are probably something that I had never had until this decade.  Any time I would have had bread growing up, it would have been white bread, possibly French bread, but definitely no whole grains.  Nowadays I love a good thick, coarse, whole grain bread, preferably with lots of seeds and sprouted things in it.  Most of the food we eat we cook ourselves, or she cooks for me in many cases.  But we never eat at fast food restaurants, and if we eat out we usually eat at places that serve fresh, organic food.  I have a much broader palate now that I’m a vegan than I ever did beforehand.”

So what inspired you to go vegan?

“Like a lot of people, I didn’t really see the harm in eating cheese or eggs.  But then Cadry started telling me information that she was learning largely through the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast and other books she had been reading about the suffering that happens when milk and eggs are produced in the animal agriculture industries.  I’m somebody who even when I was a meat eater would never have even dreamed of eating veal, thinking that was way too far to eat and kill a baby animal for pleasure.  But when I found out that the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy industry because dairy cows are kept constantly pregnant, and the male baby cows are sold into veal and used for that, then I stopped immediately.”

What is the biggest benefit of veganism?

“The major benefit is that I feel much more connected with other living beings.  There’s a whole level of compassion that I would have thought before that I had, but realize that I really didn’t until I became vegan.  I always would have described myself as an animal lover, but that was always sort of qualified by animals that we are expected to love, like dogs, cats, baby animals of all kinds, and you know, any domestic animals.  But now I feel closer to all animals and that they all deserve their lives as much as any of us.  I have volunteered at an animal sanctuary and have spent time with turkeys, chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and have come to realize that these animals are every bit as loving and sensitive and intelligent as the animals that we regularly keep in our homes.

The other benefit is that my health has improved incredibly.  I maintain a low weight without even thinking about it and have lowered my cholesterol by a huge amount.  However, actively living my ethics is an even greater benefit than all of the health benefits.”

What is the biggest misconception about vegans?

“I think the biggest misconception about vegans is that we’re depriving ourselves of something wonderful and that the way we eat is both boring and unhealthful.  People sometimes react as if they’re sorry for me that I can’t eat a cheeseburger or a steak or cheese, and it’s almost as if I’ve got a disease.  They might offer me something and be like, ‘Oh, you can’t eat that, can you?’  And my response is, ‘Well, I can eat it.  I just don’t want to.’

I feel like when I was a meat eater there were roughly four different meals that I would eat and rotate them regularly.  Hamburgers, pizza, chicken, and tacos.  But now being a vegan, I eat so many exciting and different cuisines that I had never really thought to try before.  I still eat pizza and tacos, but just without the meat and cheese on them.  But I also eat Ethiopian food, Indian food, Thai food, Chinese food, Greek and Mediterranean food.  I eat things I never ate before regularly like hummus and chickpeas and tempeh and avocado and so many more fruits and vegetables that I feel like I’m constantly trying something new and I have more passion for my food than I ever did before.

Also to address the idea that eating vegan is unhealthful, I had very high cholesterol and was 50 pounds overweight when I was regularly eating meat and fast food.  And now I weigh what I weighed in high school, and I’m 37 years old.  I have more energy than I’ve ever had in my life.”

Do you think began vegan as a man is different than as a woman, and if so, how has being a man affected your experience of it?

“I think there’s a strong pre-conception in our society that in order to be manly you have to eat meat, that eating tofu or a salad is a feminine thing to do, and should be avoided and mocked at all costs.  However, I think that a lot of people go along with that stereotype because they have been conditioned to think it is the normal, correct way and are concerned with going against societal norms.  But the most manly or macho characters that you ever see in movies are the ones who don’t care about societal rules and do their own thing when they know it is correct.  Think of Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman or Harrison Ford in any number of movies.  And I think there is no greater way to buck the societal norm in our society than to be vegan.  I think it can often take a lot of courage to assert one’s ethics or beliefs in the face of near universal resistance.  And I think standing one’s ground and fighting for what you believe in is a very macho thing to do.  Also I have yet to meet a woman who doesn’t find a man attractive when he is caring towards animals.”

Of all of the animals that you’ve developed relationships with since going vegan, who has been the best surprise?

“I would say that goats have been the best surprise.  Goats are animals that I never really gave much thought to one way or another.  I didn’t see them anywhere in real life.  I didn’t eat them or partake in goat’s milk or goat’s cheese.  So I hadn’t ever thought of them as an animal with a personality before.  However, since volunteering at Animal Acres I’ve realized that goats are very funny, intelligent, and affectionate animals.  They love to nuzzle you just like a cat does and will follow you around like the most loyal dog.  And then they casually try to eat your straw hat while you’re not looking.  And they don’t feel guilty about it, which only increases their charm.”

Tonight for dinner we’re having your favorite meal.  Tell us about it.

“Well, I am of the opinion that all orange foods are good, and the greatest of all orange foods are sweet potatoes.  So a cornerstone of our meal tonight will be roasted sweet potatoes.  I am also a firm believer in the power of three when it comes to food.  In other words, I like to have at least three distinct dishes on my plate with different flavors.  So the second portion of the meal is a dish that I learned to make from a restaurant we like, and it is sautéed mushrooms and onions with garlic in red wine sauce.  The third choice will be steamed kale, which will then be lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil with some garlic.  I’m also a firm believer that garlic makes pretty much anything taste better, and indeed, that red wine does the same.  This meal is very easy to prepare, doesn’t take a lot of time, and is extremely healthy and delicious.”

If you had to give advice to a new or potential vegan, what would it be?

“I would say don’t be discouraged if it seems hard at first.  It can be hard, but mainly because we all have habits and are used to eating certain things and going certain places.  One of the things that held me back from being a vegetarian was that I didn’t know where I was going to go eat for lunch everyday.  But once I figured out where I could go for lunch and get vegetarian and vegan options, that worry fell away.  It’s all about changing your daily habits and routines, and once you have broken the old habits that you had, the new ones form and become as routine as the old ones once were.  Nowadays, I don’t even really think about being vegan when I eat, because it is just the natural state for me.  Look upon it as an opportunity.  It is an opportunity for exploring new tastes, new restaurants, and new cuisines.”

"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are."--Max Depree

Hello again New Vegan,

A couple of weeks ago I posted three tips for transitioning to a vegan diet. There’s still so much more to share about transitioning into this happy, healthful, and compassionate plant-based lifestyle.  As you navigate this journey, here are two more things to consider.

Read Labels

While I actually love going to the grocery store, I realize not everyone shares my enthusiasm.  People want to get in and out fast.  So at first, the idea of reading labels for everything you buy may seem like a hassle.  The good thing is, once you’ve read the labels and know what to buy, it gets faster and easier in the future.  You can go through and pick up those things you always buy in no time.  (Although, I do read the labels of my regular products occasionally, just in case they’ve changed their recipes.)

Something to keep in mind is that the need to read labels is not the “fault” of veganism.  It’s not only vegans who should read what’s inside of their food.  Every person, both vegan and non-vegan, should be reading labels.  If it takes a science degree to know what’s inside of the food we’re buying, we don’t need it.  When I’m buying a packaged or prepared food, I want it to have as few ingredients as possible.  For example, when I’m buying rice, I want the ingredients to read, “Organic brown rice.”  That’s all.  For pasta, “Whole wheat flour.”  Done.  For peanut butter, “organic roasted peanuts” or maybe “organic roasted peanuts, salt.”  Once they start adding in unnecessary oils and sugars, stabilizers, and hydrogenation, I don’t want it.  I’m sure it seems like a good idea to people selling packaged food to make a product shelf stable for as long as possible, but I don’t want my body packed with preservatives, chemicals, and fillers.

We have a choice.  We can feel disheartened that food lobbyists and big businesses are able to infiltrate otherwise healthy foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners and colorings, and animal byproducts.  Or we can feel empowered that all we have to do is turn that package around, read the ingredients, and make the choice about whether or not we will put that into our bodies or give it to our families.

Because of a newfound desire to read labels, upon going vegetarian or vegan, sometimes people are stunned at the sorts of things that are added into food and cosmetics and other products.  I was buying lipstick a couple of weeks ago and was speaking with the sales clerk.

I asked, “Do you know which of your cosmetics are vegan?”

She looked confused.

“Not really?” I asked.  “In many lipsticks, for example, they use crushed beetles for that red color.”

A look of disgust passed over her face.  “Ew,” she muttered.

“It’s called carmine or cochineal, and in addition to makeup, they put it in certain kinds of yogurt, soda, juice, ice cream, and other foods that they want to have a pink or red hue.”

Now, if someone invited you over and put crushed beetles on your plate, you would likely be less than thrilled.  But when food manufacturers put them into products simply because they think that makes a product look prettier or more appetizing, well, I think that’s worth knowing.  Furthermore, a lot of people have severe allergic reactions to eating crushed beetles.  And of course, the beetles’ reaction to it isn’t great either.

Still think that label reading is a bore?  Well, then you’re going to love my next bit of advice.

Don’t Read Labels

Go to the part of the store that doesn’t need labels, the produce section.  Fill your basket with red and orange and yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, mangoes, avocados, cucumbers, celery, carrots, collard greens, lacinato, curly, and purple kale, onions and garlic, butternut and acorn squash, Portobello mushrooms, sweet potatoes, oranges, apples, grapes, figs, and cherries.  Buy whole, fresh food with no labels, and leave the reading behind.  Then go to the bulk section and purchase lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, and grains.

In our culture of fast food, prepared food, and processed food, going back to the basics may have a learning curve for your kitchen skills and for your palate.  So much space in our grocery stores is taken up with products laden in cholesterol, sugar, saturated fat, and calories. I was in a grocery store I don’t usually frequent recently, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I found the tiny aisle labeled “Health Food.”  That one teeny-tiny aisle was tucked in the back next to the pharmacy.  I had to wonder, if that’s the health food, what is the rest of the store?  Sick food?

Don’t let the marketing voices in our fast food/junk food/sedentary culture drown out your willpower and desire.  Come to think of it, “drown out” is a pretty accurate way of describing it.  Spending our days in a world of calorie-rich and nutrient-poor foods is a bit like living in a flood zone.  We can do our best to flood-proof our bodies with healthy, whole plant foods that have been shown to protect against a myriad of ailments, or we can accept the status quo first by diet and then by disease.  Don’t wait until the tide has done its dirty work to prepare for the flood.  If the damage is already done, all the more reason to get in there and heal your “home.”  It’s the only one you get.

Until next time,

Cadry

Continue this series with my next post about creating new habits.  For a list of the myriad of animal byproducts (like albumen, casein, glycerin, and tallow) to look out for visit Happy Cow.

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies." --Author Unknown

Hello New Vegan,

What an exciting and life affirming trip you have ahead of you!  There’s so much joy in the days ahead, but I also know that changing the way we eat and live can seem daunting at first.  I remember a time when no one I knew was vegetarian or vegan, and I felt very much like I was forging this path alone.  Now that I have new habits, new traditions, and new favorite foods, it can be easy to forget that there was a time when change seemed overwhelming.  Take heart.  With the growing pains of creating new habits comes the peace that is living a life in line with your own values and in a way that honors your health, well being, and respect for other living beings.  To you, New Vegan, I offer these insights and tips from my own experience.

1. Focus on your goal.

What is inspiring you to make the journey into a more compassionate way of living? Keep learning. It empowers us to do our best..

Consider what are the most compelling reasons to you to go vegan and keep learning.  It keeps us inspired and empowered.

Listen to the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast.  (It’s also available for free on ITunes.)  Get out in the sun, go on a walk with your Ipod or MP3 player, and learn about all of the reasons why people choose this lifestyle.  When I felt alone in this new vegan world, Colleen’s voice in my ear buds kept me grounded.  She has over a hundred episodes.  Find one that interests you and start listening.

Read books by leaders in the health field like T. Colin Campbell’s China Study and Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live.  Stay abreast of news and research that is continually coming out about the healthfulness of a plant based diet and stay aware of the abuse that continues to exist within animal agriculture.  Read Food Revolution by John Robbins.

Visit animal sanctuaries in your area or plan a vacation to visit one.  The first time I held a chicken in my arms at Animal Acres, I felt overwhelmed with both grief and relief.  Her body was so small and fragile.  I was acutely aware of how vulnerable she was and how much lighter her body felt than my own companion animals at home.  I also thought of how many chickens I had eaten in my life and how freeing it was to appreciate her beauty while knowing I was no longer contributing to the slaughter of others like her.  Like the story of the person walking up the sandy beach throwing starfish back into the water, all the while knowing he couldn’t save all of them, when I look into the faces of the sheep, goats, cows, and pigs I remember, “It makes a difference to that one.”

2.  Identify Your Cravings.

Consider the root of your craving.

Sometimes I’ll hear people say that their body knows what it needs because they had a particular craving.  Studies have shown that these cravings generally aren’t based on nutritional deficiencies, no matter how much we’d like believe that our body really needs a bar of chocolate.  Research points to the idea that cravings are based more on our emotional state than nutritional needs.  We crave foods that are familiar.  We crave sugar, salt, and fat.  If these cravings were accurate pictures of nutritional deficiencies, we’d all be craving antioxidant rich leafy greens; however, which is more common in your life—hearing about someone craving a cookie or someone craving kale?

Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages have no cholesterol and 26 grams of protein.

When cravings hit, identify the craving.  Do you want something fried?  Savory?  Salty? Sweet?  If it’s a toothsome texture you’re wanting, try out a plant based meat.  I recommend Field Roast or Tofurky brands.  Although I advocate a diet based on whole foods, I think having a processed food on occasion is an acceptable indulgence.  I like those two brands the best, because their ingredients are largely whole foods based and not a hodgepodge of chemicals.  Top the sausages with all of your favorite condiments like stone ground mustard, organic ketchup, Vegenaise mixed with prepared horseradish, pickles, or sauerkraut.

Spaghetti and Beanballs from Veganomicon

If you have a hankering for barbecue, try pressing and frying tofu and then baking it with barbecue sauce.  If you’re jonesing for a hearty Italian feast, try noodles with lots of sautéed vegetables in pasta sauce and a side of homemade beanballs from Veganomicon.

After new habits and traditions have been created, you too may forget that there was a time when eating healthful plant based meals wasn’t second nature.  Take heart in the knowledge that your palate will change. Keep introducing delicious whole foods into your diet, and you’ll begin to crave and desire them.  Just relax and give yourself time to adjust.

In the meantime, introduce yourself to some new cuisines and foods.  Check out Happy Cow or Yelp and find some vegan, vegetarian, or vegan-friendly restaurants in your area.  Discover the deliciousness of Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Ethiopian, Mexican, Cuban, and Indian cuisines.  Many times if we leave our standard American fare, we see that there are lots of naturally vegan foods in the cuisines of other cultures that are vibrant and satisfying.

Think about your favorite foods and consider ways to veganize them.  Enjoy burritos?  How about a bean burrito with salsa and avocado in a whole wheat tortilla?  Buy a new vegan cookbook or two.  Plan to make at least one new recipe a week.

3.  Create a community.

In this non-vegan world it can be easy to feel barraged by ads, images, and ideas that are antithetical to your goal of living more compassionately.  Just as people who are looking to adopt healthier behaviors like exercising and eating right are encouraged to surround themselves with others who support them rather than sabotage them, so would I encourage you to surround yourself with people who understand and respect your goal to live a fully compassionate life.  Find a few like-minded people and feed those friendships.

Good places to look include vegetarian forums and websites like Meetup.com.  See if there’s a Meetup group in your area for others with vegetarian interests.  In LA there are vegetarian and vegan Meetup groups for those who want to go to vegan restaurants, out for drinks, hiking, and more.

Attend functions like vegetarian pride parades, vegan cooking classes, animal rights conferences, health fairs, and animal sanctuary gatherings.

Best of luck on your journey, New Vegan.

Be kind with yourself.  I know it can feel like a struggle when we do something out of the ordinary, but where has ordinary gotten us anyway?  Ordinary factory farming?  Ordinary heart disease?  Ordinary diabetes?  Ordinary cancer?  We deserve extraordinary.  Small decisions in our day to day existence can have a big impact in our lives, in our hearts, and in our world.

Just as a firefighter may not be able to save every person in a burning building, isn’t it still worth it to do the work?  Isn’t it worth it if you can save just one?  I wish you peace and perseverance as you enact change in your own life.  We can let the world decide what is right or we can choose for ourselves.  One thing is for certain, change is inevitable.  We can be the change we wish to see in the world, or we can let the world change us.  The choice is ours.

All the best,

Cadry

For more ideas on transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, continue with Open Letter to a New Vegan:  Part II.