In order...
When you start to become vegan the world immediately becomes full of dangers. Nearly every food is bad for you. It's a bit like being allergic to everything you love. I feel a bit like John Travola in the The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.. Or Jake Gyllenhaal in Bubble Boy. I know now some of the hell that Vegans go thorough on a daily basis and I'm not even talking about ethical vegans. It can be difficult to navigate these waters, but my vegan fore-bearers have helped pave my way. For me it's like standing on the shoulders of giants...
..anemic, pissy, giants.
Or at least that's the perception. I know that my image of what a vegan is is going to change, and I hope that my vegan audience isn't offended by jokes. But right now I still have that classical, weaker-than-thou view on vegan society.
I was trying to think about the last times I lived without the things I am omitting from my diet.
Meat - The last time in my life I was without meat for a prolonged period of time would have been as an infant. Every day from my birth to when I first had a piece of meat still wins that one. I wasn't birthed eating a turkey leg. (Fuck, turkey legs! Aw man..)
Dairy - By far this is the single most pervasive and consistent part of my diet since my life began. Dairy in all it's incarnations is a large part of who I am. I am literally 18% cheese. I was telling a friend that it's experiments like this that have the power to reveal things to us. I wouldn't be surprised to find that I am lactose intolerant. I've had the volume on dairy turned up so loud I'd never even know what it means to be lactose intolerant.
Eggs - No love lost here. I have always said that eggs are an ingredient, not a dish. I'm sure I've gone without eggs for a period in my life and not known it.. without caring. Problem is.. These ova and their by-products are in everything.
Animal by-products - Honey and Gelatin. I have never been a fan of honey. If honey normally gets into my diet, it's through trickery. But still it's in a lot of things I would want to eat. Gelatin is easy to identify and avoid. Since I have never known to look out for these things, I would have no way to determine the longest I've ever gone without them in my life. (For all I know I could have been honey from for the whole of 2001.)
Caffeine - Friends, family and coworkers have been the most concerned about me skipping out on this part of my diet. Their reasoning goes something like this... Adam is a colossal asshole. Not having their daily caffeine makes even normal people into cranky bastards. Adam without his caffeine will be a monster. Run for the hills! I have not yet had a caffeine headache. I don't miss it. I'm not a coffee drinker, I drink diet soda like there's a prohibition against it. I drink it mostly at work. I know that I will have to detox from it for a short period of time. But I quit smoking, quitting caffeine is nothing. I'm just going to sleep more.
We're off to the store here shortly. I should have a lot to tell you after that's all done. My wife is going Vegetarian this month so that we don't kill each other. She's bringing a note pad full of meal ideas. I will just be reading labels and thinking up meal plans in my head.
Wish us luck!
Adam
The Sad Bits... A Cobb Salad on a vegan diet is a tomato and olive salad...
When you start to become vegan the world immediately becomes full of dangers. Nearly every food is bad for you. It's a bit like being allergic to everything you love. I feel a bit like John Travola in the The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.. Or Jake Gyllenhaal in Bubble Boy. I know now some of the hell that Vegans go thorough on a daily basis and I'm not even talking about ethical vegans. It can be difficult to navigate these waters, but my vegan fore-bearers have helped pave my way. For me it's like standing on the shoulders of giants...
..anemic, pissy, giants.
Or at least that's the perception. I know that my image of what a vegan is is going to change, and I hope that my vegan audience isn't offended by jokes. But right now I still have that classical, weaker-than-thou view on vegan society.
I was trying to think about the last times I lived without the things I am omitting from my diet.
Meat - The last time in my life I was without meat for a prolonged period of time would have been as an infant. Every day from my birth to when I first had a piece of meat still wins that one. I wasn't birthed eating a turkey leg. (Fuck, turkey legs! Aw man..)
Dairy - By far this is the single most pervasive and consistent part of my diet since my life began. Dairy in all it's incarnations is a large part of who I am. I am literally 18% cheese. I was telling a friend that it's experiments like this that have the power to reveal things to us. I wouldn't be surprised to find that I am lactose intolerant. I've had the volume on dairy turned up so loud I'd never even know what it means to be lactose intolerant.
Eggs - No love lost here. I have always said that eggs are an ingredient, not a dish. I'm sure I've gone without eggs for a period in my life and not known it.. without caring. Problem is.. These ova and their by-products are in everything.
Animal by-products - Honey and Gelatin. I have never been a fan of honey. If honey normally gets into my diet, it's through trickery. But still it's in a lot of things I would want to eat. Gelatin is easy to identify and avoid. Since I have never known to look out for these things, I would have no way to determine the longest I've ever gone without them in my life. (For all I know I could have been honey from for the whole of 2001.)
Caffeine - Friends, family and coworkers have been the most concerned about me skipping out on this part of my diet. Their reasoning goes something like this... Adam is a colossal asshole. Not having their daily caffeine makes even normal people into cranky bastards. Adam without his caffeine will be a monster. Run for the hills! I have not yet had a caffeine headache. I don't miss it. I'm not a coffee drinker, I drink diet soda like there's a prohibition against it. I drink it mostly at work. I know that I will have to detox from it for a short period of time. But I quit smoking, quitting caffeine is nothing. I'm just going to sleep more.
We're off to the store here shortly. I should have a lot to tell you after that's all done. My wife is going Vegetarian this month so that we don't kill each other. She's bringing a note pad full of meal ideas. I will just be reading labels and thinking up meal plans in my head.
Wish us luck!
Adam
The Sad Bits... A Cobb Salad on a vegan diet is a tomato and olive salad...
It's a redirect to spam... so DON'T go to his blog. Instead, re-read my old blog posts.
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