Health & Fitness
It's Happened – I stopped counting the days of Veganism
Vegan for life? Well, it's surely working for now.
It's surreal! Unbelievable! I've stopped counting my days of veganism. I went from the first five minutes of this new way of living to one day, to five days, to nine days, to now just living life as a vegan!
It's been like the slow growth of a newborn to toddlerhood. You know how it can be... "Oh, my baby is 10 days old." "Now my baby is 10 weeks old." "Now my baby is 13 months old." Then, somehow, we stop counting the days or the weeks. "I have a 16 year old." It's been like that.
I just ran into a guy I met while in my very first vegan days. Of course his immediate question was if I was still vegan. He couldn't believe that I still was. So, how many days has it been now, he asked? I couldn't tell him. I had lost count! That was a tremendous jolt - it meant that I was now over that initial transition and was comfortably living this way.
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It's not all that easy, don't get me wrong. I went to Trader Joe's, perusing the shelves as I often do, and thought to look at their pre-made salads for a nice snack. Virtually every salad has cheese on it. And, here's the thing that is slightly tricky for me – a 12.5-year Weight Watcher veteran. Being vegan and a Weight Watcher means counting PointsPlus Values for everything. This double awareness means that nuts could be trouble. Lots of grains, although they are healthy too (even Power Foods), could also be trouble for me. Because I like to eat a lot – huge volumes!
So, let's see. I don't eat anything that had a mother or a face (a la Forks over Knives), I measure out my foods and track my PointsPlus Values (a la Weight Watchers), and have a whole handful of what we call "red light foods" that are just big trouble no matter how you slice it. Like bread, sliced or otherwise.
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So how do I combine all these food choices (NOT limitations, but CHOICES) into my life. Well, I'm reading vegan recipes, purchased a few simple cookbooks (thanks for your suggestions!) and am trying out new foods. I've got a really funny story about adzuki beans for you - for another time. Just saying the word adzuki is fun!
Hah - vegan! Still keeping it close to the vest because of the incredulous and outrageous reactions I receive. I'm not going all political, become an eco-militant, or any such thing. I just want to live a long, long, long, healthy life. And if veganism will help me with this, so be it.
