I've never been one of those people to take someone's word for it. I've always had to discover for myself. (A trait I've passed to Zina and believe me when I tell you living with that trait is WAY easier than parenting someone with it.) I've started this journey, three months now, of health and balance and the longer I do it, the more questions I have.
I've spent hours on the net and in books looking for answers and find myself tonight so unsatisfied. I can't find my real answers and the search has left me overwhelmed and tired. And honestly super ready for a big ol' binge of candy because at least it's comforting. This vegan world (which is a world of extremes) is not appealing to me.
Am I the only one screaming for some kind of balance? I have no interest in cutting out ALL meat and dairy and eggs. And I have no interest in eating the average American diet. Aren't there other people wanting to eat the way the Lord outlined in D&C 89? Lots of fruits and veggies, tons of grain and some meat on the side? Am I the only one who wants my meals from the earth with an occasional treat of sugary goodness?
I tell someone we eat 90% vegan and I instantly get "Oh I couldn't do that. We love milk and cheese." Guess what? ME TOO! I eat it every day. But not in large amounts that will give me cancer or constipation. And I have fruits and/or veggies at every meal and snack.
I don't have a degree in nutrition but maybe I need one. There is SO much to know, so much to discover. It's an entirely different vocabulary. Tahini, kefir, nutritional yeast, ghee... Isn't there someone to help navigate this madness?
So I'm off. I'm off to learn about this world and only take the pieces that I want. And ultimately find my truth. So that's why I'm changing the name of this blog to The Bubblegum Vegan. Because let's be honest, I will never stop chewing bubblegum. And I don't trust the person who tells me I should.
Three years ago this October 1st, I adopted a new diet and exercise routine (I'm sure you remember, since you and Jared were the first to be told about it). Anyway, I decided to model my diet on the Word of Wisdom; I ate lots of fruits and veggies, stuck to whole grains, and restricted the meat I ate to fish and poultry, eaten sparingly and in moderation. I've spent many, many hours of my life researching nutrition and exercise, and this diet wasn't entirely new to me; I'd mostly followed it during my time in Virginia, with good results.
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed to concede that I've fallen into bad habits and have lost all of the wonderful benefits I received from that diet, but there's no question in my mind that, if I could do it again, I'd benefit immensely from it. My struggle right now is finding a balance with my time. Balance is hard.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog by complete accident, but I couldn't help but feel like this post was just begging me to respond to it- mainly because I'm a long time vegan and I LOVE bubblegum (it's literally always been my favourite treat/foodthing always!). So how could I turn my back on a fellow gum chewer? :)
For one thing, there are many brands of bubblegum (and chewing gum) that are vegan, including Hubba Bubba, Big League Chew, and, where I live, all of the brands in my local bulk store! (which I find is a good place to look at ingredients. I think BubbleKing is one of the brands there). There are also big bags of gumballs at my local dollar store that are vegan- just give a quick look over ingredients, but lots of them are good to go! There is also loads of candy out there that is vegan (Skittles, many brands of gummies that are gelatin-free including sour patch kids, allen's fruit slices and watermelon slices. fuzzy peaches, jujubes, swedish fish, airheads, just to name a few of my favourites haha). Also, there is lots of dairy alternative yogurts and cheeses that are readily available and delicious, and I find that whatever isn't on the shelves, I've recreated at home from almond, soy, or coconut milk with stunning results! Most of my extended family prefers the vegan versions once they've tasted it!
I guess what my point is with this, is that I think it's easier to be strictly vegan than some people will say it is, both in terms of having those fun indulgences and getting all your proper (excellent) nutrition! This is why I would encourage you, since you seem already inclined this way, to give a final kick out to all the animal products you are still having. Your body will love you for it, as will the environment, and all the animals. For me, I am vegan for ethical reasons, which I think puts down the firm baseline to never consume animal products, and I think since you are so close anyway that it is worth giving a thought to that. But even if you want to be vegan for strictly health reasons, it is still really worthwhile to go into it 100%. If you want to read why for yourself, look into The China Study (book). I will summarise my reasoning for you though briefly: introducing animal products into your body has dramatic (bad) effects on your immune system, which is very sensitive to things even if they are in small doses! Cutting out the animal products altogether will give a huge relief to your immune system that can prevent all manner of serious illnesses, including cancer!
If you're still skeptical, try it for a week or a month and see how it goes! I love food and I have been vegan for many years without any one craving left unsatisfied!
I will throw you one last great resource if you want help finding how to veganise just about any recipe and google-ing is bringing you short, try findingvegan.com, and don't be shy to use the search function for anything you crave- there are amazing vegan recipes on there!
Best of luck with your food and your blog, and happy gum chewing :)