My Motivations

Before I continue with this blog, I should probably clarify my motivations a little bit.

For the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with eating less animal products and more plants. Right now about 5 out of 6 of my meals are completely plant-based. I still have pizza sometimes, occasionally ice cream or other desserts made with eggs and butter, and I eat whatever my mom makes when I visit my family. I’ve stopped eating meat at home and I’ve switched to homemade almond milk instead of moo juice.

Why?

1. I feel better. My skin and hair are softer and my body feels lighter, even though I haven’t lost any weight. If I overeat plant-based food, I’ll be full but I won’t feel as blobby.

2. It’s fun. I love to cook and eat, and I see this as a fun challenge. I love learning about different ways to use food (I had no idea nuts were so versatile) and discovering new foods I love (hello oatmeal concoctions and fudge babies!). Vegan cooking skips all the parts of cooking I don’t like, like cutting and cooking meat. Never liked it, never good at it.

3. The ethical issue. I know this is a touchy subject, so here’s my take on it: I believe that God creating everything on Earth for the use of man. My religion teaches that God gave man dominion over the earth, but also the responsibility to take care of it. This includes animals. They’re here for our companionship, use in working, and yes, for our food. I don’t think eating animals is inherently wrong, but there’s a right and wrong way to go about it. I have a problem with packing thousands of animals into factory farms so people can eat way more meat than is healthy. The abuse these animals abuse is terrible, and in a society where we have an abundance of plant food to keep us healthy, I don’t think we need many animal products at all.

Truly pasture-raised meats are fine with me, but I can’t afford that stuff, so it’s way easier for me to just cut back. But I believe that animals foods, produced responsibly and in moderation, have a place in a healthy diet.

However, I’m not planning on taking the plunge and going 100% vegan. Why?

I’ve struggled with food and body issues all my life and I’ve been learning (Sloooowly learning) to eat intuitively, and at this point in the game, I feel that labeling or setting any hard rules, for whatever reason, will only complicate things and I’ll be right back in the old diet/stuff myself cycle. I’m learning to eat moderately and to take care of my body. If my body wants eggs from my Dad’s chickens, I’ll eat it. I’ll still eat my cccs until I can find a vegan version that’s just as good or better. I won’t completely cut anything from my diet forever until I’m ready, and right now, I’m not. I’m focusing more on adding right now; more veggies, more fruits, and more plant food. The subtracting thing is taking care of itself.

So even though I’ll be playing with lots of vegan recipes, this isn’t necessarily a vegan blog. I may post non-vegan recipes from time to time, but mostly this blog is about me learning, being healthy, and having fun. If I find myself ready to take the next step, I will. I’m just not in a place I can healthfully do that right now.

Happy Hump Day!

Kella