Baby Steps Towards Veganism

As I previously talked about in one of my blogs, I have been considering going vegan for the sake of my health. Yes it helps the environment and I'm also not adding to the supply and demand of animal slaughter, but the most important aspect of making such a change would first and foremost be for my short term and long term health. During the last two weeks that I've cut most meat from my diet, I have felt a positive difference in my energy levels and emotional state.

I can't stress this enough: it is not the meat that I'm against, it is what is put into the meat and fed to the cattle while being raised. Grass-fed beef is way healthier to consume because the cattle are raised in a much more natural setting, however, I would still suggest one consuming dairy products just because of the unnecessary consumption of those hormones. There's a reason our bodies stop producing milk for our offspring after a certain period of time. They don't need it anymore. At that point they have teeth and can find their nutrients in solid foods. Why we keep feeding kids milk after that point, especially from another animal, is beyond my comprehension now.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have been supportive of my choices during this transition. Family, friends, and even acquaintances have reached out with support and advice, information, and sometimes just prayers for my recovery. Each act of kindness is appreciated and noticed. Some have even decided to make changes in their own lifestyles because of me and that makes me feel even more certain that I'm on the right path. Due to this, I have found myself giving advice that I've been following too. I figured why not share it with you my Mystical Readers. You never know who else would be inspired to make changes to their daily diet, even if it's not as drastic as going vegan.

Baby steps towards veganism:

1. Start by cutting out red meat and processed foods.

Red meat is heavy and dense and tends to take a long time for your body to digest. Besides all the antibiotics, hormones, steroids, and other toxins pumped into them, red meat is harsh on our bodies. Many studies have shown that red meat actually raises heart disease risk.

2. Move on to the lean meats, like chicken and pork.

Chickens get just as much extra unwanted ingredients added to them as the red meat. Enough said. Once you get to cut this out, you're one level closer to a healthier diet. Again, this can still be part of a healthy diet if and when the chickens are free range and organic.

3. Seafood is the last one standing.

Sea food, if wild caught and sustainable, is a healthy addition to any balanced diet. However, if you are getting it at your local supermarket, the odds are it is being shipped out from fish farms. Then the vicious cycle continues. Seafood and fish also have been testing positive for high levels of mercury and even traces of plastic in them, which we then in turn consume along with the fish. Once you are able to cut this out of your diet, it will be the last of the meats.

4. Dairy and/or Eggs.

Once you are at this point, you are considered a Vegetarian. This tends to be the hardest level for people to let go of. I'm struggling with this step too simply because it's really hard to avoid these products. Cheese has been embedded into such a large percentage of our typical western diet. Personally giving up milk itself was easy for me, and I've never really been a fan of yogurt. However, most sweets or desserts contain both dairy and eggs, so my sweet tooth is looking for a worthy replacement. Currently, I'm doing my best to avoid these products when able, but it's quite difficult. This is why I'm still not a vegan.

5. Once you've eliminated all of the things above, you will finally be a vegan, or at least in the diet. Most people that label themselves as a vegan carry this over into all aspects of their life. They won't consume anything that comes from animals, like leather, honey or beeswax, wool, feathers, etc. That's a little more... intense. For now, I'm just going to focus on health, therefore my diet. One day I'm sure I can accomplish this, but for now, keeping myself a vegetarian, while leaning towards vegan options when possible, will give me the best results possible.

Not everyone will be able to attempt this, consider this, or even achieve this. Either way, I'm very grateful for those that have, or are even making small changes that will better their own lives and those around them. My mother told me that sometimes, people have the information they need, but until it becomes a necessity, like a health scare (such as myself) or because someone important to you is affected by it, we tend to not be willing to change. The current pleasures are just too good to let go until you are forced to change because there's no other choice.

I don't want to wait until I have no other choice, and I did get a wake-up call to take action... part of me wishes I had done it sooner. Which stage will you find yourself in when the time comes to make the change needed? When you want to, or when you have to? The only person in your way is you.