What the heck is it?
First of all, I just want to say that I hate calling it vegan. I like to say we are a plant based-whole foods eating family, and I have a couple of reasons why. We can't say we are vegan because when we decided to cut out all meat and all dairy I didn't go through all my cabinets and start purging our house of animal tested products or products containing animal elements. I am still trying to decide where I stand on shampoo and soap and all of that. ALSO I don't know where I stand on honey which is not vegan. We are also not opposed to having a little bit of cheese and milk in food if it means we can go to a restaurant and sit down, eat, and fellowship with loved ones. We aren't bringing animal products into our home though. The reason I include whole foods is because we are trying to stick to foods that are as CLOSE to natural form as possible. The means that I shop in the produce aisle, the dairy aisle for soy/almond products, and the world foods aisle. That is about it.
How did this happen?
The title of my blog is so appropriate. We really were not expecting this drastic change in lifestyle. We have been looking for a while to change the way we eat and we had tried small things- counting calories, clean eating, etc. but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we were going to cut out all animal products. It started because Jamie and I were watching a documentary on food called "Hungry for Change". We love watching documentaries so we had just scrolled through Netflix and picked one. After the film was over Jamie became so convicted. I could tell our lifestyle was really bothering him when he woke up the next morning and basically asked me to send a salad to work with him. With no cheese. With no ranch. After that we watched two more documentaries and read up on everything we could. Everything pointed at a plant based-whole foods diet.
So what's the big deal?
So what really did it for us? Why did we decide to give up meat and dairy? I, as a Christian, have always said "God put meat on the earth for a reason" and it is true He did. In this specific documentary when asked the same thing a rep from christianveg.org said "In the Garden of Eden all Adam and Eve ate were fruits and vegetables. It wasn't till the fall of man that we started to eat meat. God originally intended for us to eat plants." Now I know what some of you are thinking "Oh nu uh! She did NOT just condemn me to hell for eating meat" well I don't condemn anyone for eating meat. I know that Jamie and I have made a radical change that only we can make and live by. I would, however like to explain to you our perspective a little more. We personally believe that after the fall of man God provided animals as clothing and food for man. You see, after the fall of man it would become difficult for man to grow plants and the ground would be tough and hard to work. Animals could provide clothing during the colder months while providing man with a little fat to get him through till his next crop. In this day and age we are super blessed because we have access to vegetation, seeds, nuts, and beans ALL year round. Therefore Jamie and I don't really see the need to eat meat or animal products. Here are some common questions that we have been asked...hopefully it helps fill in the spaces a little.
Didn't God give man domain over the animals? Yes. He certainly did. And we do not think that pumping them full of hormones falls in that category. We also hate their unnatural living environment and how mistreated they are. Did you know that in egg farm factories, male chics are put through a grinder. Alive. Because they have no use of them but to grind them up and put them in animal feed. I could keep going about how animals are kept and treated but you can go to youtube and find out yourself.
Well what about free range? Free range is actually a pretty loose term. Animals are still kept in a defined space and fed the food given to them from workers. We could go to a local farm and pick out a cow to share with someone but honestly it really is just cheaper for us at this point to eat plant based foods.
Where do you get your protein from? I think this is the most COMMON lie that America has bought into: you can't get protein unless you eat meat. It just isn't true. Green veggies, soy, beans, nuts all provide a great amount of protein. It is just a matter of being aware of the protein and incorporating it into every meal. Have you ever seen a gorilla? An ox? A hippo? Herbivores that get protein :)
Aren't you hungry? Nope! We do not count calories and if we start to feel a little hungry we eat. All five of us Hagers probably eat/snack 6 times a day (except Jamie who works and just stuffs his face when he gets home :}) without any exercising Jamie has lost 4 lbs a week and I (being a woman) have lost 1.5. Just eating habits alone. We feel great and haven't regretted our choice for a minute.
So now you are tree hugging hippies who want to free all the animals? LOL okay so no one has asked me that. BUT I know some of you are thinking it. We aren't just all about the animals. Statistics and research show that plant based foods lower cholesterol and promote a healthy heart. You can watch Forks over Knives to see all the amazing stats that show that a meatless diet is better!
Do you miss meat? We really do not. Sometimes we miss cheese. As Jamie would say "I just don't want to eat dead flesh anymore.
Well what is wrong with dairy? Taking milk from cows can't hurt them? The cows that give us milk are not only in poor living circumstances but are artificially inseminated so they keep having babies to keep producing milk. They are not able to keep their calves or nurture them in a natural way. Some calves are ripped out of their mothers and taken to be raised as veal. The cows are over milked until they are deemed worthless. Once again we could take the time to find a farm that does the milk thing right-but soy/almond milk is cheaper and full of great benefits.
SO I know I just threw a lot at you but here are some things that you should know.
Jamie and I DO NOT think any less of anyone who eats meat or dairy. We don't expect everyone to be as radical as us. There are many ways to make a change in your life: meatless Mondays, buy organic, purchase a grass fed cow with someone, buy local eggs. All of that is amazing and props to you if you are making little changes like that in your lives! I personally just wanted to answer questions people may have. We are not trying to convert people-just educate them.
Yes, you can still invite us over/out for dinner : } If you need ideas just let me know or I can bring the tofu ;) Since we live in the middle of nowhere, IN we may compromise at a restaurant every once in a while.
The hardest part has been preparing everything from scratch. I am starting to get it down to a science now! It just takes a lot of reading. READ READ READ!
If you have any questions just ask! Thanks for reading my blog and taking the time to hear what us Hagers are up to.I would like to thank our friends and our family because you have been such a great support to us and it has really helped with the transition :)
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