The past week or so I have been able to establish my vegan eating patterns in sort of a slef-supported vacuum. I didn't hang out with any vegans, I didn't really talk to anyone who was for or against my new vegan experiment. Which made everything go pretty smoothly. Boyfriend was at a conference for a week so that gave him some time to "prepare" and for me to assure that I wasn't going to force him to become vegan as well. So it's been nice. I could look up online articles on vegan topics, no one at worked cared one way or the other about my eating habits, and I've been too busy to hang out with anyone who would need me to explain anything in detail.
I got to meet up with my parents earlier today. Since I was a vegetarian before I was used to the constant questions about my health, if I'm getting enough vitamins, etc. My mom has been trying to lose weight but it's usually dependent on quackery medicine and rumors of magical diets where if you don't eat at a certain time you will magically lose weight. So today my delightful vaccumm was broken. I had to explain that I'm fine, I get enough vitamins and that while we will have them over for a BBQ I'm not eating any meat. That's going to be fun...
As I thought more about it, I realized that the concern about health with a vegan diet is a funny question in a country where 30% of population is obese. Of course everyone know the healthy alternative but no one really follows it. My first or second post on this blog did have a non-flattering picture of an overweight group of people harrassing a healthy looking group of vegans. Really? You are worried about my nutrition? Of course there are a ton of unhealthy vegans.
One of my concerns was becoming one of them. After all, I am not particularly organized, or a good cook or manage my time well. And a real balanced vegan diet requires all of those thing - planning, cooking, making sure you have the time to think things through. Though what I have come away is - don't be dumb. If you think you can be vegan on processed ramen and canned soup - rethink that plan. They serve as good alternative when you don't have any time or resources but the amount of salt and chemicals is not really something that your body wants to process. Tofu and soy products are great - however there is estrogen in some processed soy products so variety has been key for me even though it's way easier to just heat up some fake meat made with soy protein.
Today was also a bit tough since I wanted to get a blood screen for anything terrible in my body and analyze any vitamin deficiencies.
I am also hoping that things like "raw vegan" are not lumped together with what I consider vegan. Raw diet is based on a flawed idea that somehow you need enzymes from foods that are destroyed by the cooking process. This ignores the acids in your stomach that break down everything, including enzymes. This causes people like this to be in the news and say how their "vegan" diet made them sick. When in fact, unscientific and rediculous diet made them sick, not the absence of animal products. Raw vegan is not the same as vegan.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/how-our-vegan-diet-made-us-ill-848322.html
I guess while I was expecting the questions and concerns from the meat eating public, I wasn't expecting to see "raw vegan" touted as an improvement or evoulution of vegan. In a way, I consider it a mutation. Granted many people can thrive on it. But it has no scientific bases what so ever. And in that respect belongs with the "milk makes your bones stronger" myth.
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