If this is to be an honest blog about a family becoming vegan then I have to address falling off the wagon. I also need to address what is to have boundaries and what it is to cheat. There is a difference. Despite what some vegans may say.
Boundaries are an easier and more important concept to start with since it is probably the first thing I had to commit to before I became vegan. The term vegan is referring to a lifestyle of rejecting and eliminating animal products –meat, leather, honey, and etc. It is a lifestyle that follows a philosophy that no animal should suffer and man can live with the earth and not against it. That being said . . . there are levels and one can be veganish.
Leather and fur are huge no-no in the vegan community. I personally do not wear fur or even like how it looks. I do like leather so now I have to create my boundaries. I have made a choice not to purchase any leather from the day I became vegan but I do not feel it necessary to throw out any of my leather shoes or leather purses. My husband and I just realized out new car came with leather seats and felt a little weird about that. If I were to overhaul it all I would explode so I am choosing to make small choices now and grow with my new lifestyle. I am also keeping the vintage 1950’s mink hat my parents bought me as a gift –it was a gift and I do not throw out presents.
Sweetener leaves more grey area. True Vegan options are agave (which is wonderful), corn syrup (which I use sparingly), maple syrup (which is expensive), turbindo or raw sugar, or sugar from sugar beets. Regular old cane sugar goes through a filtration process that involves animal bone char. Not all companies do this and I would have to do some research to know who does. I do not observe this rule yet and I would not judge a vegan who did. It can be argued that you are not consuming animal product but passively allowing it to be part of the process. This is my boundary but that may change. It is okay for boundaries to change and evolve with the lifestyle. Honey is another issue with sweeteners. Bees love making honey and it does not hurt a bee to take the honey so I still consume honey. A true vegan would say no way but I am not quite there yet and that is okay.
Artificial sweeteners are never okay. This is not because I am a vegan but because I do not want cancer.
Alcohol can also be tricky. I like to say “Alcohol, always cruelty free!” But that is not true. As with sugar, some filtration processes involve animal char. The same logic can be used that since the ingredient is not animal product that it is still okay to consume. I am quite comfortable with this because I loves my wine and I really loves my local wine. No producer of fine wine or spirits has to prove their “veganess” to me
Do not get me started on finding products not tested on animals . . . it is shockingly hard and I have decided to dedicate year 2 of being vegan to that.
It’s is a journey and a lifelong commitment so I need to stay focused on the boundaries I create. Starting slowly and evolving at my own pace is putting me where I need to be and setting me up for success.
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| I promise this is my beautiful vegan sushi wrapped in collard greens. |
A confession
I cheated this weekend. On Friday I made some vegan sushi and it was delicious. It was so delicious that I wanted to take it to the next level. I was just not sure what that next level might be. I love sushi and actually do crave it. My husband and I actually made the trip out to buy sushi grade tuna, Krab (it was faux),and smoked salmon. This was straight up cheating and it happens.
I also cheated a week ago when we went to my favorite Greek restaurant. I assumed I could find a vegan item but could not and went with my old ‘fave –Chicken Souvlaki. I am not going to lie. . . It was as good as I remembered. It will be hard finding new ‘faves and saying goodbye to old comfort food. My life may be me eating this occasionally. The thought of cutting out certain thins brings me panic attacks . . . for now. As I grow with my diet I know it will get easier and cheating will not be necessary.
I am a fairly new vegan and I still see things that I want. I miss cheese and Greek yogurt. I am bombarded by images of fast food that I know is poison but it looks so tasty. I am still new to many decisions and have to do so much research sometimes to make a decision. It can get hard and I get overwhelmed. I have to remember this is a lifelong commitment and I have time to explore, grow and say goodbye to old habits. I may cheat today but I probably won’t tomorrow.
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