“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” ~ Paul McCartney.
Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! It's been five years since my blog titled: 'A Foolproof Guide to Vegan or Not to Vegan' and figured I'd update everyone on my decision whether or not if I'd still go vegan in hopes of gradually eliminating meats and diary products from my diet which is still a yes on my end but with some obstacles. I’ve been looking into the health benefits of going vegan or rather plant-based and have been intrigued by the lifestyle. In the beginning, I’ve heard celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Serena Williams, and another athlete doing the 22 day vegan challenge. Which had gotten me very curious on what the health benefits of going vegan if I ever went down that route, and the first book I read about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle was Kathy Freston, I’ve found an article on Vanity Fair titled: ‘The Vegan Monologue’ that you can read at your own leisure! I have two vegetarian cookbooks for the crockpot and a Frugal Vegan: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Vegan Cooking by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee. There’s another book I’ve seen on Instagram called ‘Vegan Reset: The 28-Day Plan to Kickstart Your Healthy Lifestyle‘ by Kim-Julie Hansen and I hope to find this book at the Queens Public Library so I can make some meals from the cookbook. I am open to trying something different since I grew up eating meats and I feel like I could use a healthy change. I intend on taking baby steps and begin this journey with Meatless Monday then work my way up to two days then three days then four days and so on with a plant-based diet. The curiosity has gotten the best of me and it’s going to be an interesting journey when I go on social gathering with friends and/or family or even when I go on dates. From the few conversations I’ve had with friends, not many of them are willing to try plant-based for whatever reason they have and I don’t know if it’s fear or pure ignorance of not liking the food or whatever reason, however, I cannot speak for them because it’s not my job to speak for them. I’m open to trying something different. I figured I'd start with this 10 day green smoothie cleanse before taking on the 22-Day Vegan Challenge and see how my experience goes from there. Before anyone asks what my experience was like, my response to your question is every person's experience is different and outcome is much different than the next person. This type may or may not be suitable for everyone's dietary needs or interests and I'm doing this for health, put an end to animal suffering, and for environmental reasons. Before I go on with this blog, I still yet have to try the Delverde - Fusilli with Chickpeas; Delverdi - Penne Rigate with Flax Seeds; and Barilla - Penne: Red Lentil that I had bought from Shop Rite a little over a month ago but I'm open to trying these types of vegan pastas. I'm going to either make some homemade vegan sauce or buy some Barilla sauce from BJ’s Wholesale Club.
-Netflix; Tubi; and YouTube-
“My own view is that being a vegetarian or a vegan is not an end to itself, but a means towards reducing both human and animal suffering and leaving a habitable planet to future generations.” ~ Peter Singer
I've been watching documentaries on both Netflix; Tubi; and YouTube along with other forms of research for this blog. This includes videos on how animals are being slaughtered for food; clothing; leather; and furniture. I’ve found three articles on vegan fashion: Why You Should Care About Vegan Beauty; PETA: These Eco, Vegan-Friendly Clothing Brands Belong In Your Closet; and LA Times: LA’s Vegan Fashion Week Showcases Stylish, Cruelty-free creativity for your own reading leisure. You can see the fear in these animals’ eyes and it’s no joke but I don’t necessarily agree with slaughtering animals for food and clothing. However, if you say that you “love” animals and rescue animals, then what are you putting on your plates at meal time and into your bodies? Hypocrite much? I’m not saying that I agree or disagree on peoples dietary choices and find your own reasons why you’d go plant-based. I personally want to go vegan because I choose vegan for health reasons because I’ve always been a yo-yo dieter and my weight always fluctuates. That’s one of my personal reasons and my second reason is to end animal suffering. Most people would say going vegan/plant-based will be a costly way of life and I’m very skeptical of that statement but I am looking to spend several months looking into it between buying meats verses going plant-based. In my opinion, I think meats are more expensive because you’re paying by the pound and I would have to calculate what I’ve spent when the time comes. In the end, I have noticed the difference between consuming meats and doing the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse. For example: I’ve noticed that I’ve felt meh, sluggish, and lethargic blah each time I’ve consumed meats. I didn't feel as confident whenever I ate meats and I've always felt intimidated in going vegan because I was and still am worried about what people will think if I were to mention it in conversation. With the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, I’ve noticed a remarkable difference with my energy level rising; I honestly felt energetic, light, sexy, and I loved how it made me feel by the end of the ten days!!! You’d have to figure out what works for you and commit to it for as long as possible. I recently bought Raw Sugar: Simply Hand-wash Cold Press Raw Coconut & Mango from Walgreens around my way, so far, I like it and I also like how it makes my hands smell! It gives me that happy feeling. The documentaries I've watched [so far] were: Forks Over Knives; Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret; What the Health; Game Changers on Netflix; and Earthlings on YouTube. I'm still on the search for any interesting reads on the vegan lifestyle and if you’re an athlete, I would highly recommend Game Changers. So far I've read several books on the health benefits of going vegan. So far, I have two vegetarian cookbooks for the crock pot ('Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker' by Robin Robertson; '125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes' by Judith Finlayson); ‘Frugal Vegan: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Vegan Cooking’ by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee of Well Vegan; and ‘10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose Up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days!’ by JJ Smith. Here are more information on documentaries for you to check out at you own convenience: The 33 Best Vegan Documentaries (Ultimate List); Here Are 8 of the Most Vegan Movies on Netflix; and 4 Things NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT GOING VEGAN - Real + Honest. Here's an additional video I've found on YouTube: Every Argument Against Veganism and I'm the kind of person who would listen to all sides of every argument before drawing my own conclusion.
-Frugal Vegan-
“I got into being vegan because I was simply looking to benefit from being more compassionate. I have since come to learn that it is an animal-based diet that is responsible for the overwhelming majority of cases of cancer, diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, and all kinds of other problems.” ~ Steve-O
Several months ago I had purchased ‘Frugal Vegan: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Vegan Cooking’ by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee of Well Vegan at Queens General Hospital. Since having the book, I’ve made Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce; Minestrone Soup but didn’t have all of the ingredients for this particular dish, and I’ve also made the Sun-Dried Tomato White Bean Hummus. They came out good and I would make this dish again for Meatless Monday. Next dish I hope to make is a Pineapple Fried Rice dish and I’m a fan of pineapples along with fruits that are naturally sweet but I do enjoy chocolates every once in a while when the mood strikes! In the upcoming months when the economy slowly reopens [if it ever does] from the “novel” Corona virus, I hope to stop by at the Farmers’ Market in Union Square for some fruits and produce but I hope the oranges are just as sweet as the oranges I purchase at this Asian supermarket in Flushing, Queens (not far from the 7 train) because the oranges tastes much sweeter than the oranges I purchase at Key Food around my way. But I do want to provide both reading materials and videos that you can read at your own leisure and view these documentaries during your spare time throughout this blog. I do believe that this will educate those interested in a different way of life and develop a healthier way of eating... Before my stepfather’s death in January, he would always say that no one would eat my vegan cooking and he always acted like I forced him at gun point to eat vegan. Truth be told, he was a narrow minded individual who had zero interest of trying anything different and I hope he’s brought plenty of marshmallows where he’s at. If he had tried the vegan challenge then he’d be off his diabetes and other medications if he had gone down that route. I’m just saying but I’m not a doctor and I can’t worry about what other people do with their health. If you’re also looking to trying some face wash, so far I’ve tried the Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash and I have zero complaints about this product since using it! When I worked at K.F.C/Taco Bell in Little Neck, New York, there was a customer (she was a regular customer with her sister and her dad), she would always order a vegetarian/vegan snacks and after a while she began ordering meats but I thought it was odd. She was saying that she missed eating meats and so far she’s the first person out of a small handful of people that I know of who are vegans that missed eating meats. In a way, this blog ties into Public Assistance Resources because of the Farmers Market link.
-Vegan Documentaries-
“I’m killing two bird at once, so to speak. Animal-based diet food kills people. This way, by going vegan... we get healthy and save animals. I’m being selfish, too, because I can get my employees healthier, we cut down sick days and gain more productivity.” ~ Steve Wynn
Here are several links for what you can watch on Netflix; YouTube; and Tubi TV. It’s a great way to educate yourselves on the vegan lifestyles and it may not be suitable for everyone’s dietary needs. You’ll never know who you’ll meet and enter a relationship with someone who is a vegan/vegetarian, so be as open minded as possible.
- The 33 Best Vegan Documentaries (Unlimited List).
- Forks Over Knives.
- Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.
- What the Health.
- Game Changers. A great watch if you’re an athlete!
- Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.
- Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2.
- Planeat.
- PlantPure Nation.
- The Invisible Vegan. A must see for those in the African American community.
- Vegan 2019.
- Every Argument Against Veganism.
- 4 Things NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT GOING VEGAN - Real + Honest.
-Slaughterhouses-
When I first began doing research on the vegan lifestyle but not limited to reading books and articles online, I've also been watching videos on YouTube regarding slaughterhouses. It breaks my heart having to bear witness to slaughtering of animals. I'm also going to include several videos of how animals are slaughtered for food. Viewer discretion is advised for the following videos!
-Reading Material-
Do what you want with the information provided throughout this blog and vegan lifestyle may or may not be for everyone but don't knock it until you try it!!! Best to try it for twenty-one days and see where you are in the end.
Blessed be,
Jennifer
