Vegging Out!

It’s been over a year now that I cut meat out of my diet.  20% was for health, 30% was for the environment and the disgrace that is factory farming, and the remaining 50% was for animal welfare. Now I’m not going to get all “holier than thou” and start meat/leather shaming while I sit here in my blue suede Pumas, but animals are just too cute to eat. I do still eat fish and shellfish, mainly because of the ease of access living on an abundant coastline, and frankly because I don’t find them as cute. I know that’s shallow, pun intended. Veganism is probably not too far away, but right now I’m living day to day.

The decision came quickly and surprisingly easy. I started by giving up pork, which to those who know me well may seem like I’ve flat out lost my mind, but I started by going big and I haven’t looked back. Kelly hasn’t eaten beef in over 25 years, so for me, my only beef outlet was a burger every now and again along with the rare instance that I may order a steak in a restaurant or grill some at home. I thought chicken might be hard only because it’s such a blank canvas to a chef and I had become quite proficient at roasting them, but once I stopped, I stopped. All of the other edible critters were not even an issue, so there’s not much to say about them.

The question often arises, “So what do you eat, and how do you get protein?” I didn’t walk into this blindly and after doing a great deal of research, I found there is a bunch of plant-based protein in the food supply. We do eat a bunch of tofu, tempeh, legumes, and leafy greens and we feel very satisfied. By not having a meat-based protein as the centerpiece of every meal, it makes me get really creative in the kitchen and I find that the variety of veggies we eat has greatly increased. Nutritionists say to eat a rainbow of vegetables to make sure that all vitamins and minerals become available to your body. I like to cook foods with a variety of tastes and textures so not to get “palate fatigue” and to not be completely bored with eating the same things all the time. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese cuisines play a key role.

I really don’t want to touch on the topics of factory farming, soil depletion, Monsanto, Big Food, ketchup is a vegetable, and the government nutritional pyramid because I’m in a pretty good mood today and I don’t feel like getting all fired up. I’ll save that for another day.

It was a personal decision to venture down this path. The more I learn about animals I feel that we are all much more connected than I previously thought or wanted to admit. They have thoughts, feelings, and family bonds much like us. “The Cove”, “Blackfish”, and Susan Casey’s book “Voices in the Ocean” were tragic eye-openers for me along with Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” Compassion is a feeling that has consumed me in recent years and I can’t imagine bringing harm, directly or indirectly, to animals. I donate money to Farm Sanctuary, follow Edgar’s Mission online, and read Onegreenplanet.com every day. This is only the beginning of my journey.

Ciao down,

Penn