Sunday, December 16, 2012

Vegan Diaries: Post #1

So it's been a little over a week of veganism. 
So far, relatively good. 

I started to miss meat and yoghurt and chocolate and eggs as of a few days ago. I don't normally drink milk, and ice-cream is usually once in a blue moon, but I'm missing my chocolate fix, and my grilled chicken or stir-fry beef, and boy am I missing eggs for breakfast. 

I know there are vegan alternatives for all of these,  but more often than not, they're incredibly hard to find, they taste terrible or they're expensive. I've found a great vegan alternative for chocolate, but it's fairly expensive for the tiny block you receive. But it tastes pretty great. For close to four dollars, though, I can eat the entire block in about two bites. Not worth it.

I've also realised that despite the fact that I truthfully have not eaten meat since last Thursday, I've actually had egg and dairy products several times. I had a stir-fry (tofu stir-fry, actually) on Tuesday, only to find that the noodles it was served with also came with bits of fried egg. Since my day had already been so terrible and hectic (it's a long story, but I spent my whole day beside my mother in hospital) and I was absolutely starving, I ate the stuff anyway. I know, I'm sorry.

To make things worse, PMS has seen my chocolate cravings sky rocket. Over the past three days I've found myself sneaking morsels of chocolate to sudbue the cravings, arguing that it's only a small piece and I'm only eating it because it's in the house already- I wouldn't buy it from the store, gosh no. As if that makes it any better. I think mum also put milk in the lentil curry she made tonight. And I ate that too.

Speaking of my mum, she's really really not a fan of this whole vegan thing. I mean, don't get me wrong, my mum doesn't endorse the horrific torture of animals either, she just feels that healthy and strong people really need meat, and she's worried about my wellbeing. As horrible as it sounds, she says that animals were designed to be eaten by humans, and in a way it's true. But I know that neither she nor I would ever kill an animal, even if we were going to starve. If mum had to slaughter her own meat, she'd be vegan too, I reckon. I dare say most of the world would be. 
My mum and my sister are not encouraging or supporting my vegan efforts. They just want me to eat meat again, because so far, being vegan is a little bit of a hassle. I have to buy seperate groceries and cook my own meals, because no one else in my house will buy vegan food or cook a vegan meal. And that's okay, I don't expect them to, but what I'm saying is that it's not very easy or practical. 

I don't think veganism is going to work for me. Not at this stage at least. I'm going to try to stick it out until at least the end of this week, and if I do decide to resort back to normal eating, I think it's safe to say my eating habits will definitely have changed.
I'll be buying vegan whenever possible- that means opting for vegan or vegetarian meals when out, and buying vegan groceries whenever they're on sale, or when I see the stuff I know and like. I'll be eating much more fruit and veg, to fill myself up so that I'm less inclined to eat dairy or meat, and I think if I do eat meat again, it will be in very small portions and very very rarely. 
I just don't think I can forget about what I saw in that video, and simply continue on consuming meat and dairy products without a care in the world. 

Maybe after altering my eating habits, further down the track I can have another crack at veganism, and perhaps it will be easier for me, while also being practical with my lifestyle. I hope so.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted. X. 

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