February went too quick, and it's time to return to the world of omnivores with new recipes and lessons of eating consciously.
My last few posts about Going Vegan have been pessimistic, outlining the difficulties and missed opportunities, so I'll keep it positive in my summation.
I feel great.
Vegans get a lot of flack for being self-righteous boasters, and it makes sense. At first, I thought their gloating was a defense mechanism, steeling their resolve when faced with no meal options, judgement from the omnivores, or the confusing cravings for cheese, eggs, or the forbidden meat.
In truth, the gloating might be a poorly communicated challenge for you to try it and feel better. Eating vegan isn't easy, asking you to give up what you love for self-improvement isn't any easier.
It's hard for me to quantify how or why I feel better, because in addition to this diet, I've been exercising more.
Mid-February, SB's coworkers and I completed Insanity, a two-month "total body conditioning program." This week, we started a P90X-Insanity hybrid program. Since going vegan, the benefits of working out are much more apparent.
I feel in-shape. My body's putting on muscle quicker. I have more energy. We don't have a scale, so I don't know if I lost any weight. If I did, I'm sure it was negligible.
Exercising, for me, is about feeling better. This diet helped. It will be interesting to see how this might change when animal products, and all their proteins, get reintroduced to my body.
Going vegan was easy and fun for me, but not so much for SB. I hardly experienced any temptations to cheat the diet around our apartment. In the working world, she had to confront the stigmas and temptations of her eating habits daily.
For SB, going omnivore will be a welcomed return to normal. For me, it will be a return to the old way, but it also begins another, more personal challenge.
Being a vegetarian has been a large part of my identity as an adult. I haven't eaten meat in my twenties. I started this diet when I left home for college. I'll no longer be part of that proud club of heightened-awareness eaters called vegetarians. Guess they'll be asking for my badge and gun carrot peeler soon.
Identity issues aside, I'm excited to shrug off the dietary restrictions. Just like going vegan or vegetarian, there will be a learning curve to returning omnivore. I will no longer skip past the meat section at grocery stores with my nose in the air. A tall order to enjoy real sushi for the first time or pulled-pork sandwiches again.
The real reason I'm going back omnivore is in preparation for the road. Eating vegetarian is possible but difficult, especially where we might go. Plus, I don't want to miss out on truly experiencing a culture through their food.
Some of the more vivid stories SB's coworkers have from the road are of the foods they ate, none of which were vegetarian. Eating weird is a badge of honor for people on the road. If you can say that you ate guinea pig, dog, turtle blood tea, pigs hooves, or any other foreign delicacies, you're a welcomed member of the club. I want to be a member of that club.
From now on, my diet will be semi-vegetarian. I might keep it up day-to-day, eating meat on special occasions and weekends. I might come back to being vegetarian or even vegan after the road, but I doubt it. After the road, we'll try to start our own family, and maintaining a diet will be the last of my worries.
Looking back, going vegan was a great decision. I have new found respect for people who can maintain it, despite all the cravings and missed opportunities. I am thankful that it taught me how certain foods can fuel our bodies better or different than readily available dairy, egg, and meat products. Most of all, I'm glad we completed the challenge. The omnivore's world is available to us now, and already we're over saturated with options.
Looking back, going vegan was a great decision. I have new found respect for people who can maintain it, despite all the cravings and missed opportunities. I am thankful that it taught me how certain foods can fuel our bodies better or different than readily available dairy, egg, and meat products. Most of all, I'm glad we completed the challenge. The omnivore's world is available to us now, and already we're over saturated with options.
Recipes:
ReplyDeleteThe "lessons of eating conciously" seem key. Just giving a little thought to what you are doing/eating is satisfying. This helps you appreciate it all the more.
As mentioned previously, some top endurance athletes have turned to vegan diets in their training and lifestyle. That is telling of potential benefits, as these guys/gal are much in tune with their health.
Regarding Vegans getting flack for self-righteousness etc - I wasn't really aware of that, but I don't run in hipster circles. Just kidding.
The Vegan aspect that people have hard time relating with is the hidden meat/egg/dairy by-products in a food -for example the beers being considered non-vegan.
A bit ironic that Lent is going on, and some people are giving up things such as meat. In the quest for a healthy balance, it is helpful at times to experience an extreme - and to give something up for a while. I hope at some point this summer to to unplug from electronics in non-work life - internet monitoring, TV etc. All about getting a balance.
See the ball be the ball. homanahomanahomana.
Anyway, congrats to both of you. Sounds like a good experience.