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To be vegan or not to be vegan; that is the question that I'm asking myself at this particular junction in my life.
To say that the decision to become vegan for a 3-month trial basis was flippant and not-well-thought-out is an understatement. But when I commit to something, the deal is done and set in stone. To say that I thought I would fall on my face is also an understatement. I had plastic surgeons saved in my favorites. (I kid)
Food is such a personal thing. What we eat - what nourishes us - what we choose to put into our bodies should never be something that is judged by others. It should wholly be judged by ourselves before we decide to chow down. This is the main thing that I've learned throughout this process.
I've stalked more labels, googled more 5 syllable ingredients and have opened Pandora's Box on many of my past favorite foods than I care to mention. Think: do you really know what's in McDonald's French fries? A good piece of advice that I learned from another blogger was that the best way to look at your food is to make sure that there are as few ingredients as possible. Also, be sure that you can pronounce each ingredient listed. With that piece of advice, I felt that I was adequately armed to go out and eat responsibly.
Once you start to realize that food in America is gross and that half the food we eat is banned in other countries, you begin to see the world in a new light. Also, once you realize that the same company that produces the same cereal (for example) in the US uses GMO ingredients but doesn't use them in let's say Europe, you start to get angry. (Looking at you, Honey Nut Cheerios) Why does my government think it is okay for me to eat GMO cereal while the European government says that it is not okay.
I live in an urban (read: black) neighborhood in Brooklyn. In order to get fresh food, vegan food or something that wasn't fried, slathered in oil or remotely healthy, I had to venture out at least 30 minutes away from home. Is that fair? No. Why is it that people in Crown Heights don't get access to affordable healthy food but the people in Park Slope do? When I go to Park Slope, I see my people (read: black) there eating well. Also, have you noticed the amount of Kennedy Fried Chicken (fake chicken mongers) in urban neighborhoods but never are they found outside. Why is that?
I also learned how to dial back the crazy because really? What can I do? I'm only one person. Before 3 months ago, I loved me a beef patty with cheese and pepperoni from the fake chicken mongers. I had to want better for myself. In this day and age, the information we seek on any topic is literally right at our fingertips. It took a serious medical condition (ugly eczema) for me to be at the end of my rope for my eyes to be opened and to really examine what I eat and where it comes from and what I eat eats and where that come from.
So, I'm doing what I can...sharing my story with whomever will read it. I urge anyone reading this to really examine what you're eating and why? Does what you eat really give you nutrition? Is it helping your body run better? Why do you eat what you eat? What the next chapter of it holds, I'm still unsure. I know that it won't include McDonald's French fries.
Stay tuned for more...
