We've gone vegan!

Our vegan adventure began on 2/15/2010. We decided to watch the movie Food Inc. I could have watched it months ago, but I had to put off watching it until I was ready. I'd hate to say a movie impacted a huge lifestyle change, but it did.
I haven't eaten red meat or pork for about 16 years, but I somehow accepted that chicken and turkey were fine for me to eat. I should have changed my ways a long time ago and I probably would have avoided a nasty case of Salmonella in 2001-the result of eating grilled chicken that touched uncooked chicken juice.

I'm not going to use this blog to get political or try to preach being vegan because I believe people can decide for themselves what they want to eat.
I have always allowed myself to eat anything I wanted. I have a penchant for junk food. This bad lifestyle got me through day to day without much illness, but I certainly didn't have much energy. And, I have been constantly battling my weight, due to my poor food choices. I am excited for being vegan because I can't just grab something to go or not take a second to think about what I am putting in my mouth. I have to read labels and be more conscious of what I am eating. It requires a huge commitment from yourself to stop eating things you are so accustomed to eating. I have found a lot of great alternatives for my normal go-to foods:
Light dairy yogurt: Soy yogurt
Skim milk: Silk vanilla soy milk
Chicken and turkey: Tofu and Seitan
Cheese: Must find some vegan cheese that is good!

I have decided that this adventure to me is about being more accountable for what I eat and also about becoming healthier. I have not had a diet coke in over a week. The longest I have gone without diet coke is 6 months. I've needed to give up soda for a long time, but never found something I enjoyed enough as a replacement. My diet coke replacement is Passport pomegranate citrus twist green tea, which is available for purchase in bulk from the coffee counter at Luci's Healthy Marketplace. I love it so much that I do not miss diet coke at all! Luci's has the iced tea available by the cup as their 'house iced tea'. I highly recommend trying it.

This week, I'll be reviewing new recipes and talking about my 1st week being vegan. I am a creature of habit, but I am hoping to open my food horizons and expand my recipe catalog.