My brief, but honorably gratifying bout with veganism
By: Becca French
“It’s not easy being green.” A sentiment that is true for Kermit and anyone who has tried being vegan or vegetarian. It is not easy being a vegetarian and limiting your diet to select food groups, and the vegan lifestyle can reduce your choices to fruit or vegetables.
I have had personal experience with both of these restricting diets at some point in my life and so have many other Americans.
According to Vegetarian Resource Group, over 7.3 million Americans are currently vegetarian and over 22.8 million followed a “vegetarian-inclined diet.”
When I first decided to be vegetarian, it was not based on my love of animals. Although my initial reasoning was sparked after viewing a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) video about where hamburgers come from, I decided a vegetarian lifestyle was a healthy decision.
And according to Vegetarian Research Group, I am not alone. Over 53% of Americans are vegetarian for overall health reasons and 49% are sited for weight loss or weight maintenance reasons. 54% live a vegetarian lifestyle for animal welfare concerns.
Initially I took this as a challenge to my character. I have never been a red meat eater, so I did not think it would be too difficult to additionally avoid chicken and fish. At first I started with a simple increase in my fruit and vegetable intake. I stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies, salads, and frozen fruits.
As a vegetarian it was not difficult sticking to my regular bowl of cereal for breakfast and a salad for lunch, but when it came to dinner, I found myself making some sort of stir-fry or a salad almost every night. Nutritionally, there was no problem with the decisions I was making, but after a while my diet became too planned out and bland.
That was when I discovered Boca burgers and meat substitutes as a great source of supplemental protein and a way to make simple vegetables taste more interesting. Hummus and tofu quickly became my diet companions and I maintained vegetarianism for over a year.
According to Vegetarian Research Group, 59% of females and 41% of males are vegetarians. Over 40% of 18 to 35 year olds are vegetarian with 57% of people being vegetarian for more than ten years.
The most challenging part of a restricting diet is going out to eat with friends and family. When my dad would want to go to the Steakhouse for dinner, there were very little meat free options and I would often find myself with a side salad and the basket of rolls.
After a year and a half of an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, I decided to challenge myself even further. I took my dietary restrictions one step further and became vegan: cutting out all animal products such as eggs, milk, yogurt and honey. I knew it would be a challenge, but after a year of experience with no meat, I figured I could switch to soymilk and egg substitutes without any issue. I was wrong.
Eating out became much more of a challenge because I was limited to basic fruits and vegetables when restaurants did not have tofu or soy options. I also realized quickly that I could no longer rely on bread or pizza as a choice because they contain eggs.
After about a week or so I found myself lacking nutrition and resorting to unhealthy foods like candy and fruit smoothies as my caloric intake. Boca burgers were even eliminated because a majority of vegetarian meat substitutes do not accommodate for the egg and milk free limitations of veganism.
As I discovered more vegan friendly options, my diet became less of a challenge, but I did notice a change in my eating habits and subsequently my health.
According to PETA, only 2.5% of Americans are completely vegan and 33% eat a mostly vegetable based diet, showing the increase in alternative eating style trends.
After three months of a vegan diet, I realized my health was being hindered more than it benefited, so I returned once more to a vegetarian lifestyle where I was able to find more substantive protein supplements.
For my lifestyle, and as I was entering college, I found it much more convenient to stick to a vegetarian diet, especially with the limited options of dining halls and restaurants on campus. I discovered more vegetarian friendly restaurants and grocery stores in Milwaukee, such as Whole Foods, Gloriosos and Milwaukee Public Market that had healthy options.
I maintained an ovo-vegetarian diet, until the spring of freshman year, when on my birthday my father gave me an ultimatum of eating pork or eating nothing at all. After four years of an on-and-off vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, I felt I had satisfied the testament to my willpower and I ate that pork. It seems futile that I so easily gave up something that I challenged myself to do for so long, but after four years of fruits and veggies, I would say it was worth it.
“It’s not easy being green.” A sentiment that is true for Kermit and anyone who has tried being vegan or vegetarian. It is not easy being a vegetarian and limiting your diet to select food groups, and the vegan lifestyle can reduce your choices to fruit or vegetables.
I have had personal experience with both of these restricting diets at some point in my life and so have many other Americans.
According to Vegetarian Resource Group, over 7.3 million Americans are currently vegetarian and over 22.8 million followed a “vegetarian-inclined diet.”
When I first decided to be vegetarian, it was not based on my love of animals. Although my initial reasoning was sparked after viewing a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) video about where hamburgers come from, I decided a vegetarian lifestyle was a healthy decision.
And according to Vegetarian Research Group, I am not alone. Over 53% of Americans are vegetarian for overall health reasons and 49% are sited for weight loss or weight maintenance reasons. 54% live a vegetarian lifestyle for animal welfare concerns.
Initially I took this as a challenge to my character. I have never been a red meat eater, so I did not think it would be too difficult to additionally avoid chicken and fish. At first I started with a simple increase in my fruit and vegetable intake. I stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies, salads, and frozen fruits.
As a vegetarian it was not difficult sticking to my regular bowl of cereal for breakfast and a salad for lunch, but when it came to dinner, I found myself making some sort of stir-fry or a salad almost every night. Nutritionally, there was no problem with the decisions I was making, but after a while my diet became too planned out and bland.
That was when I discovered Boca burgers and meat substitutes as a great source of supplemental protein and a way to make simple vegetables taste more interesting. Hummus and tofu quickly became my diet companions and I maintained vegetarianism for over a year.
According to Vegetarian Research Group, 59% of females and 41% of males are vegetarians. Over 40% of 18 to 35 year olds are vegetarian with 57% of people being vegetarian for more than ten years.
The most challenging part of a restricting diet is going out to eat with friends and family. When my dad would want to go to the Steakhouse for dinner, there were very little meat free options and I would often find myself with a side salad and the basket of rolls.
After a year and a half of an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, I decided to challenge myself even further. I took my dietary restrictions one step further and became vegan: cutting out all animal products such as eggs, milk, yogurt and honey. I knew it would be a challenge, but after a year of experience with no meat, I figured I could switch to soymilk and egg substitutes without any issue. I was wrong.
Eating out became much more of a challenge because I was limited to basic fruits and vegetables when restaurants did not have tofu or soy options. I also realized quickly that I could no longer rely on bread or pizza as a choice because they contain eggs.
After about a week or so I found myself lacking nutrition and resorting to unhealthy foods like candy and fruit smoothies as my caloric intake. Boca burgers were even eliminated because a majority of vegetarian meat substitutes do not accommodate for the egg and milk free limitations of veganism.
As I discovered more vegan friendly options, my diet became less of a challenge, but I did notice a change in my eating habits and subsequently my health.
According to PETA, only 2.5% of Americans are completely vegan and 33% eat a mostly vegetable based diet, showing the increase in alternative eating style trends.
After three months of a vegan diet, I realized my health was being hindered more than it benefited, so I returned once more to a vegetarian lifestyle where I was able to find more substantive protein supplements.
For my lifestyle, and as I was entering college, I found it much more convenient to stick to a vegetarian diet, especially with the limited options of dining halls and restaurants on campus. I discovered more vegetarian friendly restaurants and grocery stores in Milwaukee, such as Whole Foods, Gloriosos and Milwaukee Public Market that had healthy options.
I maintained an ovo-vegetarian diet, until the spring of freshman year, when on my birthday my father gave me an ultimatum of eating pork or eating nothing at all. After four years of an on-and-off vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, I felt I had satisfied the testament to my willpower and I ate that pork. It seems futile that I so easily gave up something that I challenged myself to do for so long, but after four years of fruits and veggies, I would say it was worth it.