Vegan

Q: What is Vegan / Veganism?
A: A vegan is someone who chooses not to ingest animals (meat, fish, bird, etc), as well as animal products (dairy, honey, eggs, etc).

Q: Are you Vegan?
A: Yes.

Q: Why?
A: I once went vegan for 2 extended weekends (four days) in a row with friends who were very vegan and knew how to eat a proper balanced meal. It was not only flavorful but I felt amazingly healthy and vibrant after both weekends and that was all the reason I needed!

Q: So you aren’t vegan for moral / ethical reasons?
A: While I agree with some of the points, no, I am vegan sheerly because it makes me feel better internally. Also known as a Dietary Vegan.

Q: Do you still wear leather?
A: Yes, I am not vegan for ethical reasons.

Q: Isn’t a vegan diet unhealthy?
A: As with any diet, a vegan diet requires planning. However, when properly planned, a vegan diet can be considerably healthier than a traditional American diet. In its 1996 position paper on vegetarian diets, the American Dietetic Association reported that vegan and vegetarian diets can significantly reduce one’s risk of contracting heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions.

Cows’ milk contains ideal amounts of fat and protein for young calves, but far too much for humans. And eggs are higher in cholesterol than any other food, making them a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease.

Vegan foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are rich in fiber and nutrients. Vegan’s can get all the protein they need from legumes (e.g., beans, tofu, peanuts) and grains (e.g., rice, corn, whole wheat breads and pastas); calcium from broccoli, kale, collard greens, tofu, fortified juices and soy milks; iron from chickpeas, spinach, pinto beans, and soy products; and B12 from fortified foods or supplements. With planning, a vegan diet can provide all the nutrients we were taught as schoolchildren came only from animal products.

Q: Don’t you need to take protean supplements / vitamin supplements?
A: A properly planned vegan diet has enough protean and vitamins from plants that such supplements are unnecessary.

Q: Isn’t being vegan expensive?
A: There is nothing inherently more expensive about a vegan diet. If a person wants to replicate his/her previous diet with animal analogous, then yes, it can be more expensive to buy veggie burgers, prepared seitan, Rice Dream Supreme, etc. But pasta, beans, potatoes, breads, fruits and vegetables are all generally less expensive than the animal products of similar nutritional value.

Q: What is “Organic”?
A: Organic means foods that are grown without the use of pesticides, or genetic modification

Q: Do you eat only organic?
A: I eat as much organic as I can