Today is my second full day going 100% vegan. I've been prepping for this transition for a few months now and I finally felt ready to make the jump into veganism. I've been really good at planning meals, reading labels and asking ingrediants. A big portion of veganism is simply awareness... awareness of the cruelty found in the meat and dairy industries, awareness of the effects of meat and dairy on our bodies and awareness of the same industries in the world -- let alone the basic awareness of what you are putting into your body and how it affects you.
I'm confident in being able to continue this trend, especially when I'm at home. I am nervous for when I'm at a family wedding (like this coming weekend -- will I be able to eat anything?) or when I have guests over. I may get boring when I eat out (salad please) at least I'm confident in my abilities to find something suitable for me to eat. Plus, I'm lucky. Madison really is a veg-friendly city. Not San Fran but we're better than some locales. I'm already anticipating my first trip to The Green Owl. It's a vegan restaurant on Willy Street. Yumm!
In preparing for the jump, I read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It was my 32nd book finished this year. She also has a blog devoted to a kind life, too. You can check it out here. What I enjoyed the most about this book was that she took the time to spell out some basics that some might feel are too basic, but were perfect for me. For instance, there is a section on what to stock your pantry with, she broke it out by food type and gave options. She also talked about building your vegan meal which includes starting with a whole grain, adding a protein (bean/tofu) and adding a rainbow of (assorted) veggies.
