About two years ago, a little after Vera was born, Brett and I decided to make a life change to benefit our health. We decided that we would do a mostly vegetarian diet. We cut out all beef products and chose only organic chicken, eggs, and fish as our "meat" protein. We ate chicken and fish once each a week or so. We began eliminating any sort of pre-packaged meals including anything frozen. Said goodbye to most boxed food as well. About a year after that, Brett figured out that he was intolerant to gluten. This meant that we said goodbye to processed pasta products, and most bread. Vera and I still eat bread occasionally but Brett does not. This also means that we no longer put breading on anything we eat. Farewell to pizza, as well. We do occasionally buy Gluten free mix that we can make our own pizza crust out of but we have only done that a handful of times due to how costly it can be. So what did we eat?? A LOT of beans, rice, veggies, and fruit. We also got some protein from nuts, peanut and hazlenut butter, and flaxseed that I have previously posted about. It was tough at first but it gets easier as time passes.
Just this past weekend, we watched another documentary after Vera went to bed. We were reminded once again, how animals are sometimes treated throughout the process in order to create a large portion of our food. This was the last straw for us and the motivation to participate in a Vegan lifestyle. Now, we don't really want to throw out all of our other food because that would be incredibly wasteful. However, we are looking into other options such as donating and giving things away. Vera is still allowed yogurt and cheese now and then because we want to speak with her pediatrician before we make this change. We, however, have been eating somewhat like this already. We made the switch to soymilk/almond milk a few weeks ago and have not missed cow's milk a single time. Vera takes daily vitamins to assure that she gets what she needs. Brett and I both have daily vitamins and purchased calcium pills recently, just in case. We are researching some other forms of protein as well.
The first day was tough because we had just purchased a large box of MILK chocolate.... and attempted to eat the last of our turkey hot dogs but couldn't take more than a few bites without feeling horrible. Cricket (our dog) enjoyed a nice, preservative free meal that night. We went grocery shopping and purchased 0 items that were pre packaged.... ALL fruits, vegetables, and a bakery run for mine and Vera's bread needs. Yesterday, we made a trip to Trader Joe's and bought Vegan friendly burgers, vegan chorizo sausage, and browsed the natural "soap" isle.... which we will be including in our new Vegan lifestyle once we are out of our others. I don't feel that throwing everything away is very nature-friendly. I will also begin making my own laundry soap, dish soap, fabric softener, and things like that once ours are out. I am SUPER excited for this new change! I am so glad my husband is so willing to give all these things up with me. I never would have imagined we'd get to this stage in our lives. It's something I have ALWAYS wanted to do, but when we first moved in together, he was a meat lover for sure. I am thankful that we are making our way to be more natural, earth friendly, healthy, and role models for our beautiful daughter!
I will begin sharing my journey here =] Follow along, if you'd like!
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