Vegan or Total Vegetarian:
A “vegan” is a person who doesn’t consume any animal products or by-products. This includes, milk, butter, honey, wool, leather, etc. However, some vegans are stricter than others. For example, some vegans only consume beet sugar versus cane sugar although the sugar itself does not contain any animal products. This is where it gets complicated but I’ll explain this later.
Animal Derivatives/By-Products:
Honey, Beeswax, Milk, Gelatin, etc.
Vegetarian:
A vegetarian doesn’t consume any kind of meat either. However, a vegetarian may consume animal derivatives/by-products such as honey, cheese, milk, etc.
Why am I a Vegan?
“Why are you a vegan?” is the most asked question that I receive when people learn of my vegan life style. The second most asked question is, “How do you get your protein?” I welcome these questions because these questions provide an opportunity for dialogue which is needed in a global community.
I hope that this presentation will answer your questions about the life style. I decided that in order to describe my vegan life style to you that I could better do that by taking you through the different stages that I experience to get to this point of being vegan. It has been an interesting journey.
It Chose Me.
At the risk of sounding “out in la la land,” I didn’t choose to be a vegan. It chose me. I guess I was around 11 years old when an overwhelming thought came to me that one day I would not eat meat and would also wear my hair natural. Now, I’ ll have to tell you about the hair awakening at another time. At the time, I just brushed off the thought. Probably because I was the biggest meat eater this side of the Mississippi. If a meal didn’t include meat, it wasn’t a meal. I grew up in a small southern town where the residents put meat in lima beans.
It consumed my thoughts.
Years went by and lo and behold, during my senior year in college, something shifted in me and I felt an overwhelming sense that I should not eat meat and that I should also wear my hair naturally instead of using the chemicals and the weaves. I tried to brush this thought off too but this time it wasn’t that easy. No matter how hard I tried, I was consumed by these thoughts.
No matter how I tried to not think about it, I kept thinking and feeling that I should no longer eat meat. It just didn’t feel right for me. However, I am very circumspect and before I commit to anything, you had better believe that I research as many aspects of the issue as possible. I don’t like to make vows that I can’t keep. So, I aim to only make those that I can keep.
I tipped my toe in.
So, I tipped my toe in. Because pork consumption always caused my head to ache, logically it was a wise decision to let it go. It was in 1995. I have been pork free for approximately 14 years now and have not missed it at all. My relatives find this hilarious being that when I was young I loved myself some bacon. I decided then to give up beef.
Uh oh, I backslid.
I had done so well with not eating pork and decided that I was ready to give up beef. And I did okay for a while but something happened. I don’t quite remember what event it was . Maybe it was a Bar-be-Q or something like that. Let me just say, if you a not ready to give up beef, attending a Bar-B–Q is a “No-No.” Don’t do it! You’ve got to be strong for a Bar-B-Q. I had a hamburger or something like that . Of course, I felt like crap afterwards.
Growing up, my grandmother and I attended a Pentecostal church and we had a term that defined the state of falling off the wagon. It was called backsliding. An analogy of how I felt after backsliding is a recovering alcoholic taking a drink after years of sobriety. It was just that real and that disappointing to me. Because then I had to start over. I’m thankful for the experience because it taught me that life is a process.
Marilyn vos Savant, an American journalist said, “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” It took me a minute but I picked myself up. Beef doesn’t even phase me now. I just remember the disappointment that falling off the wagon caused me and nothing is worth that.
Back on the Wagon.
I was back on the wagon again. I had given up pork and never looked back and after my “beef” relapse, I had really given it up as well. I believe that it was around 1997 and chicken and fish was the only meat that I would eat. I used to love Popeye’s chicken. I would get the two-piece white meat special. However, I had noticed that when I ate chicken, I couldn’t allow myself to actually think about it while I was eating it. This was definitely a sign. What’s the point in eating something that you don’t want to taste?
One day I went to Popeye’s Chicken to pick up “my two-piece special” and when I made it home, I just could not eat it. I started talking with myself. Saying stuff like, “Lesa, you just paid $3 bucks for this meal, you don’t any money to waste. You better eat this food.” But no matter how I tried to talk myself into eating it, I just couldn’t and that was the day I gave up chicken.
I’m a Vegetarian.
My path to veganism was letting go of one meat at a time-- pork, beef, chicken and finally fish. Fish was perhaps the most challenging. Challenging in the sense that in many cultures, it not considered to be a meat. So one could perhaps wrap his or her philosophical brain around it and not see it the same as –say eating a pig. And plus, but not to be gross, you don’t have the same blood factor to deal with as you do with the other meats. And the blood was one thing that completely grossed me out. Completely.
Approximately two-three years passed and my body decided that it was time to give up eating fish. Here’s what sealed the deal, a drive-through visit to another fast food restaurant. I ordered a fish sandwich. I brought is home and put it in my refrigerator. I never eat it. Finally, I had become a vegetarian.
In 2001, I became a vegetarian and it felt good. It was a process. From 1995 – 2001, six years of listening to my body. I always felt that when the time was right, I would do what was right for me.
Here’s a sort of funny story:
I remember that I dated this guy who was not a vegetarian and we had been dating for about a year and a half when his mother told me, “I thought that you would have given in by now.” I put a bookmark on that comment because it spoke to me on several levels. Are you just waiting for me to slip? Sometimes people don’t encourage you when you are trying to walk a certain path. I think that she thought that I would cave in under the pressure. It was actually her statement that opened my eyes and helped me end the relationship with her son . Oh, the irony!! —but that’s another story. Check out my spoken word called, “I’m a Damsel but not in Distress.”
I’m a Vegan.
The reason why I feel that Veganism chose me and not the other way around is because, I was just minding my own business one day when the convictions started. I just was obedient and followed the path that my body had laid out.
In January 2007, I became a vegan.
Reconciling it all.......and the saga continues.
You may remember me mentioning earlier that the degree of veganism varies from individual to individual. The issue of sugar is in debate because 50% of cane sugar is filtered through the use of charcoal that is sometimes made using the bones of dead cows. The actual bone does not come into contact with the sugar. We all know that sugar comes from a plant. Beet sugar isn’t filtered and I prefer to use beet sugar but I do also use cane sugar but I honesty don’t know if these distributors use the above mentioned charcoals are not. The labels are not always that detailed. You see the dilemma? Sometimes the labels are as vague as just saying, “sugar.”
Honestly, if I go to a restaurant, it’s like a crap shoot. Who knows what kind of sugar is in the lemonade? I’m just glad that there isn’t an actual animal in my lemonade at this point. How I reconcile it all is to know that the lifestyle that I’m already leading is causing less harm— to my environment as well as to me. And this makes me happy because I feel like I’m doing something. Not eating meat alone has reduced my carbon footprint TREMENDOUSLY. And for that I am thankful. As I travel this journey, I will continue to listen to my body and make changes as I am led.
Sometimes we make goals that are too broad and honestly too big for where we are. We see this a lot around the new year. People tend to set goals to go to the gym five days a week. When in honestly, going three days is challenging enough for them. One of my cousins and I were talking about not eating meat and out of the blue she said, “I can go without eating meat for a week. I told her maybe you should try it out for a day first. She said, “No, I can do it.” I said okay and then we started talking about something else. It was about two hours later, I had to call her back about something else and the girl was eating some chicken. I asked her what happened to the “I can go without meat for a week speech.” You see what I mean. Start small. Giving up red meats or pork is a start.
Things to consider.
As humans and technology expands, the world is growing closer together. The terms diversity, multiculturalism, globalism and others have become “buzz” words. Many organizations, companies and universities include these words in their mission statements. This is a wonderful move toward being the citizens of the world together. However, if we are to achieve the goal of globalism, it is going to take a great deal of intentional effort in educating oneself on the difference that each culture brings to the table. In many organizations, food is the center of many social events. If your environment includes people who are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, etc., in order to create an environment of inclusivity, it will be necessary to understand certain dietary restrictions of these group. If you are aware of these restrictions, you will be able to provide foods that can be enjoyed by these groups.
Judaism
Kashroot is the set of Jewish dietary laws that specify what foods are permitted for consumption. The foods that are permitted are referred to as kosher. Here is a list of what is Kosher: You should use separate towels and pot holders for meat and dairy; because fish is not considered meat, the consumption of fish and dairy together is permitted. Eating dairy and eggs together is also permitted; Separation of cooking utensils is necessary in order to be considered kosher. A kosher household normally has two sets of pots, pans and dishes; Sinks, stove tops & dishwashers are issues of concern. The reason being is that these items come into contact with diary and meat in the presence of heat on a daily basis; and vegetables and fruits that do not have any bugs are permitted.
Seventh Day Adventists
Seventh Day Adventists believe that they are to preserve the body, mind and spirit. The body is seen as a temple and thus the consumption of nuts, low diary products, legumes, vegetables, whole grains and fruits should be the main part of their members’ diet. You can read more about them from the official website:
Hinduism
It is my understanding that most devout Hindus are vegetarian. Respect for life is a big part of Hinduism and vegetarianism became popular between 400- & 300 BC. The cow is regarded as sacred and thus is forbidden for consumption. I spoke with a friend of mine who is Hindu and she told me that cow’s milk is acceptable because is like a baby drinking from its mother. Thus ,milk is a sacred product of the cow. In knowing the Hindus’ respect for the cow, offering a devout Hindu beef is a no-no.
Islam
There are certain dietary restrictions that Muslims are required to follow. There are foods that are halal which means lawful and there are foods that are haram which means unlawful. These dietary guidelines are specified in the Qur’an. The Qur’an is the holy book of the Islamic religion. There are other rules (fatwas) that are set forth by a competent Islamic scholar who interprets divine law. The strictness of these laws varies. It is important to note that in the Qur’an, only meat from animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than God are forbidden . (Qur'an 5:3)
Just a few more examples of prohibited food for Muslims: Gelatin that is made from porcine (pig) skin or bones is not permitted; Eating carnivores are not permitted. Piscivorous animals are okay for consumption because these kinds of animals only consume fish; Omnivores such as pigs, dogs, monkeys and humans are prohibited. Please note that pork and anything made from pork is strictly forbidden. Even the handling of pork is not permitted. To understand the objection to the consumption of pig, it is important to understand the Muslim’s perception of the pig. Pigs have the reputation of eating any kind of food. This includes dead insects, worms, tree bark, rotting carcasses, garbage, and even other pigs. If a pig is in captivity and stressed out, it may eat its offspring.
If ever in doubt over what to bring to a potluck in regards to people with dietary restrictions,---- Go Vegan.
Check out these videos. Very Interesting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1se0ZM6Gy8&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYX18NGTwls&feature=related
More Resources:
