Conclusion post for the Vegan

In conclusion I have decided several things:

1) Veganism excludes a lot of foods I normally use in my daily diet (and I don't think I'd like to continue eating like this, though I will continue to eliminate 90% of dairy and meat from my diet, I just feel better that way), but is one of the healthiest lifestyles one can live, IF DONE PROPERLY.

2) Living a local vegan lifestyle is impossible. You'll never get the proper amount of protein and nutrients to stay healthy. The U.S., particularly the Shreveport /Bossier City area, just doesn't produce the neccessary dietary supplements that other countries use almost daily. Tofu and soy products are the main ones though, please, someone correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, I did break the local foods rule of this project a couple times. Hunger is a very strong incentive. I think that there could be a very strong local foods market in this area, we just decided to do this project at the wrong time of the year. With fresh vegetables and soy and tofu additions to one's diet, I beleive that one can live a relatively local diet. And that's a belief I plan to try out this spring.

3) The general public view of veganism is negative. I even had one person ask me: "Are you trying to kill yourself?" (and no, it wasn't Monique). I had the most trouble finding vegan options in restaurants, at school, in prepared food stores; basically anywhere that I didn't cook for myself. People just don't understand--nor do they try to--veganism. The idea has so many negative connotations that attach veganism to "liberal, elitist, animal saving, crazy people" (one of my personal friends-who is a kind and understanding person, once he realised that I wasn't going to die from starvation. No, the quote from my earlier post wasn't from him).

So, I think that education is the key for vegans everywhere. If people understood the ideas and practicalities behind veganism, I think that there would be a lot more options in town. The same goes for local foods. This is difficult for a nation ruled by fast food though.

It's so much easier, faster and cheaper (in the short run) to go to the nearest fast food joint than to cook one's own meal, but I beleive that we are slowly changing our view on food based on the health issues that have cropped up all over the nation, and beyond. Fast food is not the answer, otherwise why would they be introducing lo-cal optiond to their menus?

Information is key. Options are really great too!

*Until this spring,
Jen, the-not-so-exerimental-vegan-anymore-but-still-continuing-some-of-the-ideas.

Veganism, day 3 and onward

So, by day 3 I had established a rythm. Oatmeal for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and cook dinner when I got home in the evening. It worked pretty well. The snags I encountered happened at work and at school. I had to make sure and pack my own lunches to make it through the day.

The cafeteria at school is less than adequate for a vegan diet (sorry, I wasn't going to eat french fries and a plain salad, no dressing, for lunch) and finding a vegan meal at a restaurant that isn't geared towards vegans is next to impossible. My boyfriend did take me out to eat over the weekend and that was fairly sucessful, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't local. I'll talk more about that in my conclusion post.

Some restaurants in Shreveport that have vegan options on the menu :
Albasha's
Dahn's
Yeero Yeero
El Compadre
* Did you notice that all the restaurants are International foods? Yeah, so did I.

Here are the meals that I used throughout the week:

Black-Eyed Peas and Green Beans over Rice
Cajun Spicy Rice and pan-seared Tofu with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Red Beans and Rice (no sausage, of course)
Instant Oatmeal (duh, duh duh)
Yellow Curry with pan-fried Tofu and Veggies
Hummos (we ate a lot of this, my roommate has an excellent recipe)

I R Vegan

Hello World!

My name is Jenn and I currently live a mostly vegetarian lifestyle. I have always been interested in veganism (though I don't think I could live without milk and egg products) and have decided to give it a try. I feel healthier and more energetic when I eliminate high protein foods, such as red meat, from my diet. I'm looking forward to finding out how veganism affects me!

Monique and I are both trying to use only local (which will be defined later) foods in order to explore the availability of locally harvested foods. In this way we can help cut down food transportation emissions and simultaneously support our local community.

Until next time!