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Around here, I drop the V bomb regularly, however, the more people I talk to, the more I realize how the word “vegan” needs a new marketing campaign. To do some research, I asked my recently vegan or as he prefers ”Plant- based” husband what he thinks of when he hears the word “vegan”. And I quote, “some skinny weirdo guy with piercings who has lots of angst.” Oy. Meanwhile, when I think of vegan, I think of my inspiring heroes like Coleen Patrick-Goudreau, Dr. Neil Barnard, or Kathy Freston. I think of living a healthy lifestyle and advocating for the millions of animals that suffer needlessly for our eating “pleasure”.
However, it seems that another group of people have been using the phrase “Plant-based” in an effort to conjure up a different message. It appears that the Plant-Based message is more about health and the environment with little focus on animal welfare. In addition, since it is a relatively new term (at least in my mind) it doesn’t have the same stigmatizing connotations that the word, Vegan does. It is for this reason that I sometimes use both Vegan and Plant-based in an effort to be inclusive.
However, I have heard lots of people say that they feel that they need to be perfect if they call themselves Vegan, and if they wear anything made from leather, occasionally mess up and eat a non-vegan cookie, or perhaps don’t have in depth explanations memorized for why they do everything they do, that they can not in good conscience call themselves Vegan. To be completely honest, nobody is perfect, and I think there is really something to be gained by joyfully sharing who you are and what you do with the people around you.
Sometimes I worry that these “almost vegans” may have met someone who was Vegan who might have intimidated them or made them feel that they couldn’t be part of “the Vegan club”. Ala:
I beg to differ. I think that Veganism is about what you do every day to the best of your ability in the life you are currently leading and also what your intentions are. Come join the party!!!
I also believe that it is important to call yourself whatever you feel most comfortable with and to remember that it will change over time. Guys like Rip Esselstyn have also coined the phrase Plant-Strong which I think especially appeals to men as well.
(Bicep contest at Rip Esselstyn’s House- and yes, that is Robert Cheeke on the right)
Remember, our diets evolve as we evolve. I also want to tell all my Vegan peeps out there “Be kind, be compassionate, and be empathic, not just towards animals, but to other people around you who either don’t know what you know or are just starting out on their own journey”.
When you are first learning and practicing this lifestyle, it can be easy to feel superior to those around you who do not know or refuse to do what you do. Remember what convinced you to live this way, and it wasn’t someone making you feel inferior or stupid. For me it was inspiring writers and celebrities like Alicia Silverstone who made it seem easy, obtainable and something that I could do to live a healthier and more compassionate life. Looking for more information on what to say to your friends to help convince them? Check out Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s Food For Thought pod casts on Itunes or on Compassionatecooks.com or The Pleasure Trap by Douglas J. Lisle
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As someone who has been eating a plant-based/ vegan lifestyle for almost 2 years, I sometimes forget what it was like when I was first starting out. The first “vegan” books that I read, Skinny Bitch and The Kind Diet, were books that I had initially picked up in the hopes of learning a new way to lose weight. I remember thinking “hmm, it would be great to lose weight, but I don’t know if I could actually do this”. In all honesty, I think I that at the time I found them to be extremest and hard to follow (although now I love them and recommend them all the time).
Like all the other diets that I tried, it lasted a little while, but eventually I went back to calorie counting, low-fat eating, and counting points. Overtime my diet evolved as I read and learned more about factory farming, healthy eating and weight loss, and the environment. Eventually, when I was ready, I read books like The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn, 30 Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Veganist by Kathy Freston which helped me learn the “why” behind eating a plant-based diet as well as how to make this lifestyle.
I think that when you read a book on plant-based eating or veganism it is important to think about who the target audience is and also to have the self-awareness to know where you are in your journey. I was recently lucky enough to be sent a new copy of The Lean: A Revolutionary (and simple!) 30 Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss by Kathy Freston to review for this blog.
My first thought upon reading it was, “I wish I had this book when I first started out!!” This is a great book by the beautiful and talented Kathy Freston, geared towards helping people make little changes, one per day for an entire month. The goal is to “lean” into the lifestyle, and add positive changes and food additions, until you have “crowded out” the old unhealthy ones.
While at this point in my journey I already do most of the things recommended in the book, I have had to learn it from all different sources and put it together on my own, little by little. This book helps the reader get lots of helpful information all at once, simplifies it into a month’s worth of changes, and gives just enough explanation in each chapter so that it makes sense to an average reader. I also really like Kathy’s writing style which is friendly, kind and intelligent, but not overly intimidating. This book would make an amazing gift for someone you love (Alison that means you!). Not to mention that we all want to look like Kathy!!
