Springing forward into a fresh start

In light of springing forward this morning (haha, light, get it?) I have decided to have a fresh start and revive this blog. When I started it in the fall, it was a place to document my experience with Kathy Freston's 21-day cleanse. I have thought a lot about doing the cleanse again (multiple times since New Year's), because I felt pretty great when I was doing it and I liked taking responsibility for the food I was eating, rather than eating unconsciously. Even though it wasn't a diet per se, it was unsustainable, and pretty soon after I finished the cleanse in September, I went back to many of my old habits - eating without thinking, drinking coffee every morning, eating multiple sugary things a day, and eating foods that don't make me feel good, just because I want them at the moment. I'm not sure if I want to do the cleanse again right now, but I do want to "spring clean" my diet.

First, a little history...

I picked up an issue of VegNews Magazine back in 2006 that featured Ashland, OR (where I was living at the time) as one of the most veg-friendly cities in the US. It's such an inspiring magazine and it inspired me to become a vegetarian (well, pescatarian) two days after that Thanksgiving. VegNews is really a vegan magazine, and reading it over the past few years has inspired me to think about becoming vegan. First, it was the egregious environmental impact of the meat and dairy industry. Then, I realized that I didn't really like meat that much and my stomach felt at least a little unsettled whenever I ate dairy (I think I'm lactose intolerant, like the majority of the world). I do love animals, and I don't like the thought of causing animal suffering, but for me, that wasn't the primary reason I became a vegetarian.

The more I've been reading about veganism, the more I've realized that it really does seem like a great fit for me. When I did the 21-day cleanse (no animal products, no alcohol, no sugar, no gluten, no caffeine), I felt really great. Also, I truly believe that you vote every time you purchase food - as Michael Pollan said the other day on Oprah, you get to vote three times a day - how empowering is that?! Now, I just want to do an even better job at voting with my values, and aligning my actions with my intentions. Recently, I've been listening to Colleen Patrick-Goodreau's (of compassionatecooks.com) podcast, Food for Thought, which has been really inspiring. I was also inspired by Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, and her website, The Kind Life. I'm still a little ambivalent about committing, but I'm pretty sure I want to go vegan.

I already bought mostly vegan products at the grocery store, but I go out to eat or pick up take-out a lot, and when I do, I don't always make vegan choices, mostly because there aren't always vegan options and I don't want to be a burden if I'm with someone else. So a major part of going vegan is going to cook more. I started today by cooking an easy vegan chili that I threw together with ingredients in the house (canned beans, canned corn, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and spices), along with some leftover brown rice. I also veganized Pamela's Products gluten-free Cornbread & Muffin Mix by substituting Earth Balance for butter and flaxmeal + hot water for eggs. Everything turned out pretty tasty, if I do say so myself, and it felt satisfying to cook.

So, I guess I'm off on a vegan (or at least mostly vegan) adventure. I know I won't be perfect right away (hello, Girl Scout cookies), but I'm setting my intention, which is the first step. We'll see how it goes...