Plant based eating - for better health and for the love of animals

For those who have heard about my recent cooking shenanigans, dilemmas, the highs and the lows: I have been trying to adopt a more plant-based diet. Not vegan particularly, and not to lose weight. But I thought generally just to be more conscientious with what I'm putting in my mouth might be an overarching good goal. This is also part of what inspired me to write this blog and sharing this journey.

First off: animal welfare is important. I get we farm animals for meat and have been doing that for generations. But I think the way we treat animals (even if the eventual fate is for meat) can be better. Thanks to books, Netflix documentaries and random podcasts, I am more aware of this sickening human behaviors in the past few month/a year. I think the way food is packaged today really makes it incredibly easy to forget what we're eating was living and breathing not that long ago. Truthfully, I'd love to stop eating meat altogether. Being an animal lover was a big pull for me. My last straw was buying pork ribs in the local grocery store and bbqing them for my friends this past summer. My dog (Mr Oreo, featured at the bottom) came to participate because he has FOMO. As I threw the ribs on the grill - It occurred to me, the ribs and my dog are pretty much the same size. It was such a sickening moment and I thought: maybe, I don't need this. I think if I don't eat animals as much - at least it matters to that animal, right?

Aside from a bigger, noble-er reason, it's been honestly a lot of fun trying new recipes, to replace all my meat-cooking recipes. I got sick of making my usual chicken, steak, and pork, I needed a change. I am learning a lot about cooking along the way and I'm thankful for the vast amount of options that I was not aware of until recently.

It's not all rainbow and sunshine. This is a big challenge in a few ways:
1) I struggle to eat enough volume to keep me full. Vegetables and fruits are not as caloric dense so I end up eating so much more in volume and frequency. It's a bit of a nuisance and requires planning -  because nobody likes hanger, am I right?
2) Legumes are great and fibers are good, but boy they make me gassy. It's not a pleasant thing, because farts are only funny when you are with a group of friends when you are like 14. And also the bloating hurts, truthfully. So I have yet to find something that works for me with beans, legumes, lentils and such.
3) I miss meat. Of course not the animal killing part but the taste, oiliness, the umami. Nothing is compared to a nice steak and from time to time I would relapse. So no I would definitely not be considered a vegan.

Ofcourse the good outweighs the bad. So far, I enjoy eating whole foods and cooking whole foods. Less preservatives and processing means I still get more of the original nutrition content. I get to see what I'm eating, from scratch. I think it's incredible, so I'm not eating a can of "I-have-no-idea-how-much-salt-is-in-this" mystery food. I am cutting down and eating waaaaay less meat but more plants, more legumes, more sprouts, and more vegetables and fruits. I discovered to love nuts: Nuts fill me up and are very crunchy. They are very rich, oily and textured. They are just great with salads, as a topping on almost anything, roasted, salted, sugar-glazed, whatever. And the final benefit is that when I do eat meat (yes I definitely still do), I appreciate it so much more and make sure nothing goes to waste. I refuse to guilt others around me feel they need to accommodate my choice. I would never try to demand either a restaurant, or whoever cooking for me to bend over backwards: use all vegan materials and nothing must touch something meat has touched. This is my choice, so when I cook, I focus on changing my own habits.

So yes, it's been kind of a crazy a few months. Hope you enjoy my cooking journey so far. Maybe you are considering your very own diet change for one reason or another. Either way, you are welcomed to drop me a line and share your thoughts.