To be vegan or not

Back in the beginning of the year, I decided to try going vegan for 100 days.  I fell off the blogging wagon and it seems days turned into months and here I am again.  I really enjoy blogging regularly but it's like anything, once you get out of the habit (just like exercise), it becomes so hard to start again.  Note to self, don't stop blogging!!!
I made the vegan challenge for about 70 days before I decided to not continue.  I do feel great being vegan but I find myself feeling deprived of small things that I enjoy.  I enjoy a dollop of sour cream on my potato, a little half and half in my coffee and a weekend trip to Bubbles ice cream!!!

Going out to eat here in La Porte is a challenge while vegan because this town is just not set up for that.  I also found there is a lot of sneaky ingredients in foods that you wouldn't suspect had any animal products in them.  

Once while visiting my daughter in Indy, we went to a Pizza Hut.  I decided to get a pizza with no cheese.  I asked the waitress if there was any animal products in the crust.  She confirmed with me (after checking with the kitchen) that it was vegan.  I ordered a veggie pizza with marinara sauce, no cheese.  I had a sneaky suspicion and when I got near a computer, I looked it up.  There was not only animal product in the crust but the marinara sauce had beef in it!!!!!!!  WHAT WHAT??!!!  Ugh!!

While in Indy, we went to a Denny's as well.  The waitress we had went above and beyond to meet my vegan needs.  She was a vegetarian and even gave me some homemade hummus that she brought for lunch!!!  She was a fun waitress!!

Another visit to Olive Garden with my husband, and my waitress didn't even know what vegan meant.  So, before heading out to eat, make sure YOU know what you are going to eat because most of the time, they won't!

One good thing out of this is I have found that I eat less cheese than ever before!  I used to consume cheese daily, easily.  Now I am only having it once in a while and I have found it just doesn't taste as good as it used to.  That is a shocker for me.  

I recently read an article about The Blonde Vegan.  You can find it Here.  She talks about how her obsession with eating everything healthy and vegan became an eating disorder with her and when she realized her body was craving (read needing) other nutrients she decided to stop being vegan.  The thing that shocks me is that she actually had death threats against her for changing her way of eating.  What?!  Why?!  

  The other thing that bothered me was the  vegan products I found myself substituting for the animal products.  Just one example, the butter has two ingredients.  Cream and salt.  The soy product (butter substitute) has more ingredients (read chemicals).  We all know what natural flavors can be.  Anything!

 I found myself conflicted, go with my heart and do not eat animal products or go with my head and eat the butter!!!!  

Two ingredients.  Cream and Salt.

The truth is, we all need to find what works for us.  What works for us today, may not be what works for us tomorrow.  I think we need to just be the best version that we can be whatever it is that may be.  Be YOU, not a version of someone else.  I'm going to continue to be a vegetarian and stand up for animal rights.  I'm going to try to be more kind, less judegmental .  That's my thing.  What's yours?  

xo
j