Some time ago, I told you about the reasons for me becoming vegan - the movie about animal breeding industry. Yes, I became vegan for ethical reasons. Today the story of my transition to veganism. If you’re still thinking about becoming vegan or you want to limit eating products of animal origin but you’re afraid that you will not make it and think that it will be hard to live without dairy products and eggs, don’t give up ;p
I was addicted to milk, cheese and eggs about two years ago. Since I was doing heavy workouts on the gym, I also had lots of whey protein. I could not imagine my life without whey protein smoothie or café latte.
However, after seeing a couple of movies that discussed the problem of animal breeding industry and after discovering that cows are actually artificially forced to produce milk, I knew that I could no longer lie to myself. I decided to become vegan (and before I used to think that veganism was an exaggeration).
How did I start? My transition into vegan was a process. At each stage I willingly and slowly eliminated products of animal origin.
STAGE 1 - Gathering information - Magda, private investigator, searching for veganism
I read and watched anything related to veganism (food and ethics).
STAGE 2 - Supplements
I bought vitamin B12 supplement for vegans which is recommended for all people on plant based diet. I also bought soy protein isolate powder - after all I was a vegan amateur then and I was afraid I could not be able to provide myself with enough protein.
STAGE 3 - Goodbye to dairy products and visits in the bathroom;)
Day after day I stopped eating dairy products. I started producing plant based milk at home (soy, almond, rice). Did I crave for cheese? No, I didn’t. And that surprised me! Of course, there were moments when I missed having a piece of cheese but when I started having cashew nuts cheese I forgot what I was actually missing:) I need to warn you. For the first few days, when I had lots of fiber in my diet which I was not used to, my stomach went crazy and I lost a few kilograms after the first 2 weeks ;p But don’t worry. This shock is temporary. And if you’re afraid you don’t know how to change dairy products into plant based products, the internet always comes to the rescue.
STAGE 4 - What about eggs from happy hens?
Three weeks after eliminating dairy products, I decided to stop eating eggs. But why? After all, I only had eggs from happy hens. First of all, people breed hens only to use them. Even the so-called eco farms eliminate weaker chickens, sick chickens or chickens that are useless for the farm. They cut their heads off and make chicken soups, pate, etc. out of them. At first, I really missed scrambled eggs. But when I tried scrambled tofu for the very first time, I went crazy!
After about 2 months, I fully eliminated products of animal origin from my diet. I learned how to read labels on the products (I was shocked how much glucose-fructose syrup was in yogurts or in any other product).
Since becoming vegan, I’ve become more creative in the kitchen. I changed the way I did my shopping, and what’s most important I finally had peace and joy in my heart :)
You need to remember that the most difficult thing in becoming vegan is the first step. If you don’t feel like being able to eliminate products of animal origin yet, but you limit it in any way, it is a huge step and it’s really important. I am far from judging others or from trying to make them vegans. No. Just try the vegan food, cook some vegan food and you’ll see that veganism is not as hard as some people think.
If you ask me whether I miss cheese sometimes, I would have to say YES. Sometimes I wish I could produce plant based alternative to my favorite cottage cheese, I also wish that soy protein powder did not taste like cement ;p
Magda
Etykiety: english, lifestyle
