Go vegan...

Week Seventeen:Veganism

Over the years, I have known many committed vegans and vegetarians - mainly through my involvement in the punk rock/hardcore scene where it’s a relatively common practice. Although these ideals never appealed to me, I’ve always supported them in others and defended the lifestyle against its critics (it’s shocking how angry some people get when they find out someone doesn’t eat meat). Despite my non-involvement, however, I always thought it would be an interesting challenge to see how long I could last on a vegan diet. Therefore, for this entire week I decided to give it a try as my latest installment of 52-30.

I realize not everyone is familiar with the vegan lifestyle so please allow me to provide a brief description. Most commonly, veganism refers to the dietary practice of avoiding all animals and animal byproducts including any form of meat, dairy, honey, gelatin, etc. (At this point, the usual question is, “even milk and cheese?” to which I naturally respond, “That would be dairy.”) The purpose behind this lifestyle choice ranges from the support of animal welfare to dietary benefits and even personal preference. Also, depending on their level of commitment, some vegans will abstain from wearing or using any animal products such as leather or suede.

Many stores these days carry an ample selection of meat and dairy alternatives, made from soy beans or other vegetable combinations. Most common among these products are soy milk and cheese as well as a variety of meatless burgers and chicken patties offered by several different brands. Thankfully, due to the ever-increasing popularity of the health food market, this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wide range of vegan-friendly products that have been developed and experienced success due to their low-fat and high-protein content. However, since living exclusively on these products would get very expensive, I decided to use them sparingly and focus on adding more vegetables while subtracting anything that contains cream or cheese - which, quite frankly, is a change for the better regardless.

Just like any week-long experience during 52-30, my life as a vegan began on Friday and continued through the following Thursday. Therefore, I knew I would have my work cut out for me by introducing such a drastic lifestyle change over the weekend. During the workweek I would be able to settle into a nice, easy routine and prepare all my meals ahead of time, but the open schedule and down time of the weekend would be a little more challenging. I wish I could tell you I persevered through some creative use of fruits or vegetables but I basically survived the weekend on salad and salsa. I definitely didn’t get off to a great start but I was confident I would redeem myself during the week – especially since I had developed a basic plan of action.

For breakfast everyday I kept it simple, eating a bowl of apple-cinnamon cheerios with soy milk. I’ve always liked soy milk so this wasn’t a drastic change and it was actually one of the most delicious meals of the entire week. Lunch wasn’t too different either since I usually have a salad with garbanzo beans and a side of cottage cheese everyday. The only change I had to make was substituting apple sauce for the cottage cheese and making sure I had vegan salad dressing – nothing with cream or cheese in the ingredients. Also, for snacking purposes, I kept a package of lightly salted rice cakes in my desk. And for the record, I’m not nearly as healthy as this makes me sound.

Dinner, however, would be the most significant change this week, as well as the most challenging, since nearly all standard dinners consist of a large meat portion and side dishes containing butter, cheese or cream. Therefore, I was sure to plan ahead, researching some vegan recipes and even altering a few regular choices to fit the criteria. Finally, I decided the week’s menu would consist of spaghetti with marinara sauce, bean burritos, imitation chicken patties, tofu stir fry and tofu tacos with black bean soup. Also, I must admit I received assistance with the selection and preparation of these meals from Jackie and my mother – both very helpful and supportive. So with a strategy in place I was ready to take on the experience of being vegan.

As the week progressed, however, more challenges quickly unfolded. The first, and most traumatic for me, was the lack of cream in my coffee. On the first day I tried substituting with soy milk but that definitely didn’t get the job done since it altered the taste but not the consistency – pretty much the opposite effect I’m looking for. After experimenting a bit, I finally picked up some non-dairy creamer, which I normally avoid, but in this situation it sufficed. Crisis resolved.

My next big obstacle came in the form of what is usually a joyous occasion – free lunch. Maybe once or twice a month in the office world we are graced with a free lunch, usually sponsored by one of our vendors. Monday of this week we were presented with a barbeque lunch from Kentucky Greg’s consisting of pulled pork, barbequed chicken, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. This was torture! The entire building smelled like this delicious spread and I was only able to partake in the salad and a roll with barbeque sauce. Despite this disappointment, however, I was able to resist and remain vegan.

Unfortunately, my struggle was just beginning. During an otherwise uneventful Tuesday we received an email about another free lunch the following day. This time, it would be supplied by Coyote Café, a local Mexican restaurant. It’s bad enough there were two free lunches in the same week, which is extremely rare, but it was tacos! You have to be kidding me, right? At least I was able to enjoy some chips and salsa while standing strong.

However, as I was suffering through my resistance, an email was sent about yet ANOTHER free lunch being provided on Thursday. Now this is ridiculous. Nobody could recall a previous occurrence of three lunches in the same week. I’m not sure what I did to deserve this kind of punishment but the third meal I had to regrettably decline was standard American fare – hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled chicken, etc. The smell of this feast was the most delicious yet so I bypassed the cafeteria altogether and ate my salad and applesauce at my desk. But in a way, I’m thankful I had these three delicious, meat-filled meals to test me during this week. Being able to resist the temptation made my vegan experience all the more meaningful.

My week as a vegan played out pretty smoothly and, aside from the blitzkrieg of free lunches, it was more of a constant inconvenience rather than the struggle I had envisioned. That said, I only had a few minor missteps throughout the experience, including the BBQ sauce I applied to my “chicken” patties, not realizing it contained honey until it was too late. If anything, at least being vegan made me pay more attention to what I was eating. This knowledge is just another step to living a healthier life and that has definitely emerged as a regular theme here at fifty-two to thirty. So while I truly appreciate and respect the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle and the various beliefs involved, it’s not something I can give my full commitment. But at least I finally got to be the annoying guy that has to ask, “Does this have meat in it?”