Wow! My first Vegan blog post! I am so excited to finally get this blog started. Through this blog I would like to share my journey and experiences as a Vegan.
To begin, I have been Vegan since February 2010. Choosing to live a Vegan lifestyle was a choice I made for ethical and health reasons. See, when I was about 11 or 12 years old I decided to be vegetarian because I could no longer bear knowing that an innocent animal was being killed for my meal. My grandparents owned a farm and from a very young age I can remember seeing chickens, cows, and buffalo being slaughtered when I would go for summer visits. This, paired with the soft spot I had for all animals, contributed to my decision to give up meat. I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" kind of family, so this decision was frowned upon by many people. My parents didn't make anything special for me, I just ate bread, potatoes, or whatever other vegetables there were. And in no way am I implying that I went without food, or that my parents were being mean to me. They were actually somewhat understanding; although, I think they probably just figured it was a phase I was going through. And to this day, my parents are very supportive of my choice!
All those years I was vegetarian I had no idea there was a lifestyle known as Veganism. One day in February 2010, it all clicked for me after watching Food Inc. and The Beautiful Truth, and I realized that I was always meant to live as a Vegan!
My 2 daughters and husband went Vegan with me for about 6 months and then reverted to vegetarian. Today, I am proud to say both of my daughters are still vegetarian and, one day when they are ready, I hope they, too, will choose a Vegan lifestyle. My husband goes back and forth trying to decide if he is omni, vegan, or vegetarian. At home, I have a 100% Vegan kitchen and I love to cook great tasting Vegan foods for my family! I cannot wait to start sharing all my recipes on this blog!
Also, the health benefits of a plant-based diet are endless! I look forward to sharing information regarding these benefits in upcoming posts.
For now, I just want to say that I look forward to sharing recipes, information, stories, and challenges with my readers!
Also, please share your comments and stories with me. One very important reason I started this blog was to connect with other Vegans so I don't always feel like the only one. Where I live, I sometimes feel isolated because of my beliefs and Vegan lifestyle. I have never actually met another Vegan in person! From a positive point of view, I like to think that maybe I can and will be able to make a positive difference in the lives of those around me by sharing my lifestyle.
3 comments:
What a great idea!You have so much knowledge to share with others. That is the perfect niche for you. Your Dad and I are so very proud and amazed of what you have committed to and the reasons that you support this lifestyle. I look forward to your blog!
Hi, Tami!
Welcome to the big, wonderful world of vegan blogging! You won't feel alone and isolated here, that's for sure! :-)
My husband and I went vegan in August, 2000, also for health and ethical reasons. We'd already eliminated many of the animal products from our diet after I was diagnosed with MS in 1994, but after meeting Howard Lyman ("Mad Cowboy" author from up the road in MT) through a mutual friend, we went vegan and have never looked back. (So though I'd met vegetarians, Howard and his wife Willow Jean were the only vegans we'd ever met in person, and we made the decision to go vegan only an hour or so after meeting them!) :-) I hope you'll get to come to Sheridan one day and meet a few of us. I know how isolating it can feel, and applaud your strength and the courage of your convictions to do what you know to be right in spite of it. I was so happy to read that your parents are now being very supportive of your choice, and absolutely love your mom's comment (you rock, Mom!) :-) That's huge.
I'm now following your blog and hope, through my blog, to be able to introduce you to my wonderful vegan blogging friends. My blog is about a lot of different topics (in other words, it's totally random), and I've been remiss lately about posting any vegan recipes (we sold our house and moved this fall, and I'm still not back in any sort of routine yet!) But most of the blogs I follow are vegan, as are most of my commenters.
Now I'm off to check out some of your recipes! It's wonderful to "meet" you, virtually speaking, and hope to get the chance to do it in person one day soon! :-)
Hi Tami,
Just wanted to let you know that there a few more vegans in Wyoming! I live in Cody and work at a local health food store so I get to meet a few here and there. I have been a vegetarian on and off over the years. When we moved back to WY about ten years ago I tried to eat beef so I would fit in.... ending up with terrible digestion issues and multiple food allergies.
Anyway on my quest to find food I could eat, I found veganism. Loving cheese and other dairy products was hard to give up( even though I was having sinus and rash issues) but in my search for new recipes I could eat I found out more about the cruelty of the dairy industry. That made the changes easy for me!
My husband supports my decision on being totally vegan ( he eats mostly vegetarian; occasionally meat) However, with the high altitude and my inexperience of total plant based cooking my husband and I would appreciate any help we can get from a fellow friend from Wyoming!
Thank you for your blog and recipes!!!
Lynne
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