being a vegan

for the same class i had to research recycling makeup, i also had to do a little research project on something of my choice. i chose to do mine on why a vegan diet is better for the environment. instead of rewriting my whole paper in here, i figured i would just link to it, so here it is. it's not too long, and my classmates seemed to be very interested in my presentation. basically, using animals for food is extremely wasteful (over ten pounds of plant protein go into making only one pound of beef...a vegan would use all ten of those pounds as food, not just one). it creates tons of pollution, through greenhouse gas emissions and runoff of fertilizer and manure into groundwater and surface water. and it wastes a lot of water - only 70 liters of water are needed to produce an apple, compared to 4,500 liters for a 300 gram steak. fishing procedures decimate the fish populations and not just fish, but sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, and even whales get caught in the nets. plus, anything that involves something called "manure lagoons" is right out, in my opinion. ew.

after i presented, everyone wanted to know "how healthy is being a vegan?" and "what do you eat?" and "how do you get enough protein?" i have been a vegan for over five years and vegetarian for most of my life and i am perfectly healthy and i eat tons of things. i do it for the animals, but saving the environment is just another good reason for me to continue. check out this page for even more reasons why you should go vegan.

here is a great page outlining everything having to do with health issues and being a vegan. but to tell you the truth, i don't take vitamins (i know, i know, i should) or supplements of any kind and i have never had any health issues. any vegan will tell you that they look and feel better than most people. my friends are jealous that i'm so skinny, but it's because i'm not putting all that junk that comes from animals into my body. vegans don't have cholesterol problems, because you can only get cholesterol from animal products. i don't have to worry about high blood pressure, or mad cow disease for that matter. same goes for e.coli and salmonella. i can make cookie dough and actually eat it without worrying about getting sick! instead of eggs when you're baking, use egg replacer - i use ener-g and it has never failed me.

which leads me to the "what can you eat?" questions. i give you this page. it has EVERYTHING. seriously. i also have about a million vegan/vegetarian cook books, they're not hard to find and the recipes are awesome. a lot of people want to know how i can live without milk, or cheese, or butter, or [insert any other non-vegan food item here]. here are some products that replace those things:

• silk soy milk, which has a sourcing program showing their "commitment to sourcing soybeans that are produced in a sustainable, socially responsible and ethical manner and will be used to ensure support of our standards from our farmers and partners." the vanilla flavor is all i use anymore. delicious.
• turtle mountain ice cream, yes, ice cream. i have non-vegan friends who think this stuff is awesome. they have tons of amazing flavors, and are also committed to the environment.
• earth balance makes buttery spreads and buttery sticks (yeah, haha, i know that sounds funny) but most people can't tell a difference between this stuff and real butter. the sticks are great for baking and the spread is great for putting on toast.
• road's end organics mac and 'chreese'. when my sister told me she found me vegan mac and cheese, i thought she was messing with me. i had given up on ever eating it again and wasn't even looking for a replacement anymore. this stuff rocks, plain and simple.
• vegan gourmet cheese. comes in cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack, and nacho flavors. i always get a kick out of the package, where it says "it melts!" well, it actually does melt. a lot of vegan cheeses don't, but this stuff does melt and it tastes pretty good too.

there are so many options out there, you just have to look. and of course don't forget about veggie burgers, and all the other vegan fake meat products...they are usually a good source of protein as well as being yummy. and i will admit, i went for years without eating cheese and ice cream and butter, before i found these alternatives, so i can't say for sure whether they taste like the "real thing" but i will say that they are really really good.

before this post reaches epic proportions, i will just leave it there. but i'm not done yet - stay tuned for vegan restaurants in the philadelphia area!