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CHAPTER THREE: WHO’S EATING VEGAN, AND WHY

The reasons for choosing a vegan diet and lifestyle are as varied as the individuals opting for them. Some cite health, weight loss, or allergy reasons; while others are convicted by an ethical or moral calling.

Christina-Marie, your Sexy Vegan Mama, made the decision to stop eating animals at age fourteen—after surviving sexual trauma. She’d drawn a parallel between food and pleasure, and found she could no longer justify the killing of animals to satisfy her pleasure. As a sexual abuse victim, she’d been harmed by another individual in order to satisfy a particular pleasure or lust, and she just couldn’t bring herself to harm another creature in order to satisfy her “lust” for food, and the pleasure she received from it.

After several years of opting for a meat-free diet, she realized animal suffering didn’t always result in death. Independently studying the practices at large commercial egg and dairy farms finally made veganism the only option for her, but it took time.

Learning about the de-beaking of chickens forced into battery cages, where their claws grow around the wires, was enough to determine her conscience about eggs. (Learn more at http://www.eggindustry.com.)

When her son became old enough to drink milk, she became concerned about reports she’d read about the Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) being given to dairy cows, causing many to develop mastitis, an inflammation of the milk ducts. As many nursing mothers know, mastitis is extremely painful, resulting in rock-hard breasts that are hot to the touch.

To be clear, Christina-Marie doesn’t mean “hot, rock-hard breasts” in a sexy way. It’s not pleasant.

Anyway, mastitis is treated with antibiotics, and Christina-Marie became concerned about the dosage of antibiotics her son was consuming with each glass of milk. Would he develop a tolerance? What would happen if he became ill and required antibiotics? Would he have to take larger and larger doses to reap the benefits?

Even organic, BGH-free milk didn’t ease her conscience when she learned of the plight of most dairy cows. These poor mamas are repeatedly artificially inseminated to force them to produce milk to feed their newborn calves—but their babies are quickly removed, sometimes immediately after birth. The females are raised to endure the lives their mothers live, while the males are whisked away to be raised as beef or—even worse—as veal.

While a healthy cow can expect to live over twenty years, the lifespan of a dairy cow is about four years. After that, she’s no longer profitable to the farmer due to her body no longer producing “adequate” milk levels after the repeated cycle of forced insemination and lactation. When she can’t keep up the expected milk production, the dairy cow is sent to slaughter, made into hamburger or pet food, because her body is too worn to be of any further value. (Learn more at http://www.milksucks.com.)

The one food Christina-Marie thought she could never give up was cheese. How could she never, ever enjoy another pizza? Or the simplicity and comfort of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup? Then, she found out how cheese is actually made, and her vegetarian heaven came crashing down. Boy, did she ever feel like Chicken Little when she learned the milk in most cheeses is coagulated and solidified by the addition of rennet. For those not familiar with the ingredient, prepare to chuck your cheese.

Rennet is an enzyme taken from the lining of stomachs of nursing baby animals. The purpose of rennet is to help the suckling babies digest their mothers’ milk. Therefore, the type of rennet used in a particular cheese is determined by the type of milk used to make the cheese: cow milk cheeses use rennet from the stomachs of calves, goat milk cheeses add rennet from baby goats, sheep milk cheeses contain rennet from lambs, and so on.

While vegetable-sourced rennet is available, it isn’t widely used in the commercial cheese industry. Christina-Marie’s sister-in-law, for example, uses vegetable rennet to make cheese from her much-loved, spoiled-rotten milk cow. The cow is spoiled, not the milk.

Needless to say, Christina-Marie’s cheese addiction was cured, instantly. Baby stomach extract? No, thank you. In this way, she became vegan over time, and her heart always took the lead.

She’s been blessed to know and meet many vegans through the wonder of the internet, and each has his or her own reason for veganism. Here are some stories from friends:

Kris Miller, of DustpanProductions.com, has been vegan since March 2010. She came to veganism as a method of detoxification from Candidiasis, eczema, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Due to her food sensitivities, Kris also eats gluten-free, stays away from refined foods, and eats predominately organics. [See William’s book (with Adrienne Z. Hoffman)—THE GLUTEN-FREE WAY: MY WAY.]

While Kris cites expense and constant trips to the grocery for fresh produce among her biggest challenges in maintaining her diet, she credits her veganism and other food choices for making her body healthier.

Kristi Arnold, of VeggieConverter.com, has been vegetarian since 1991, and “trying to be vegan” since 2009. Initially, Kristi stopped eating meat because she simply didn’t like it. Even as a baby, she rejected baby food with meat in it. When she became a nursing mother, Kristi “began to understand how odd it is that we should eat and drink animal milk.”

Kristi’s family remains omnivorous, and meal preparation is a challenge. Sometimes, it’s a matter of doing things buffet-style—meat toppings for some, not for others. Regarding her dietary choices, she says, “It’s really pretty simple. If you don’t like meat or don’t want to use animal products, just don’t. It’s not hard, once you put your mind to it. It just takes planning… you feel a lot better about yourself, and can be a lot healthier!”

Kyle Domer, who blogs at VeganVagrant.com, has been vegan since 2002. To explain what led him to a vegan diet, Kyle says, “I was overweight, tired, sluggish, lazy and without clear focus. I tried vegetarianism and found that it was not helpful in the least the way I did it, because I was just overloading on carbs and dairy. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I switched to veganism and lost 45 pound in four months. My mind felt clearer, I had bursting energy and required less sleep, but somehow always felt more rested and energized. I started for selfish reasons, but since then have come to also embrace and appreciate the positive impact on animals and the environment.”

After nearly a decade of veganism, Kyle finds absolutely no challenges to maintaining and constantly expanding his diet. “There are so many amazing products and recipes available to vegans it’s impossible to say that it’s ‘hard’ to be vegan, especially in Southern California,” he says. That’s one of the main objectives of his blog—to show that everywhere one goes, vegan options are not only easy and accessible, but also downright delicious.

What does Kyle want the world to know about veganism? “It’s easy, healthy if done correctly, fun, creative and all around the single best decision a person can make for the benefit of themselves, animals and the environment.”

Robbie Gleeson, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itsjustrobbieok, has been raw vegan since Boxing Day 2010. That is, Robbie only eats vegan foods, and he doesn’t eat them heated above 104°F (40° C). According to Wikipedia’s article on Raw Foodism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism):

Raw vegans such as Dr. Douglas Graham believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost much of their nutritional value and are less healthy or even harmful to the body. Raw or living foods have natural enzymes, which are critical in building proteins and rebuilding the body. Heating these foods kills the natural enzymes, and can leave toxins behind. Typical foods include fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains and legumes.

Robbie read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II, a book on how nutrition and diet are linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. He continued to research on his own, and found reports of people feeling amazing and healthier after becoming vegan. As an athlete, Robbie hoped to feel better and achieve better performance in his sports. After going raw, he admits the smell of cooked foods still causes his mouth to water, but he finds his raw vegan diet makes him feel great, and powers his body “pretty damn well,” and tastes good, too!

Tracye Mayolo has been vegan since Thanksgiving 2010. After reading a great article in a natural health magazine citing three majors reasons for becoming vegan—humane treatment of animals, environmental benefits and personal health—Tracye was relieved to learn veganism didn’t have to be a “cold turkey” decision, but could be made through good choices, one meal at a time. A comment by her ten-year-old daughter, Maggie, at Thanksgiving dinner, “Why do the cute animals have to taste so good?” contributed to her decision to go vegan.

Tracye likes experimenting, trying new things, and making choices that are better for her health and the environment. She doesn’t like the thought of how inhumanely animals are treated as meat is mass-produced. While her vegan diet sometimes causes her to feel “on her own” and segregated during social mealtimes, she sticks to her beliefs, and respects those of others. As Tracye says, “It’s just like religion. Be sensitive to, and respect, diversity. We all have our beliefs. Give people the room to believe in and eat what they want—even if it’s not traditional.”

Catherine Burt, a.k.a. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vegan, blogs at http://blogs.standard.net/in-a-gadda-da-vegan. Like many others, Catherine’s first step toward veganism was adopting an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. “…After a few years of waffling,” she says, “I knew it wasn’t the best I could do, either for myself, the environment, or the animals.”

With a rich social life that includes many vegan friends and a vegan mate, Catherine says family members tend to eat a bit healthier when they’re around her, and they see she’s healthier, herself, due to sticking to her plant-based diet.

“Veganism is a big party,” says Catherine, “and you’re ALL invited!”