So I am a 28 year old woman, engaged to be married and living with my fiance. My mother went vegetarian about 5 years ago for health reasons and I have flirted with the idea for a long while. I have been in the habit of buying products not tested on animals for several years and pretty much at the beginning of the year started a new diet by no longer eating red meat. Fast-forward to last week. I had a coffee date with a girlfriend who I hadn’t seen since High School. She is Vegan. She proceeded to tell me all the horrifying facts surrounding the meat industry. She also informed me the rule of “cage free” hens for producing eggs. I thought I was doing a good thing buying cage free! Turns out not so much. I also learned the truth about Dairy cows and the Veal industry. Needless to say I went and bought myself my first half gallon of Original Silk Soy Milk. I’m now hooked on that btw. I have been doing my best to cut out anything involving animals this past week. Cheese is difficult. And I know now its literally addictive. I have been cheese free 2 days. Since I fell off the wagon and had some Goat Cheese with crackers while at my future mother-in-laws house the other night. I also enjoyed some sour cream potato salad that night. And then yesterday the only non-vegan food I had was some girl scout cookies. Tomorrow I am removing all the temptations from my house. I would do it today, but I have to work tonight. Last night I had my first dinner involving a meat substitute. It was Tofurky’s Italian Sausage with Sun-Dried tomatoes and Basil. And it was awesome! I sliced and cooked it and made linguine noodles with great northern beans, sauteed yellow onions and vegetable broth. It was awesome. So much that I ate it again today for lunch.
The thing that makes my journey to Veganism more difficult is that my fiance is a meat eater. Sometimes I think that maybe I could change him, for example he tried the Tofurky last night and he liked it. But at the same time I am prepared to do this alone. Being around meat, particularly red meat is not easy. I’m not tempted by it, but when I look at it I see the animal it once was and am reminded of what that animal went through. So this is the main reason I decided to write this today. Has anyone else gone through this? How do you deal with it? Also, we plan to start a family within the next 2 years after we marry in November. Any suggestions on how to raise a child in a divided house? I hope to at least convince my fiance I do not want our children consuming dairy products. I read some articles concerning this issue and how milk, for example, has been linked to several childhood illnesses.
Anyways, any helpful suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
Hey I just sent you a really long reply and then I had to hit the basck arrow when I tried to post and it erased it all. So here is the quick version.
My wife and I recently started a vegan diet. It is difficult and we are learning. First off it was her idea and I was supportive but was going to continue my diet the way as it has always been. I knew we slaughtered animals for meet, but I never really looked past the packaging at the store. I did my own research and watched videos. This is not right to say the least. I was completely unaware how horrific the dairy industry was. Again, we just go to the store buy milk and go home like we have always done. Never putting 2 and 2 together. Like we are the only mammal that contiously drinks another mammals milk…while they are weaned at a young age and then never drink milk again. If you were to ask a person if they would like a glass of human breast milk, they would be grossed out., But yet have no problem drinking milk squeezed out of another mammals nipple. Am I making sense> Something very backwards here and out of balance.
As far as your husband is concerned. Let him be him and try your best to respect that. He is on his own journey. Feel free to share how you feel about things in an open and sharing way…and show concern. Offer to educate him on things that are important to you. No one can change anyone else. I am not changing my childrens diet. As much as I would like to, it is my choice to go vegan not theirs, and if I force them, the will resent me and feel walked on. I am sure they will ask more as they continue to see use life this life.
There is a balance in nature and in many ways it is completely out of whack. The only reason one needs to kill an animal is if it is going to try and kill you or your kids. We are no different than a mother bear or father bear defending their offspring from threats. But the way we capture you animals, raise them in facotry farms, force them into life they did not ask for nor derseve is cruel beyond belief. Anyway, you get the idea. Good luck to you.
First off, thank you. I am always welcoming of any comments to things I have to say.
Secondly I think I might not have been quite clear on the matter of my fiance being a meat eater. I am not trying to change him. I would like it if he would change but I am not trying to actively make him feel bad for his choice to continue to eat meat. He has asked me questions and I have answered them, not always with him wanting to hear the truth, but he listens anyways. He is being very supportive in my decision, though he has joked that he feels like his grilling skills are now useless. I have told him he can still grill my meat substitutes and vegetables.
I was more focused on seeing if anyone else was having to deal with the same issue I was in that I am becoming Vegan while still living with someone who is not, and the difficulties surrounding that issue.
Again, thank you for your comment, and good luck to you and your wife.
Her name is Dreena Burton and she has written several cookbooks. I first saw her on a youtube video making cookies. She is fantastic. We bought one of her cook books called Eat Drink and Be Vegan…which is on its way in the mail. We were simply looking at the recipe photos on her site and decided we wanted to make many of them. The ones from this cookbook are listed in the bottom photo link that is labeled with the book title.
Well, I wouldn’t throw out your non vegan food. Just finish it up, or find someone who’d enjoy it.
Yeah, I know what you mean by addictive. I can go without cheese and milk. But, oh, how I love iecream!!! While I like th soy version of it, it’s very expensive - for just a small amount. Many days I don’t eat icecream, but when I have q craving, I DO give into it. When I’ve tried strictly eating vegan over the years, the cravings would get to me. Now, I just roll with it. Instead of beating myself up over having fallen off the wagon, I just enjoy the diary items, then eat primarily vegan fare the rest of the time…
I am giving it to some of my family members who are not Vegan. I could not in my right mind, knowing what the cows go through to produce my former favorite cheese and yougurt, continue to eat it. And It’s like when I quit smoking a year ago, I didn’t finish the pack, I got rid of it. IMO you cannot get rid of your addiction by continuing to purchase it or allow it to stay in your fridge. I do not eat alot of sugary or fried products so things like ice cream are not a staple of my diet, therefore I do not think I will have a problem shelling out a little bit more cash if it means I don’t have to support animal cruelty. I never thought I was going to go full Vegan. I always knew I would become Vegetarian one day, until I learned the truth about the animals and how they are treated and I just cannot support it anymore. That is the main reason I went Vegan. Also because, to be frank, alot of the animal products literally had been making me sick and/or causing problems with my G.I. Tract. I’m only 2 days into this and already I am seeing major change. I feel so much better physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Good for you for eating mostly Vegan. And thank you for your input. Good luck with your continued success.
He is being very supportive in my decision, though he has joked that he feels like his grilling skills are now useless. I have told him he can still grill my meat substitutes and vegetables.