Back to Basics

Wow, there are a lot of vegan diets out there! And a lot of vegan opinions. When I went vegan, I did not own a computer, and had little interest in the world of the webz. I think it made going vegan easier. I just simply cut out all animal products out of my life. It was super simple, other than the extra time reading labels. I did notice that I felt better almost instantly, I felt lighter. I didn't really question it, I chalked it up to feeling lighter on the inside, my soul felt lighter. It was almost a high at first. I probably drove some people insane, because I just wanted to spread the word of how amazing I felt. I never questioned was it healthy, what about protein, or anything of the sort. And my response when people questioned such silly things was, and still is " do I look like I'm malnourished, or lacking in any way?" It was easy, peasy, no muss, no fuss. I want to continue to spread that vegan message. Since I'm looking into tweaking my diet a little to help fight the blues, I've come to realize that wow, sometimes there is such a thing as too much information. More than too much, more like too much conflicting information. Should I eat lots of protein? High fat, no fat. All carbs, no carbs. Raw, Raw till 4, all fruit, no fruit. Organic, to juice, or not to juice. And it just goes on and on and on. I think choices are great, and of course we need information to educate ourselves. But even as a seasoned vegan, when I start looking into foods to heal myself, it can get so overwhelming, not to mention depressing, as some miracle "super foods" will probably never fly into my mouth, due to the ridiculous cost. So I can only imagine how it must feel to someone who is vegan curious. I'm sure overwhelming would be a good place to start. I think it's great that there is so much information, and the fact that within the vegan diet, there are a million and one different diets, or "lifestyles". It goes to show that a vegan diet is not limited, and choice less, quite the opposite. I just also want the message to be out there that it is a very simple choice to go vegan. It doesn't take years of planning, and taking out a loan so you can stock up on raw, organic produce, and superfoods. In the grand scale of foods to eat, animal products are greatly outnumbered by all the different plant foods. I'm not a doctor, and I know everyone is different, and there are conditions and illnesses, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that for the majority of us eating a vegan diet is super easy, no special super foods required.
Between Beyoncé-gate, and realizing how vicious some vegans get if you question their dietary choices, or how shaming some can be if you don't adhere to an all organic diet, it's been a little bit of a letdown to say the least. I just want to put my two cents in and remind everyone that we are fighting to spread the message that you don't have to eat animals to live, and enjoy food. And we want to spread a message of compassion, which is pretty hard to do when we're ripping each other apart, and in some cases name calling! We want people to know that you can easily cut meat out of your diet, you don't have to be a slave to the kitchen, and you don't have to take on a second or third job to afford food. And most importantly, we eat a lot more than wheatgrass!
I've decided I'm going back to the basics, I'm just going to be vegan. I may follow principles of Raw till 4 for example, but I won't identify as anything other than vegan. My love of animals is and always will be what lead me to veganism, and I don't want all of the other noise to silence that fact.