Vegan Beauty & Body Care

Hi! So I know that not all of you are vegan... actually I'm 99.9% sure most of you are not! :) BUT, I do receive a lot of questions about what vegan/natural products I use and thought I would do a little (big) post about some of my favorites. I'm not trying to convert any of you guys to veganism or convince you that vegan products are better, in fact if you know me in real life then you know I do the exact opposite of that! ;) BUT if you've been shopping around for new body and beauty care products for you or your little ones, then hopefully this post will inspire you just a little bit to try some of the really wonderful cruelty-free products that are available! :)
***This is not a sponsored post. These are products that I go out and purchase for me, my daughter, and my home because I really love them.

NAILS

Sparitual

Honestly, I'm not sure how much a tube of nail polish costs... but for me, this is on the pricer side. Lucky for me, I hardly paint my nails. And lucky for me I only need a good red and deep purply-black in my life (oh, & I guess gold too). Anything colored red in the make-up world is difficult to find vegan. More often than not it will contain some type of carmine product. This red is amazing... and you can't (CANNOT) go wrong with a color named "hunk of burnin' love".

HAIR

Pureology& LUSH Solid Shampoo. 

Pureology is AH-MAZ-ING. Seriously. Yes, it's definitely an expensive running bottle of shampoo + conditioner, but it pays itself off. One bottle lasts forever. You need the tiniest amount to get a good lather and it leaves your hair feeling incredibly soft. My hair is no longer as long as it used to be, but it is still beyond incredibly thick and one dime sized amount goes a very long way. Before, I spent so much money buying bottle after bottle of shampoo and needing to use excessive amounts to get my head clean, but now I just buy one good quality bottle and it lasts forever and my hair looks a hell of a lot better. The LUSH solid shampoo is great for extra dirty and stinky hair. It's a life-saver when I get off the burger and fry smoke heaven that is food-truck work. It was actually gifted to me, I had never heard or tried it before, but now it's something I will want to invest in when it fits into my budget.

TEETH

Kiss My Face

Toothpaste may be one of the most questioned vegan products I use. I've tried a ton of different natural and vegan options and hated most of them. Most of them didn't lather well enough and left my mouth feeling blegh and dirty. This is great, it's natural, and it's fluoride free. I accidentally bought a weird flavor once that was gross.... it may have been a vanilla or lemon mint. Do not want. Cool mint all the way. Marlowe loves it too.

BODY

Jason'sbody wash: I'm addicted. I buy a huge bottle every few months. I stick with a tea-tree scent... not everyones favorite I'm sure, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something extra good for my body. I will say: I haven't tried many other soaps, but I really enjoyed this one from the beginning of my switch to vegan products and while trying other ones seems like a great and fun idea: why mess with something that works so well. And it's light enough where I feel more than comfortable using it on Marlowe.

Nature's Gate lotion: I'm sure there are a million better lotion options out there... but this one is vegan, natural, and cheap so it stays on my list.

Kiss My Face shaving cream: There are not a lot of natural shave cream options out there... or if there are I keep walking past the section. This one works up a pretty good lather, I'm not left with nasty razor burn, and I've loved every one of the scents I've tried, so it stays :) 

FACE

You can see a bit of a trend with Earth Science. I have loved each of their products I have tried. I'm especially found of: the facial scrub (I use it every shower), the skin peel (it's my newest go to face mask), and the moisturizer. (you can buy all of these at whole foods). And Desert Essence face wash: I love the way my face feels after I use it. It definitely burns if you get it near your eyes, but it burns so good on your face. There are a few different looking bottles and types, but my face approves all of them. 

MAKE-UP

Josie Maran tinted moisturizer: I'll be honest, I'm mixed about this one. The tinted moisturizer I was previously using got discontinued. This one works for now, but I'm looking forward to trying to new option once I run out. It covers the skin very nicely, but separates easily in the tube. 

Korrespowder. Covers nicely, not heavy, doesn't look cakey. 

Zuzu: I was running low on my other powder and figured I would try this one. I'm torn between the Korres and Zuzu. Zuzu covers flaws better, but is a bit heavier, and I hate to feel like I've got make-up on. 

Urban Decay
blush. Be cautious... not all of these are vegan. Urban Decay is not a vegan line, but they do have a fair amount of vegan options. This blush is creamy, not powder, and great to add a light tint or a full blast of color on your face. I love the color "crush": the brighter the better! 

EYES

Josie Maran mascara. I very, very rarely wear eye make-up... especially mascara... so for eye make-up experts: I'm not sure how great this is compared to other eye products, but it suites me just fine. It doesn't look overly fake, it doesn't clump up, and it makes my lashes almost as long as Marlowes. 

Urban Decay liquid liner: love it. 

BABY

California Baby shampoo and body wash: you can see this bottle has seen better days. It's been around for over a year now. Like my shampoo, it's expensive, but lasts forever. You can buy this brand pretty much anywhere which makes it an incredibly convenient option.

Mild By Nature: the bottle pictured is the conditioner, because the soap is left at my dad's house for bath time there. The whole line is light and clean, without being overly scented. 

Live Clean Baby: I freakin' love this bubble bath. Marlowe smells like the most deliciously clean baby after a bath. This was actually sent to us, but the whole line really is great--- especially the "baby bath"-- Marlowe needs daily baths in it. It bubbles up pretty well (we've tried one or two other natural bubble bath products) and the lavender smell is great, you could not soap her, and she would still smell delicious after sitting in only bubbles.

BABY LOTIONS

Live Clean Baby lotion: big bottle, light scent, light feeling. Marlowe has become an expert at lotioning her tummy.

Baby Avalon Organics diaper cream. I did a quick google search while in Whole Foods to find out what of the products they sold were cloth-diapering friendly. This seemed like my only option (at least in my Whole Foods), but we like it. It's nice and thick so it doesn't slide off. 

SUNSCREEN

One of my other most asked about body-care products. Alba Kids Sunblock seems to work pretty well for us. I wish it was stronger, but even (or especially?) living in Florida we try to avoid too much direct sun. Marlowe hasn't had a sunburn yet *knock on wood* so it seems to be doing a pretty good job (it's also in her genes, I'm sure). I've tried a few other options, but I like this one a lot and have zero complaints. In the future, I still might try other, stronger options, but this still gets two non-sun burned thumbs up. Gotta protect that delicate baby skin! 

CRUELTY-FREE

There are a lot of ways to find out what products are vegan and cruelty-free. One of the most commonly used logos is the side profile of a bunny. Another is the face of a bunny. I've always seen a plant with a "V" for vegan. Some products will just state: "cruelty-free", "vegan", "not tested on animals and no animal bi-products". If you can't find any of these logos or statements, the best thing to do is: ASK! Both Whole Foods and Sephora (where many of these products have been purchased) have well trained staff that know their products pretty well, and have been great to help me find new products to try. And of course, I'm sure many other places will have equally as helpful staff. Most places will carry at the very least, a small selection of cruelty-free products. Smaller natural health-food stores are always a great option, Whole Foods has a ridiculous selection of natural products to try... and many of these baby and body care products (maybe not as many cosmetics) can even be purchased at chains such as: target, walmart, walgreens, and your neighborhood supermarket (publix here).

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I unfortunately don't have any great recommendations for deodorant. I have no idea whether my deodorant is vegan or not.... and it is certainly far from natural, but that's just the way it is. I've tried a fair amount of natural options and was left disappointed with each and every one of them. It's the only non natural product left in my house that is used daily. It's Florida, it's April and 90 degrees, and oh boy do I sweat. But if you've got tried and true natural deodorant options, please do share! I'm always happy to try new vegan and natural products.... and hopefully this post will inspire you to try a new cruelty-free option when the product you are currently using runs out!

If you have (vegan, or even just natural) products you use and love, please share! It would be great to know and try out the items you and your body use daily and love! Please link up or comment to share :)

Diet Water - Becoming Vegan

Edit: I'm going to answer any questions at the bottom of the post and then move them to the diet water q&a post in about a week ;) 

Since the beginning of this blog (not very long ago) I've received a lot of questions about my veganism, and more specifically: questions on how to become vegan, or at least more vegan-friendly. I'm not going to lie, becoming vegan wasn't one of the easiest things for me. It really took a fair amount of tries until I found a method that worked for me. I made a few failed attempts in 2007 and finally made it work early 2008. My efforts were usually quick-whim early morning decision or a drunken night proclaiming "Okay! I'm going to do it! I'm giving up cheese first thing in the morning, for real this time!" Hours later I had a baked ziti in the oven.  Fail. You know that moment when you decide to diet and chips and cookies just seem even more enticing and mouth-watering? And then late at night when you're lying in bed, instead of counting sheep you're counting french fries? It's like that. The second you *cant* have something, you want it.


Making the transition to being vegan is/was hard, even as a vegetarian since the age of 15. I didn't eat a lot of eggs or really drink milk, but they were in most things I ate. My problem was primarily cheese. I had the most intense addiction to cheese. I relied on cheese to enhance most meals or be the base for many meals. I didn't eat excessive amounts of processed foods, but I ate a fair amount, especially mock meats. Not the worst diet in the world, but far from the best, and looking back now I'd say it was pretty unhealthy.


You can be a vegetarian and be healthy. You can eat meat and be healthy. You really have to do what works for you. For me, a vegan diet makes sense.

So how did I do it? After many attempts what finally worked for me? Detoxing. I decided to try a two week cleanse. I wanted to see how I felt and where it would lead me. This cleanse to be exact: Renew Life Total Body Cleanse. I followed all the instructions, took all the pills, plus more: lots more. The first two days I did a liquid diet of home-made teas and lots of water. This wasn't exactly necessary, but I thought it would be a good jump start to the cleanse. For the next few days I ate only raw fruits and veggies-- sparingly, with lots and lots of water and tea. Then on the last week I slowly started adding in beans and vegetable soups. I avoided gluten, sugar (except fruit sugar), dairy, meat (I was veg anyway), and tried to keep the veggies and fruits raw. I'm not going to lie it was hard. At one point I went out and bought a gluten-free bread to break my craving a bit.... kinda cheating kind of not... I considered it cheating, but it really wasn't. It was vegan, gluten-free, but more like eating blahness. I felt like crap the first few days. But then, around 10 days in: I felt pretty good, bordering on great and looked forward to what was ahead.


Two weeks, and the cleansing kit ended. I decided I felt so great that I wanted to keep going a bit with limiting sugars, gluten, dairy and processed foods. I slowly started adding gluten back into my life. I knew if I had a choice there was no way I was going to ever be gluten free. I started reading and researching everything about food. I was grossed out and appalled. I realized how much crap was in the "food" I ate. I realized I didn't want to eat many of the foods that weren't vegan. I started getting grossed out by cheese and it's added casein and rennet. I didn't want to drink juice that wasn't 100% real juice because of carmine or because I wasn't sure where the vitamin D was being sourced from. I didn't want to eat bread that wasn't made from only yeast, flour, salt, water, because of the whey, L-cysteine, and other crap in it. I started going through my kitchen and my house and reading all the ingredients and tossing much of it (well, actually giving it to the crazy old biker man who lived next door). You can't eat bad food, if you don't own it or buy it.


I was nervous about giving into cheese again (hell, I even thought about having a piece of cheese today), but I told myself: "Self, if you want cheese you can have it. This doesn't have to be forever. No cheese today. Tomorrow we'll discuss it again". Simple enough. One day at a time. I went out to eat twice the next week. I realized life was about to get a bit more complicated. No vegan options. I ate a tiny bit of cheese, but picked a lot of it off. No big deal. Second time: I ate two bites and handed it over to my boyfriend, I couldn't do it anymore. My cheese craving and addiction were gone, and I didn't want it back. Time to find different restaurants. Two weeks and my body was clean. Salt, sugar, cheese, all the things I loved the most I no longer craved and I felt GREAT.


At first the noticeable changes were mostly superficial: I lost 8 pounds from cutting out dairy. My skin started to glow (no seriously, I started getting comments all the time from strangers about how nice my skin was!). I had more energy. I noticed I wasn't getting sick or stuffy anymore. My sinuses were clear. Then as I continued, I noticed my mood was better, and my anxiety was lower (I had suffered from a lot of anxiety and panic attacks). Did I mention how great I felt?! It was pretty spectacular. Two weeks is all it took for me to feel great enough to never want to go back.

Like I said, being vegan isn't for everyone. It works for me. Maybe you're vegan and love it. Maybe your vegetarian with no wish to ever be vegan. Maybe you occasionally eat meat. Maybe you eat meat: once, twice, three times a day, that's cool too (I guess). But consider a change, even a small change. Cut out sugar, processed foods, dairy, meat, any or all of the above. Consider being a pescetarian, flexitarian (mostly vegan, a few vegetarian items and the occasional meat), vegetarian, or of course: vegan. At the very least, consider: meatless mondays.

Don't know where to start?

Try:

-To buy food with no ingredients listed on them aka: vegetables, fruit, grains, and legumes.

-Looking at the ingredients in the food you buy &only buy products with ingredients you know.

-Slowly cutting out one thing at a time.

-Do what I did &try a cleanse, slowly bring back what YOU want to bring back.

-Or, do you want to start completely clean &now now now? Try a rapid cleanse.

Do what works for you.

It's simple really: Doing a little bit will help you feel a little bit better. Doing a lot, will make you feel a hell of a lot better.

Q&A

-I am terrified of doing a "cleanse" but I want to do it so badly. I'm so scared that with school four days a week for 3 hours and no bathroom breaks that I am going to be kicking myself for doing one. How did you react to it?

-I can't say much for other cleansing systems, I've only used this one and the Whole Foods brand version of it. But it's not a laxative effect or anything like that. It's a a lot of fiber and milk thistle to slowly clean your system. No running to the bathroom moments here. The rapid one I mentioned... well, I don't know. Seemed like more than I wanted to get myself into. The inconvenience thing I can think of would be the amount of water you drink in the morning and at night with it, it'll make you pee like a racehorse. But that's only twice a day.

-I didn't have too much problem making the switch from vegetarian to vegan. But now that I'm pregnant I'm having problems with it. I think I read that while you were pregnant you gave into craving too? I give in but then feel guilty about it.

Yep. I think it's common for many pregnant women to either become vegetarian or eat meat because they fear they have to... or because of cravings. For me, I decided I would just listen to my body... I tried pizza with cheese twice. The second time I threw up and decided not to do that again. I also ate a croissant and a piece of a kit kat. The croissant? Not worth it. The kit kat? It used to be one of my favorite things, now it just tastes like overly processed fake sweetness and not real chocolate. Also, not worth it. I know I would have felt guilty about eating actual meat, I got that animal guilt. But dairy? eh, whatever, I guess. Do what feels right, if you feel guilty, then it's time to debate harder about it next time. :)


-How do you cook? Where do you get your recipes? Could you give me an example shopping list? Also, what do you eat when you go out to eat? 
If you scroll through my diet water section you'll find a lot of answer to your questions :)
I'm not sure how I cook? I just do. And I try to cook as often as possible. I like cooking large meals so I can have leftovers.. it makes the next day's lunch easier. I like to experiment every once in a while, but I go back to my basics often: lots of soups, lots of tacos, lots of indian dishes, a few pasta dishes. My meals are mostly veggies, a protein, and some starch/carb. Recipes. Well, the recipes I've posted are mine unless otherwise stated. They are a dish that has changed to work for me over time-- usually a variation of a combined dishes from friends, boyfriends, family, or recipes I've seen long ago. You pick up tips and tricks along the way and use the ones that work best for you to make a meal. I don't really look up recipes online any more. I have a few books which usually just sit and gather dust and only get opened when I'm like "I have beets this week. I need ideas". A great book for that is Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. I obviously skip over the diary section and veganize all vegetarian meals. THIS book can help with substitutions. &THIS post had a few links to recipes I liked to check out. I rarely go to them now, usually just vegan dad to search for one item for ideas or I google whatever I have in mind that day :)
I did a shopping list post on diet water a few months back, HERE. 
Going out is simple (except on the occasional outings with family). I don't go out often and when I do go out to good places that I don't have to question their ingredients. i.e.: not chain restaurants. I go to one pizza place (they make everything that day  &it's all freshly picked from the farms or other small business owners) and I order a cheese-less pizza (+greens, +garlic &onion). I go to a diner that has one vegan option (a house-made veggie burger). &I go out to Indian food or Mediterranean--- so many vegan friendly options-- I seriously cant get enough Indian food.


What you do feel about eggs, if they come from a local farm and the chickens are treated well (free-roam, veggie-fed, etc.)? My husband and I eat eggs daily and want to get our own chickens. Just wondering your take on it as a dedicated vegan. Thanks!
Oh, eggs. This has come up for discussion many times between family and I or Eric and I. (Peta wont like my response). I think if you're going to eat eggs the only kind to eat would be free-range &antibiotic free eggs, preferably local too. If the chickens are happy and healthy then I don't really see the harm. I think what's been kinda decided *for now* is that if we (Eric, Marlowe, And I) ever get our own chickens, egg-eating might be an option, but mostly for Marlowe (Eric already eats eggs). I guess the only reason we (Marlowe and I) wouldn't is because: 1. I've gotten by this long and so well without them, I wouldn't see the point. 2. They are very high in cholesterol, so I'd rather just stay away. 3. I have a feeling cooking raw eggs might freak me out a bit (now) and if you get squeamish around raw eggs or meat, then you shouldn't eat it. 

More questions and answers: HERE :)

Diet Water - Q&A

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS from the 'Why I'm Vegan' post.

I've been veg for a while now, but as far as going vegan I'm trying to make the switch to being 100% animal free but like you I am a cheese addict, but also how do you know what's animal based in your food? And beauty products? etc...

I wish it were always as simple as seeing the word “vegan” written across the label, but that usually isn’t the case. A lot of food items will say “vegan” or have a “V” labeled on it. Beauty products will either have a carrot symbol, bunny symbol or say: “vegan” or “cruelty-free”. I don’t buy beauty products unless they are very clearly labeled. For food: ehhhhh. I do the best I can. I try to stay with food products that have very little ingredients and ingredients that I recognize = less chemicals/less animal bi-products.  There are books and websites that you can reference. One book would be Animal Ingredients A to Z: Third Edition. It might be a bit overwhelming.... but you could def. go searching ingredient by ingredient. When shopping I search for key words that I stay away from such as: anything with "milk" in it, whey, albumen, egg-whites, carmine, carminic acid, cochineal, gelatin, casein, isinglass, rennet, keratin, lard, &pepsin.

I'm not a vegan but I enjoyed hearing your point of view on why you are. I'm curious to know if your boyfriend is also vegan and at what age you'll let Marlowe make her own decision in that area?

Eric is not vegan &he will most likely never be. He is a lover or pork and cheese. With Marlowe, I'm kinda going to play it by ear. I would like to plan a certain age in advance, but we all know things and beliefs change to suite a child's needs. I would like to say around the age of 7 she will be old enough to decide. But it could be much earlier or much later than that. 

Yes, Interested in whether or not Eric is vegan and if not, how do you deal with the eating thing. What about Marlowe? Are you going to raiser her vegan? I, too, am very grossed out by eating animals. it actually repulses me. I am pretty much vegetarian and I would be vegan...but I have severe food allergies. i am allergic to most nuts. Wondering what I would do to substitute the protein? Any suggestions about food allergies and veganism?

Not vegan. Well, as far as "dealing with the eating thing", it just kind of works. I'm not trying to change him to become vegan and he's open minded when it comes to food choices. I'm lucky that since I've become vegan I've had two boyfriend's (Eric/ Marlowe's father) who both share similar views with me about food. I wouldn't have dated them otherwise.  We usually have dinner together &if it's something like pizza or grilled cheese, I use my vegan cheese and Eric uses non-vegan cheese. Other than that a vegan meal is prepared. When dining out he often chooses a meat option &that's perfectly fine with me (as long as I'm not getting a big meaty kiss after a bite full of food).

As for Marlowe, I discussed it a bit HERE, but will mostly likely be writing more about it later. I would like to think she will be vegan or vegetarian, but I really have no idea what she will choose. For now, she will be my little breast-fed baby and then a little (not super strict) vegan toddler and kiddo.  

I've been asked before about nuts and veganism. I actually don't use nuts as my protein source. Sure I love a peanut butter sandwich (with soy chocolate milk mmmm), but other than that the only nut I ever purchase is cashews to make a cashew cheese. For non-nut protein: legumes (I'm obsessed with black beans or lentil soups), tofu, some types of tempeh MIGHT be okay, seitan, and protein shakes (rice, soy, hemp based). 

Just my personal opinion, but I think that if people are going to eat meat, they need to get neck deep in the process and if that is too much for them, then they need to not eat meat. The only way we could make sure that the meat we ate was treated like it should be was to raise it ourselves. <3

Not a question ^, but I added this comment in here because I wholeheartedly agree.

My #1 question that I have been thinking of all week {thanks to your blog} what kind of cheese can I buy for my daughter? What are your recommendations? {if any}

If you can purchase dairy straight from a (real) farm, I say dooo it. Even if you have to spend extra money and cut costs elsewhere (wherever) it's worth it. If not, choose a cheese with the least amount of ingredients you can find. Organic milk, salt, and some sort of enzyme should be the only thing listed. If it's a matter of lactose intolerance: goat cheese-- it more closely resembles human milk than cow's milk does.




Is switching to organic aisle in my grocery store really worth it? 

Absolutely. I mean, sure, this can be somewhat a matter of opinion... but for me personally: I don't want chemicals in my body or my child's body. It seems strange to me to be put something so completely unnatural in my body. Sure, maybe you wont instantly feel the effects, but long term: yes, you will be absolutely healthier. There are more cancers and health problems than ever before.. for generations chemicals have replaced natural foods and we're suffering for it. 

&Besides the important health related benefits, you will find the taste difference is definitely there. 

Do you think you could share what a shopping list looks like for you? One of my big set backs with taking the plunge is money... I just feel like the only time I can get good deals on veggies and fruits is when the sun is out and farmers markets are open again... I also just don't know what to shop for. 

I plan on doing a whole post for this. If you shop by season and region you will find it much easier to stay on a lower budget. Here in Florida, you can find large Florida avocados for a buck in season. Out of season: it more than doubles in price at 2.50 for a hass avocado. My staple food items: canned tomatoes, canned beans, dried lentils, potatoes, onions, green onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery, lemons, a bread of some sort, frozen corn, peas, and then I will add whatever fruits and veggies I can find at reasonable in season pricing. Everything I just listed I buy organic, except for the onions. I try to have dinner ideas in mind and then work from there. 

i love this post too, and while i'm not vegan (i eat chicken & cheese) but am trying to limit that even more...anyway, i'm 14weeks pregnant & have cut out chicken & cheese for now just cause I don't even want them...but i'd love some ideas for some healthy, hearty snacks for a preggy mama!

I mean, you're pregnant.... go with your cravings! Pickles with peanut butter? :) I didn't actually have cravings, but these were turns to snacks I loved (&still love): Cashew nut shakes, peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat with a glass of chocolate soy milk, fruit smoothies with greens (spinach usually) and avocado blended in--- bananas work too, but I hate them and used the avocado to create a creamier texture and give more fat (preggos need the calories!) Don't be scared of the avocado, just be sure to add enough fruit to balance it. Veggies or crackers with hummus, bagel/toast with cream cheese (I use tofutti) with tomatoes, green onion, and sliced cucumber on top. Or, this is completely not healthy, but my guilty pleasure snack: pizza bagels (I use Follow Your Heart Mozzarella) . Nom. &Really a lot of my "snacks" were "meals". There's nothing better than sitting down to eat a nice healthy-filling meal when pregnant.

I would like to introduce some fun alternatives to stay away from meat all together. I was wondering if you could help me in this department?


This is hard. It takes a lot of brain re-wiring. We all look at meat as the shining star in each meal with everything else as a side dish. This thinking needs to be re-worked. You've got to look at the meal as a whole with the vegetables as the star. Work on eating meals that are vegan without trying to be: pasta, some soups, ratatouille, bean tacos, a lot of indian dishes. Marinated grilled tofu is awesome... even my brother likes it... you don't know him, but that say's a lot. I'm going to work on posting more recipes.  :) 

where can I find all your recipes?? Thank you ;)

I'm not great at using the label system on blogger, but some can be found HERE, others are scattered throughout the blog. I admit, I need to work on the "recipe" section on this blog of mine. &by that I mean: I REALLY REALLY need to work on it.

If I missed anything, I'm sorry &please let me know!

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I meant to post this video on my vegan post. Check it out.

A few other vegan/vegetarian resources:

The Vegetarian Resource Group or more specifically: a helpful list of ingredients.

Barnivore - because most white wine, and many many beers are not vegan or even vegetarian. 

A huge list of vegan recipes. 

Meat substitutes.

Book: Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet

Find a restaurant near you: Happy Cow

:)

Also, if you wouldn't mind giving us two clicks for a VOTE it would be much appreciated! Thanks loveys :)

Diet Water - Why I'm Vegan

Let me start off by saying: 
this post is "Why I am vegan". It is in no way a "Reasons why you need to be vegan" post.
I do what works for me and keeps me happy and healthy.
I recommend you do what works for you.

The short list: 


1. I don't like hurting or killing animals
2. less chemicals (with unwanted antibiotics &chemicals on meat &through organic eating)
3. it is better for the environment
4. zero guilt lifestyle (especially in terms of eating)
5. I feel emotionally and physically better
6. I'm healthy
7. I love it


The longer version: 


I became vegan for one reason and I am still a vegan (and plan on staying vegan) for a variety of reasons. I chose to stop eating red meat at the age of 12. Simple: I knew I was eating a cow and it grossed me out. I stopped eating chicken two years after that. I loved the taste of chicken, but again, the idea of eating an animal grossed me out. The thought of something that was once living, breathing, feeling, having sex, pumping blood through its veins now being dead on my plate grossed me out. A little ridiculous sounding? Maybe. Maybe not. I proclaimed myself a vegetarian &that was that. I ate fine. I wasn't the healthiest eater, but I wasn't the worst either. My food choices were comparable to most people my age, but with meat substitutes instead of animal meat.
I'm not sure exactly when or why it happened, but about 4 to 5 years ago I started questioning my choices. If I wasn't eating meat because of cruelty to animals then why was I eating dairy coming from a cow who was suffering with metal clamps attached to her utters all day long? (This is relevant now, more than ever, after breastfeeding a newborn for 12 hours straight everyday). I knew the cows weren't living in a field with grass to graze &being milked by hand by a friendly and gentile farmer. I knew that cow was being strapped to a machine standing in its own waste with hard metal clamps attached to it, being pumped beyond its limits. I started questioning everything. I didn't care much for eggs, I only ate them mostly in baked goods or veggie burgers, I never cared much for milk and I only had it in cocoa, cereal, or cooked into baked goods, meals, whatever. One problem: I loved cheese. I was addicted to cheese. I ate it everyday in almost every meal. I tried multiple times to go without it and never lasted longer than a day. Eventually, after many efforts, I was finally able to make the switch after a two week detox. In this time I started researching.... A LOT. Every article I found led me to another and during my search I found many reasons to continue being vegan.
I was forced to start putting creativity into my meals. All my usual fall back meals were no longer an option. I started to attempt cooking vegetables I had never prepared before. This was exciting for me... and of course, anyone can do this.. it just took me becoming vegan to really put an effort into it.
I started really, REALLY looking at and researching food ingredients. I realized how many chemicals were in the everyday "foods" I was buying (even the vegetarian ones). I realized how many animal derivatives were in so many store products (food, body, everything). Casein, rennet, albumen, carmine, isinglass... the list goes on and on and on. While making my switch I had picked up a bottle of juice and found carmine listed in the ingredients... I had had enough. After that, I looked at EVERYTHING. If it had too many ingredients, ingredients I didn't understand, or ingredients derived from an animal I wouldn't eat it.
I once heard somewhere (it was most likely a Bittman quote from his TedTalks speech) that you can't consider yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat. This is undeniably true. I do everything I can to not waste, to recycle, and to keep this earth clean. It makes sense that I would continue to not eat animals to further decrease my footprint. Factory farming is one of the biggest pollutants on this Earth. If everyone stopped eating meat, or at least ate farm raised meat, our Earth would be a much healthier planet. Choosing to stay away from all animal bi-products of factory farming further supports our environment. With less demand there is less supply and a lesser need for pollution causing factories.
Not only do I feel better knowing that I am: 1. not hurting animals 2. keeping my body free of extra chemicals 3. helping the environment, but also, the biggest factor in me staying vegan is simple: I feel better. My mind, body, and soul feel better. I am the healthiest I've ever been &my body feels incredible with little effort. I have zero problems dealing with cholesterol or blood pressure, I no longer have allergies or stomach problems, I have a great body weight, healthy skin, &I rarely get sick. I had the healthiest pregnancy imaginable, and I am now nursing an extremely healthy &happy growing baby.
I am happy being vegan. I am pleased with my food choices. I feel content knowing: not only am I am not hurting anyone or anything, but also: I am actually doing some good for myself, my child, animals, &the environment.