Changes

Last July I made the decision to finally go vegan. It has been a goal of mine since becoming a vegetarian back in April of ‘02. I constantly put it off out of convenience mostly. Then last July someone actually challenged me to give it a try, and I accepted the challenge. I didn’t have a “cold turkey” incident as I did when I switched to a vegetarian diet though. It was a much slower process.
At first I tried looking around for recipes which were easy to make. Or improvising which is generally how I always cook. I started by doing one meal every now and then followed by one day a week and gradually decreased my dairy intake. In October I then did a short two week trial. Around that time I coincidently had a doctor’s appointment. Based on the doctor’s advice I met with a dietician. That meeting was useless in that I already knew everything that she told me. It was useful in that it reinforced my determination. Shortly thereafter I completed the transition.
What are the big changes? Since July I have been paying far more attention to my health and the role food plays in that. That has come in handy in the transition. Since then I have had more energy and am generally more alert which is nice. One of the major reasons I put this off so long was my love of various kinds of cheese. Yes, I do miss it but not nearly as much as I thought I would. Also nuts and vegetables have largely replaced junk food in my diet. This is a good thing as they have far more nutrients than chips, which was my junk food of choice. Thankfully my choices of alcoholic beverages have not been limited much. Though really considering the fact that I have not had a drink in three months and have not been intoxicated in four, alcohol is not going to play much of a role. I bought a cook book which is very useful for most things. The main problem I face is the distances I must traverse to get most of what I need. Walking to Independent or the Bulk Barn is not pleasant in winter weather.
I called up my good friend George W. Bush to ask if I could borrow the “Mission Accomplished” banner but apparently he doesn’t have it anymore. So I will merely say it: Mission Accomplished.