The beginning of positive change

The decision to take up this challenge was purely based on impulse. One day I was at the library and for some reason I was searching for books about becoming vegan. Before I knew it I left with two borrowed books. One was the "30 day vegan challenge" and the other was Jillian Michael's "Master your metabolism".

Picture from The Compasionate Cook

Picture from Fitsugar.com

So since Feb 1 I've been reading the guide by the inspirational Colleen Goudreau and it has been an amazing read so far. She addresses doubts about veganism and sets you thinking about what it really means to be compassionate towards animals. I claim to love animals but it doesn't exactly reflect in my actions, as do thousands of other people. The more I read the less excuses I give for not turning vegan because I admit, I still do miss the taste of salmon and chicken and cheese sausages.

Firstly lets clarify a few things. What's the definition of being a vegan? A vegan does not consume the flesh of animals as well as their secretions. Vegetarians, on the other hand, only do not eat the flesh of animals. This means that as a vegan, I shouldn't be eating meat, dairy and eggs. A vegan's diet mainly consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, wholemeal, legumes, mushrooms, bread, pasta and herbs. A vegan also does not wear wool, leather or fur. There are actually a lot of by-products of animals that are used in the food and drinks we take in everyday. Or put on. For example, lanolin is oil from sheep's wool and it is found in many cosmetics such as lip balm. Carmine acid, which is used to dye foods red such as red M&Ms, are made from crushed bodies of beetles. Isinglass is a clarifying agent used to make wine and beer. It's taken from sturgeon and other fishes' swim bladders.

I've learnt a lot from the book so far and I'm really excited to share it with my readers (if I have any) over the next few weeks. I will also be discussing on certain sensitive issues regarding animal rights I've been reading about, which I hope will open your eyes as they did mine.

A lot of people ask me, why vegan? I never really knew what to say but writing it down now makes it clearer.

• I want to be healthier and feel healthier
• I want a change of lifestyle
• I want to challenge myself
• I want to make a stand against imprisoning or slaughtering of animals for meat/eggs/dairy
• I want to prove to myself and others that a vegan diet is not as inconvenient as it's perceived to be

I'm not sure what happens after 30 days but I'm pretty excited to see where veganism takes me! On to day 7!

My meals for the past 6 days (including today) will be recorded in the next post.

Till tomorrow x