The Beginning

This little experiment all started in earnest soon after reading "The China Study".  It's difficult to continue to eat animal protein after reading the scientific reasoning presented by Campbell and Campbell.  The fact that a diet of animal protein causes heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and osteoperosis.  And so my motivation is health related, even though some of the animal rights reasoning is pretty compelling too. 

I decided to begin my vegan transition on September 7th, the day after Labor Day.  Why?  Because the kids are back in school, vacation is over  and I could squeeze in one last trip without hunting down vegan restaurants.   Besides, how could I possibly go to Paris and not eat my body weight in cheese??? For some reason, I forsee eating out as one of the more challenging aspects of maintaining a strict vegan diet.  I suppose it's just something to get used to. 

So, it's been a whole week and it has been pretty easy!  Despite a potluck lunch and a meal at a restaurant.  It does take planning and preparation.... and some will power.  I gave up meat years ago, but I have had a long and lingering love affair with cheese.  From what I have read, this is common.  Something I read said that casein (the protein in dairy products) acts like opiates in the brain and is therefore addictive! I'm not sure I buy that, but I do love cheese.  Not surprisingly there are several vegan cheese substitutes out there.  I have tried one soy cheese that was pretty good, but the ingredients included trans fats and casein. Sigh.....   Besides, the little town I live in only has one grocery store, which I'm lucky carries some soy milks and meat replacements. 

But it's nice to know I'm in good company.  I found a list of celebrity vegetarians on the Happy Cow website and I was surprised at the length of it!  Some were not too surprising...  Alanis Morisette, Alicia Silverstone, Deepak Chopra, the Beatles...  But Socratese, Plato, Aristotle, and Einstein were also on the list!  Lots of big brains!