Going Vegan



Potatoes, zucchini, corn and eggplant with a tomato sauce

On January 11, the church I attend began a 21 day fast. I prayerfully decided on the Daniel Fast. When the 21 days of fasting ended, I continued a gluten free, sugar free, and vegan eating plan. Now, in my seventh week, I am unsure how long I will continue eating vegan, but I am determined to do so as long as I can.

That does not mean that I never think about cheating. I think about it every day. It is amusing to me that I miss eggs the most. Chocolate, certainly, but missing eggs? So far, I have managed by always having food with me. I usually have nuts, fruit, and water at the ready, and if that does not work, there is always seaweed snacks.

I rarely eat out any more, but I plan to change that very soon. In the beginning, I feared losing control. I also believe that many restaurants sneak sugar, flour, and animal products in where you least expect them. I now know that I can control me and I plan on being very selective when I order.

I chose to continue eating vegan for health reasons. My health is good for my age, but I want to be leaner and stronger. I wish I could say that the weight just fell off once I began this journey, but losing weight has always been a slow trek for me. I have lost about a pound per week, according to my doctor’s scales and that’s without exercising. I know if I routinely exercise, my progress to “healthier” will be much faster, but that’s another story.

I began with plates of food like the one shown here. With the help of sites like Pinterest and visits to the Whole Foods Food Bar, I found some amazing recipes and discovered some new tasty treats, as my repertoire of dishes I love continued to grow. I will try to record some here in the coming weeks.

The most amazing thing about this journey has been the reaction of people around me. While many were encouraging, some immediately respond with, “Ugh!” Those and some others refuse to even try anything that they believe is vegan. Still others believe that eating healthier is costly and more time consuming. I admit it takes more planning and that I have to make sure that there is always something good to eat just waiting in my refrigerator, but for me it has been well worth the effort.

One thing that keeps me on this path is a story told by one of the pastor’s at church. His toddler daughter woke him early one morning. On the way to the kitchen, she picked up a bottle her parents somehow missed cleaning the night before and decided to drink the left over milk. He screamed, “No,” and snatched the bottle away from her. Her reaction was a loud angry cry. He quickly prepared a fresh bottle and handed it to her. She took it but still looked at him with hurt filled eyes. As he turned away from her, he heard in his spirit, “That’s the way you are. You hold on to things that look good but are not good for you. I want to give you things that not only look good, but are good for you, but I cannot until you let go of those bad things that you are holding to so tightly.”

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. Help me to release those bad things in my life that I continue to hold fast to, and replace them with good gifts from you that will strengthen me physically, mentally and spiritually. Strengthen me in my weakness that I may walk the path you set before me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.