Averse Vegans

Has it finally come to this? Really? Isn't there any other option left besides going (gasp!) vegan? Momnivore - from "mom" and "omnivore". We're clearly an omnivore household, not a vegetarian one, or worse, a vegan one. But after so much soul and stomach searching over the past six months, my husband and I have realized that we can't completely avoid the fact that there's a lot to be said for a vegan diet.

First, let me clarify the difference between vegetarian and vegan for any of you who may not be familiar with both terms. A vegetarian is someone who does not eat animals, i.e., meat. However, they still eat animal products, like dairy products and eggs. A vegan does not eat any animals, nor does he eat any animal products. This is harder than it sounds - no dairy, no eggs, no honey,... it really limits the ol' grocery list. So what's left to eat? Plants. Vegetables, fruits, and grains.

A vegan diet is one of the best for the planet. It takes the least amount of resources to produce, and any scraps or byproducts (like corn stalks, for example) can be composted easily. Plants are the most direct way to turn solar energy in to food for humans, pure and simple. Vegan diets are also highly recommended to prevent or heal a staggering array of diseases. It's the weapon of choice for preventing cancer, reducing inflammation, healing ulcers, lowering blood sugar, heart disease and stroke risk, and minimizing hangnails (ok, I made up the last one, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true). Since I have an autoimmune disease, and my husband has diabetes in his family history, we're always looking for ways to stay healthy naturally. And as much as we both love a hunk of roast beast, all the research keeps pointing to the same - vegan - diet.

So why, if it's so good for us and the planet, would we be "averse" vegans? Well, I like (ok, love) dairy. And my husband loves meat. Heck, we're foodies - and a vegan diet means no Parmesan, no Ruth's Chris, no seafood, to name a few things. To be honest, I'm a pretty picky eater and well, er, I don't like many fruits, or many vegetables. There, I said it. Sure, I like some, but enough to live on for the rest of my life? That's kind of scary.

Our game plan, then, is not to become vegans. We're just going to have vegan meals sometimes. I love Mollie Katzen's idea of side-by-side meals, which are made up of several "side" dishes, rather than a main course and sides. At first, I tried to learn all new recipes and do everything from scratch, but that's just too much for me. Instead, I've decided to make side by side meals out of things I already know how to make. I can't guarantee meals will always be pretty, or balanced, or particularly tasty (sorry in advance, Dear), but it should all work out in the end. What matters is that even with just a few vegan meals a week, we can reduce our overall environmental impact and improve our own health in the process. With any luck, we might even save a few bucks on the grocery bill.

Day to Day Green

In any endeavor, there are highs and lows. There's no question what the biggest environmental low is right now (thank you so much, BP). On a smaller note, my housing management people decided to dredge the wetlands behind my home, filling my yard with sludge, dead fish and poisonous snakes. And for no good reason at all, one of my hanging tomato plants crashed to the ground. Yes, sir, things are rough all over.

The highs are a little less obvious, but well worth mentioning. In fact, let's dwell on those instead, shall we?

Green Acres Farm never fails to impress, and we've enjoyed their chickens, eggs, and mutton several times in the past few weeks. Even if you don't give a rat's patooty about the environment, this local farm produces some of the tastiest eats I've ever had - and I've heard that same sentiment from anyone who's ever tried their goods.

My daughter and I went to a playdate last week at which we made and sampled two kinds of ice cream - Yum! Now that would be a great playdate under any circumstances, but the wonderful hostess made both ice creams from natural, organic ingredients, one with goats' milk and one with cows' milk for comparison. Talk about taking it up a notch! She even used a crank-style churn to make one of them. Thank you so much, TG, for that special playdate!

I took the kids to the farmers' market Saturday morning. Usually I go alone and early, but this week I brought the kids so they could see all the wonderful food and crafts for themselves. I let them pick out whatever fruits or veggies they wanted, and they even chose some homemade treats for our dog. Every parent should be as fortunate as I am to have kids who get excited about eating healthy foods.

My son spent the first week of summer break at a BSA Eco-Hero camp. They did the usual camp stuff, from target shooting to games and sports, but I noticed all the crafts he brought home were eco-friendly. They used recycled materials for the most part, and they were green projects, like bird feeders. It wasn't anything overtly "save-the-Earth" green; it was just a consistent respect for conservation in all the cute little things they did. For example, they gave the kids each their own cup on the first day and used it all week for water. I wonder how many water bottles and juice boxes were kept out of landfills with just that one, thoughtful move? Kudos to the whole camp for a great week!

I'd like to write more, but I'm blowing off that annoying "work" thing I should be doing to write this instead. Not so good for the ol' pocketbook. My current pocketbook, by the way, is 15 years old and still going strong. That's probably the ultimate in conservation - just stop buying stuff and use your old stuff forever. But that's not always fun (or possible - especially if we're talking about fitting into jeans from that long ago!). Find what does work for you, enjoy it, embrace it. Don't worry about not doing everything perfectly - just do your best. There are thousands of ways to help the Earth, and thanks to people like you, millions of people willing to help it.

Namaste'