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.