MIA (not my bunny...but Missing In Action) ;)

I haven't talked about my vegan journey for a while now. To be honest, I've fallen off the bandwagon a little bit. There have been a few times where I have been starving to the point of no return, and the only food available was some sort of dairy product (bad planning on my part). Or, there were times where dairy was just laid in front of me  and I couldn't fight the temptation.

I have to say, living with my family (although I love them dearly) has made being vegan extremely difficult. We hardly ever have produce, nearly everything is processed, or is a meat or dairy product. Now, that's not to say that my mom hasn't tried to get me some vegan friendly options, because she has, but with money being tight all we can afford are the 'normal things that everyone can eat'.

It has been frustrating because my whole family can eat vegan food, they just choose not to. Out of everyone, my mom has the most open mind, although she still finds vegan substitutes scary and resists trying them sometimes.

I'm not trying to make excuses; feasibly I could have stayed vegan but my diet would have lacked everything but carbs. My body, nor my taste buds, could handle that. I have still continued to cook and experiment with new vegan foods, though. Josh has been very supportive and a wonderful motivator. He knows that giving up dairy has been difficult for me and has given me that extra nudge to keep going.

Josh and I are now living together in our own apartment- filled with OUR food. Meat and cheese is a minimum (Josh is not vegan; although he has bounced the idea around for a little while), but he and I both enjoy cooking new recipes that are vegan friendly.

People ask me all the time about being a vegan; they'll ask me why I do it, if it's more expensive, how I get my protein, etc etc. I love sharing my knowledge on the subject, because the term 'vegan' can be downright scary, or may seem impossible for some people. Most people in my life are supportive of it. The majority of my friends will tease me, in a friendly way, about being a vegan--and who knows, maybe deep down a few of them think it's stupid or pointless, but they show me support, which is what matters to me. Consuming a vegan diet works for me. I see no point of eating foods that taste good AND give me horrible stomach pains afterward. I'd rather consume wholesome foods that are also yummy, but leave me feeling satisfied, clean, energetic, and pain free. Is it always easy? No. Can it get expensive at times? Yes, when I buy dairy substitutes or baking ingredients it can be. Vegetables, fruit, rice, quinoa, beans- all of the raw, nutritious food that I eat is not expensive. Everyone, vegan or not, should be consuming these products. However, meat and diary are such an easy and filling food that people often ignore these other delicious foods.

[via]

Beginning tomorrow; when I am officially moved out of my house, my 'second' round of veganism will begin :) A part of me is disappointed in myself for not sticking to it 100%. When I did eat dairy, I did feel guilty (and would have horrible stomach pains). Living a vegan lifestyle is something that's incredibly important to me in this state of my life. Living on vegetables, whole grains, fruit, and nuts (and yummy substitutes!) makes me feel more nourished than I've ever felt before. My mind is clearer, I don't crave nasty food (most of the time...;)), I have more energy, and I don't have any stomach problems. For me, it's so worth it.

xoxo
<33holly