Pour a big glass of fruit juice and toast the cutesy-named month of all things veggie.br
We are already a little late to the party. The idea of this global movement was to swear off all things meat, egg, and dairy for the entire month of January. But we know our readers well, and suspect that a mini-trial period until the end of the month might be a better fit.
Going really vegan isn’t easy. You must deny yourself any food of animal origin including fish, eggs, milk, or even honey. (Bees are animals, too.) And it isn’t just what you eat. It’s how you live your life. That means ditch the leather shoes or purses. Wearing fur, of course, is verboten. But also forget the warm wool sweaters (even though no sheep die in the collection of wool), and ditto for real silk. And when you find out how many everyday products (including soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, and household goods) are actually sourced back to animals in some way, the ramifications of the restrictions will really hit home.
But zealots tell us there are all sorts of reasons to persevere. Front and center is the cruelty to animals’ angle. That is a tough one, you should pardon the expression, to digest. Who wants to hurt animals?
Going vegan is also a very “green” thing to do. And that doesn't just refer to the color of much of your menu. According to an ABC News story, the carbon footprint of a vegan practitioner is one-third that of the usual American diet.
Then there’s the weight loss aspect. Just think of the things you will no longer be able to eat and the things you can now eat. Welcome to skinny city. That’s worth a toast.
--Sarah Hagerty
