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Why I Chose Vegan
Lee Circe • Oct 20, 2019
When people find out that I’m vegan the top two questions people ask me is “Why am I vegan” and “How do I stay vegan?” So, I decided to share.
It began with a YouTube video, Blackfish. Watching the documentary on the mistreatment of killer whales in captivity compelled me to want to learn more. Once I saw the one video on veganism I couldn’t stop. After six hours of watching every video I could find on animal activism, environmental issues, plant-based recipes, and snacks taste testing, I finally made the decision to stop eating animals. From that point on I considered myself a vegan.
Giving up meat and animal bi-products in one day wasn’t as easy a progressive as I thought it would be. For starters, the first two weeks I went vegan I had major diarrhea problems. I wasn’t used to eating an abundance of lefty greens, so the excess of fiber in my new lifestyle caused me to have digestive issues. Another thing I struggled with is learning how to read food labels. You would be surprised how many products have dairy in them, like dark chocolate. I never knew it would be challenging to find dark chocolate products that don’t contain dairy. In the end, I have faced every challenge head-on, and I have currently been vegan for almost three and a half years. Therefore, I’d recommend those who are interested in trying out a more plant-based lifestyle start out with small changes and slowly work their way up to plant-based eating.
Now three year later I’m still vegan. Although I happily eat a lot of vegetables and marinated tofu; grilled or baked almost every day, I have found the key to my being able to remain vegan is substitutes. The substitutes that I recommend to new vegans is mock(fake) meat and dairy products. Such as, vegan chicken, hamburgers, yogurt, ice cream, cookies, cheese, hotdogs, etc. If you ate it before going vegan, then continue to enjoy your favorite meals just "veganize" it by substituting the animal products with vegan mock products.
For example, I loved tuna salad. Before becoming vegan I would get canned tuna combine onions, dill, celery, dry cranberries, and just a little mayonnaise and mustard. So, when I went vegan, I didn’t give up my go-to meal I just veganized it. Instead of canned tuna, I would mash chickpeas and add Old Bay seasoning to give it a little bit of a fishy taste, and just replaced regular mayonnaise with vegan mayonnaise. Though chickpeas aren’t an exact duplicate for tuna, it's still a delicious substitute, has great texture, is loaded with protein and is affordable.
My purpose for writing this is not to persuade someone to switch towards a plant-based lifestyle. I just want to share my story and tips on how I went vegan and stayed vegan. Lastly, for those who are thinking or trying to switch over to a plant-based lifestyle, remember my golden rule, eat what you normally eat just- "veganize" it
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The Holiday Season of 2020 is here and in full effect. Though our gatherings are smaller, it is still comforting and exciting to don our most festive attire to celebrate. Through intimate settings with family and friends there is a greater opportunity to be more creative with holiday looks. Not to mention partaking in the classic home photo shoot and selfie with the household while wearing your festive apparel. For myself, I wanted to find something that was not only traditional but trendy and would look good on most women and body types. What I found was not one look- but five! The best thing is, these looks can be sported well into the New Year and the Next Holiday Season. Velvet & Velour What’s Santa without his Red Suit? Velvet and velour styles are staples for winter, they always add a layer of sophistication to any wearer. For myself I chose to transform into one of Santa’s Helpers with a red velour and white faux fur skater dress from Shein with matching Santa hat and embellished boots. A skater dress can be flattering for women because it hides the tummy and flares out slightly at the waist. Other popular velvet and velour pieces include blazers and skinny stretch leggings, which can be paired with a simple white button down top or t-shirt. Embellished Shoes & Accessories Elf Hats, Reindeer Ears Headbands, Jingle Bell Necklaces, holiday themed buttons and pins, are quick easy ways to liven up any outfit. For those who like to sparkle, adding crystal shoes or accessories to your outfit will surely add glamour to your look. Popular places to pick up these items range from discount stores like Dollar Tree and Five Below to department stores like Macy’s which include brands like Betsey Johnson and INC. Fair Isle & Holiday Loungewear How much fun is it to gather with loved ones for Christmas and ring in the New Year in cute tacky loungewear? Amazon and Old Navy are solid choices if you are looking for gender neutral matching fair isle and holiday lounge wear sets for your household. For extra coziness you can add a pair of big fuzzy slippers or Ugg boots. So this Christmas and New Year slip on your favorite themed loungewear gather around the fire or one of the many Yule Log videos from YouTube, then sip some hot cocoa, eggnog or champagne to relax and enjoy the moment. Decorative Sweaters & Dresses We are all familiar with Ugly Christmas Sweaters, but have you seen those Hanukkah, Dabbing Santa and Dunking Santa sweaters? There are so many choices when it comes to holiday themed clothing. For me I joined in on the 3D holiday dress trend and selected a Frosty the Snowman Sweatshirt Tunic Dress from Shein. It was either this or a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer dress. Tip: sweatshirt tunic dresses are not only super cute and fun, they are also low-maintenance and comfortable. Sequins My personal favorite of all favorites! For myself no style screams “Happy New Year!”, more than an outfit adorned with sequins. With sequins you can’t go wrong and the choices are unlimited. Dresses, tops, bottoms, accessories, shoes, pajamas there are so many styles to choose from. For those who are daring like myself, you can layer up sequined looks with different colors, patterns and styles. The best thing about sequins is they tend to be a popular style choice for many other holidays, so are readily available through retailers like Boo Hoo, ASOS and Shein. There’s a Meme circulating which says, “what a decade this year has been.” Which, I agree it most certainly has. Here’s hoping that these tips for festive holiday dressing helps to liven up your holiday season as we try to spread joy, kindness and good cheer nearing the close of this year.
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