My Path to Veganism | Yoga Swole

I have been slow to come around to full veganism. It has been nearly three years since I stopped eating meat altogether and started calling myself a vegetarian, and within the last year I have been working to cut dairy completely out of my diet (the only thing I eat once in a while now is Greek yogurt). I have also begun to take a closer look at my everyday beauty, cleaning, clothing, and other general products to see if they contain animal products or if they affect the environment in a negative way.

My path to veganism started while I did my yoga teacher training with Lara Heimann a few years ago. During the training we learned about The Yoga Sutras. The first yama we learned was ahimsa, which is translated as “nonviolence.” This refers to not only physical violence (i.e. to people or animals), but also to the violence of words or thoughts. What we think about ourselves or others can be as powerful as any physical attempt to harm. To practice ahimsa is to be constantly vigilant, and to observe ourselves in our interactions with others and all beings. As we observe, we can begin to notice our thoughts and intentions; working to not allow them to be damaging or harmful.

This yama really stuck with me and I new that if I was going to teach, I needed to practice what I preached. So to begin, I looked inwards and thought about what I could do to live a more ahimisic life. As I got started, I knew that I wanted to learn more about what it meant to become vegan and how it was beneficial to me, the animals, and the environment.

So, to become the best version of myself- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I began looking at my relationships with others, as well as the relationships I had with food, animals, and the environment, and by doing so, I knew that something had to change.

As Lara began introducing us to some resource and information about veganism, I too began to do some research on my own. What I found was astonishing. The more I read, the more I knew that I could never eat meat again. I remember coming home after class one day and I looked at my husband and said “I’m done”. And in that very moment I began to change. I stopped eating meat and started down my path to veganism. Every day I continue to work on living an ahimsic life; being kinder to myself and to those around me.

At first, making the plunge was hard and not because of the diet but because of how it impacted my husband, my friends, and my family. I often had to explain myself and my choices to others. I felt like I was constantly having to defend my beliefs and explain my thinking and actions. I also started to feel guilty about refusing meals my family made as well as felt guilty about being the “difficult” eater in the group; feeling like everyone has to accommodate me because of my eating choices when we would go out. But after a few weeks, I decided that I was going to be me and if they had an issue with it, that was on them. I was not going to judge anyone else for their choices and I asked in return they not judge mine. Over time, people have begun to accept my lifestyle and have been very supportive and accommodating. My husband has been my number one supporter. While he hasn’t made the full plunge to veganism he does eat vegan 4/7 nights as well as cooks me vegan meals most nights. In fact, I’ve asked him to post a few recipes in my upcoming blogs, so stay tuned!!

One of the biggest questions people want to know is how can I workout as much as I do and not eat meat. I tell people that cutting meat and other animal products out of my life has in fact helped me to become and feel stronger and leaner. I have seen amazing results to my body and to my fitness. I get the essentials vitamins and proteins that I need to remain in good health as well as maintain my physical activity. Overall, I feel fit, properly fueled and fast. Being a vegetarian/vegan has not impacted my body negatively . Once you begin to explore what is available you begin to see countless opportunities. Eating a vegan meal does not mean frozen veggie burgers and salad every night, but much more!!

Below are some examples of good quality nutritious foods:

Protein sources

Tofu
Satan
Tempeh
Beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, soy)
Legumes
Vegan protein powder

Good fat sources:

Extra virgin olive oil
Flax seed oil
Hemp seed oil
Avocado
Non-roasted nuts and seeds

Calcium rich foods:

Almonds
Beans
Dark, leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, broccolli)
Asparagus
Oranges
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds

Iron rich foods:

Fortified cereal
Dried peas and beans (kidney, lima, lentils)
Bran
Soybean nuts
Raisins
Enriched rice
Peanut butter
Apricots
Green beans
Walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds

Overall I think everyone should explore what it means to be vegan and learn a little more about the lifestyle and diet. I lived in a naïve bubble for most of my life but as the saying goes, “knowledge is power”, the more I read the more I knew that I would never be the same.

“Perfect is the enemy of good.”- Voltaire

Meaning it’s better to do a small, good thing than not do it because you’re not doing it perfectly. Even if everyone reduced their animal product intake by 10% or 20%, it would be remarkable in terms of the effect it had on the environment/climate. These changes could have a phenomenal effect on our world and the way we live. Just little food for thought 😉