19 Days Vegan

Congratulations on going vegan! The first thing to do is celebrate with something special, like a bottle of champagne or vegan cake or soy ice cream. You will find over time that being vegan not only improves your health, but frees your conscience in such a way that you feel freer than you've ever felt. You will be able to look at animals again and will notice things you never allowed yourself to recognize before. That great feeling never goes away.

In my early days of being vegan, I read everything I could get my hands on about veganism. I read "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer and "The Ethics of What We Eat" by Peter Singer. I also read other, lighter books about veganism and vegan cooking whose titles I no longer remember. That really strengthened my resolve, so that even when I missed certain foods, I didn't feel a strong desire to go back to eating them. On top of that, every evening, I would remind myself that I had spent another day without contributing to animal abuse.

If you live with someone, getting them to go vegan with you can make things a lot easier. What made me decide to go vegan was watching "Vegucated." At first, my husband wasn't all that thrilled about my decision, but he agreed to watch "Vegucated". When he saw all the arguments presented in that film, he decided that there was no good reason to eat animals. He's an incredibly smart guy, so he may not be typical, but I believe that anyone who is a reasonable person and really loves someone to whom this is important shouldn't need that much prodding.

Finally, what helped me a lot was the recognition that many Mediterranean foods are naturally vegan. American-style vegan food tends to be low in calories. Mediterranean vegan foods, on the other hand, are full of good fats like olive oil and nutrient-rich ingredients like lentils and chickpeas. Many dishes like tabouli, hummus, and baba ganoush are naturally vegan. Look for Lebanese or other Middle Eastern restaurants near you. If you cook at all, get a copy of Donna Klein's "Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen".

Good luck! And once again, congratulations!