Greetings Readers!

On the vegan forums and blogs I visit, I see three things that concern me.

1) Parents who are scared about their kids going vegan. Understandably, they are concerned about proper nutrition. I applaud that and certainly share their worries of a child being malnourished by adopting an animal-product-free diet that consists mainly of meat substitutes and potato chips.

2) New adult vegans who get into eating habits that rely mainly on packaged, processed foods because they are still craving meat and dairy products. While this is understandable for brand new vegans, in the long term, adopting a diet that focuses on substitutes instead of whole foods is not the best choice for human health or planet health.

3) Well-funded advertising campaigns trying to grab the vegan dollar in exchange for foods with little nutritional value. A box of white rice with a packet of seasoning may not contain animal products, but it also doesn’t contain real food. Marketing executives have realized that it can be profitable to cater to vegans, but they are often unscrupulous as to what they are advertising under the dubious umbrella label of ‘natural’.

Isn’t it enough if I’ve stopped eating animal products?

So you’ve gone vegan, and instead of the hot dogs and macaroni & cheese of yesteryear, your fridge is stocked with soy dogs and imitation cheese macaroni. Let me be the first to thank you for adopting this compassionate lifestyle. Vegan kitchens have a kind and wholesome atmosphere you will not find elsewhere. I hope you are feeling really positive and joyful about the new choices you are making at the market.

But, this is the Hard Truths category of Vegan Reader, so I’m going to take a closer look at what’s going into your shopping cart.

Over the past decade, the meat and cheese substitute offerings have truly skyrocketed. When I went vegan some 17 years ago, there simply was not the array of commercial products available that there are today. Now, we have a choice of brands, just like real Americans. We have Gimme Lean, Smart Dogs, Yves, Fantastic Foods, Boca…the list goes on and on.

On the one hand, it’s nice to have options. It’s nice to know that corporations realize there are vegans sitting at the table.

On the other hand, these pre-prepared, heavily processed foods have the power to turn vegans away from the simple, whole foods diet that is actually best for them and for the world. I see Americans as being particularly in danger of getting sucked in by clever marketing. Remember, we were raised by our society to be obedient consumers, freely giving our time and attention to the demands of corporations who served up the ads and TV commercials that told us what to eat, wear, and buy. Manufacturers of vegan products want your money, too, and that is why vegans need to keep exercising the discernment that helped them to see beyond the typical American lifestyle in the first place.

Which of the following sounds best for you and your planet?

Meal One:

• Brown rice and red beans bought in bulk and cooked at home
• Tomatoes and lettuce from the farmer’s market
• Homemade hummus as a nice sauce
• Homemade spice cookies for dessert

Meal Two:

• Road’s End Packaged Penne and Chreese
• Gimme Lean Textured Vegetable Protein Sausage
• Cascadian Farm Frozen Hash Browns
• Tofutti Cuties for dessert

No animals were harmed or killed in the making of either meal, thank goodness, but the similarities end there. Meal #1 is accomplished with a minimum of factory processing, and the purchase of local vegetables, where possible, further cuts down on fuel emissions.

Meal #2, by contrast, is an extravaganza of factory processing and not one of the items on the menu are whole or fresh. Optimum nutrition for this planet’s animals (including we humans) comes from eating foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. If the contents of your shopping cart are predominantly processed foods, the amount of energy being consumed to put dinner on your table is as wasteful as if you were eating a Hungry Man dinner. And, because so many vegan products are so heavily processed, the resultant nutrition is quite dubious, despite vitamin or mineral additives.

The Big Lie

One of the American food industry’s most clever and successful pitches to the public is that modern people don’t have time to cook. Since the 1930’s, so-called convenience foods have been billed as saviors for the overworked homemaker. Inventions from Bisquick to Jiffy Pop have promised to save us hours of time in the kitchen.

The truth is, this is a big lie.

I urge you to stop listening to any marketing firm that tells you you are benefiting from the swap of their prepared 10 minute white rice for your 20 minute bulk brown rice. You are winding up with poor nutrition and a house cluttered with fancy recycling materials. During the extra 10 minutes it takes for your brown rice to cook, make a salad, talk to your dear ones, step outside for a last look at the setting sun. Don’t listen to Uncle Ben.

When I met my husband, he was subsisting on microwave vegetarian foods in plastic trays. No one had taught him how to cook, and he didn’t think he would have time to prepare a home cooked meal. My feeling was that he simply didn’t love himself enough to take proper care of his need to eat. Fast forward years into the future and you will find my husband concocting fabulous from-scratch soups, burritos, salads, pies, pizzas and casseroles. He loves cooking for us. I consider it one of the most loving things he does for me. And we love spending time together in our kitchen.

Our pantry is stocked with basic staple whole foods, and from these things, we can make an almost endless number of healthy, tasty meals. We work long days and lead a busy life together, but we are not willing to do a deal with any society that tells us there is no time for us to feed ourselves. That is a mindset that speaks of unfeeling neglect.

Finding The Middle Ground

Going vegan is easier for some people than others. The last thing I want to do is discourage you from making this important change in your life. If that means you need to begin with packaged foods that mimic typical American products, go for it. I would ask only that you make these crossover eating habits temporary.

The core of the vegan heart is love and compassion for one’s self, one’s fellow earthlings, and the environment. In becoming vegan, strive to develop habits that improve the way you care for yourself while at the same time cutting down on the energy and pollution involved in others providing for you. Processed foods are not optimal for your body or the Earth.

Does this mean you can never buy anything that comes in a box, can, or container? Wouldn’t I love to be able to say ‘yes’ to that, but the fact is, few of us have the luxury of living on self-sufficient farms where we can grow everything we need. Because of that, we’re going to have to buy our rice, our flour, our rice milk, our maple syrup from someone else. And, once in a while, we may simply feel like trying out a package of vegan raviolis or vegan Polish sausages, just to see how they taste. If you are eating a diet that is predominantly made up of whole foods, don’t worry about buying a couple of containers of vegan ice cream in the summertime. Variety is important.

My hope is that in reading Vegan Reader, you will discover new ways in which you can cook most of what you eat from scratch. I know that the fake meat/dairy appeal is huge, but if I show you how to make convincing ‘ham’, ‘hot dogs’, ‘chicken’, and ’steak’ out of simple tofu, will you give it a try? My goal is to see you feeling skilled and powerful when it comes to nourishing yourself in a way that is truly loving.

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