Beginning to Veganize: The How and Why

You may have noticed a trend here lately. We’ve begun to veganize Life is NOYOKE.

Yes, veganize. And this means two things.:

1. We’re cleaning house. All old posts in the recipe index are getting veganized (or deleted).
2. We’re sticking with it. All new recipes are vegan (even if they’re not traditionally made that way).

Now, this is not because of some radical change in our lifestyle or food philosophy.

For the most part, veganizing is what we’ve been doing for a while. Let’s discuss.

We love good vegan food

Let’s back up a second. We love any good food.

But when it’s also vegan, we find ourselves.

• Feeling better.
• Feeling fuller (for longer).
• Feeling more energized (and generally more content with our choices even if they’re indulgences).

A few years ago, I never would have imagined craving something without meat, cheese, or eggs.

Today? It’s all I want.

Not just for the immediate benefits. But vegan food is a better choice for the long term.

There’s no better diet for fitness, vitality, and longevity

If you want to live disease-free (and have a sexy bod!), vegan food is for you.

Plain and simple.

You do not need meat, dairy, poultry, fish, or eggs. These things will slowly kill you.

Everything in moderation, of course.

Just know that you can get all the protein you need from plants (without any of the harm from animal products).

For a thorough, convincing explanation of why there’s nothing healthier than vegan food, grab yourself a copy of The China Study. It will change your life.

But, assuming this is all true, and you still don’t think it’s a big deal, let’s talk about our planet.

Our Earth needs this

Oh boy. Where do I begin.

How about I leave you with a handful of facts pulled from a documentary you must watch. It’s called Cowspiracy and the facts below (and more) can be found right here.

1. Your burger didn’t just appear. “Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.”
2. Your burger needs to eat. “Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US.” and “2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef.”
3. Your burger just passed gas. “Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day” and “Methane is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2 on a 20 year time frame.”

And that’s just the beginning.

But let’s move on to some veganizing motivation that’s a bit closer to home.

We are animal lovers

Ever since adopting a dog, my view on eating the flesh of another living thing changed dramatically. Basically, I can’t do it.

For a while, I had given up red meat, but still ate chicken and fish. Now, I can’t even eat chicken.

Before, it was a sacrifice. Meat dishes are so good!

But with vegan meat companies like Beyond Meat, having a “chicken” Cesar salad is a reality once again.

And yes. We make Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing. Because for us…

Veganizing recipes makes our job interesting

Veganizing classics (previously posted to our recipe index or traditionally not-vegan-at-all) brings us joy. It’s:

• Challenging.
• Rewarding.
• Exciting (especially when we knock it out of the park like with our cashew queso).

For us, there is not enough good vegan food out there. The more we can share, the more it becomes the norm.

These days, I love it when people ask me if I’m a vegan now. Because before, it was out of concern or morbid curiosity.

But now, eating vegan is actually “really cool”.

And so finally…

It simply feels right

People get it now. I get it now.

But let’s be clear.

We do not preach veganism

Preaching? No thank you.

Extremism (of any kind!)? No thank you.

Hollier-than-though, self-righteousness, belittling, shaming, inconveniencing? We genuinely hope not.

We are all about compassion.

Compassion for animals, of course. That’s why we don’t eat meat.

But compassion for people.

Look, we know you’re best starting off slowly. Maybe a smoothie or an easy homemade dinner.

And we know life is for living; not restricting. You should absolutely designate a day of rest and indulge on special occasions.

That’s what we do!

So we’re here as a resource.

Get lean first. Try some vegan Vitamix recipes later.

Because here’s the deal…

This is a process

It takes several years to make any change.

And once you do, you’ll want to change again.

Right now, we’re veganizing. Looking back, this is what we’ve been doing the whole time (without realizing it).

It begins with better choices.

• Cauliflower mash instead of potatoes.
• Giving up diet coke.
• Saying no to dairy because you know how it makes you feel after eating it.

Getting a little bit better. And to do that, you gotta…

Remember where you came from

Your past is what determines your future.

Not anyone else’s past. Yours.

Compare yourself today to yourself yesterday.

You’v probably come a lot further than you think.

You may not be ready to veganize your world (like we are).

But some day, you might.

And when you are, we’ll be here.

Does veganizing interest you?

If veganizing your world interests you, I have three recommendations.

1. Sign up for our newsletter. It’s called 5 Good Things.

2. Start with breakfast. A daily green smoothie is a great way to start.

3. Invest in yourself. Go to Vitamix.com or Vitamix.ca and pick one out. Our Vitamix makes this lifestyle easy, fun, and something that really sticks.