First of all, I feel that I must say that the vegan lifestyle appears to be similar to minimalism; what veganism means to one person may not be identical to the next person's definition. One minimalist may only allow themselves to own the clothes on their back, another may only allow themselves the amount of items that will fit in their backpack, and the next will allow themselves the usual lifestyle, while simply being more active about keeping their purchases intentional (no casual shopping and only keep the clothes, books, food that are certain to give you joy/contentedness).
One vegan may not consume honey while the other will. There is an argument to be made about thrift store items: are we allowed to purchase leather if it is second-hand? The beauty of this is that it is up to the individual (as far as I am concerned). I, for example, only vow to do my very best because I know I am not going to fool myself about what "my best" is. I know I will continue to be diligent about not consuming animal products in my diet. I will refuse food. I will check the tag for wool and leather, but I will admit that there are some items that I had before I went vegan slip through the cracks. For me, it is a "from now on" and "to the realistic best of my knowledge" scenario.
At any rate.
I have had such an incredible experience with veganism and minimalism. I feel as though they went hand in hand for me. I found out about the concept of minimalism as I was researching veganism and decided "what better time to get rid of the things I don't need?" I started with my refrigerator and went from there. Since adopting minimalism, I have refocused and decided to live a life of intention. Which bridged into my diet/what I was eating and drinking, specifically. I never really was one for much junk food and had been off of sugary drinks for quite some time, but with the marriage of V & M, I was simplifying what I could eat (just getting down to basics so that I would be less likely to mess up my vegan diet / so I could build a decent foundation for it) even more, and for the better!
I was certainly allowing myself all the calories, carbs, fats and proteins that I wanted (didn't want to get overwhelmed, plus I've never really been one to count calories, etc... and now hardly seemed like the time to start). I basically drank water, tea and black coffee, so that was already taken care of. I was never much of a picky eater, but even so, if there was a food I had been afraid to try/buy on the regular (like mushrooms, for example), I forced myself out of that and decided to allow myself literally any foods as long as they were not animal products (and now I like mushrooms. I eat them every day. They make their way into just about every meal). At first this clean slate of allowance and adventure was just to experiment and to make it a bit more possible to go out to eat at a restaurant. I am glad I did this, however, because since deciding I like mushrooms (among other things), I have discovered that I love Thai food, Vietnamese food and Korean food (bonus new food: kimchi).
*** This part of the post is old ^^^ I've been vegan for... 5/6 years?? Not sure.***
So wild to look back on this one because I have wildly upped my cooking game and palate. (And I can barely even imagine a world without kimchi?!?) I am, by far, a less-constrictive minimalist than when I started. But I'm so glad I began with a strict practice because it better-trained me (leaps and bounds!) to purchase and keep and do with intention. My addiction to fashion has lessened and resulted in a wardrobe of things I love. And on my most recent move through a couple states I was able to very easily rid myself of my little cot bed, desk and chair. In fact, other than my plants, everything I brought fit in my Fiat. Not bad at all!
I do not foresee myself shedding my veganism any time soon - in a body swimming in insecurities, it is one of the things I always like about myself. It doesn't hurt that my entire relationship with veganism has been a pleasant one: introducing me to delicious foods and flavors I have fallen in love with. (Thai & Korean are still the best!!)
No comments:
Post a Comment