It all started when I was about 14 years old. My love for food was deeply routed in an Italian heritage and in a father that was pursuing a culinary degree. His family was all about the culinary conquest. But then again, in the early 2000's, who wasn't? Rachel Ray, Paula Deen and Bobby Flay were all the buzz.
On a daily basis I would come home from school and make a sandwich. White bread, processed meats, processed cheese, and a mean combination of yellow mustard and mayo. Oh! Let's not for get the pickle and potato chips. For a family who loved intriguing cuisine, this was NOT an after-school snack to be raved about.
Flash forward a few years... 2009. I am a college student at St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota). At this point in time, I was dating an athlete and was partying just about every day of the week. Beer, pizza and Pop-Tarts were the main food groups that I survived off of. It wasn't that I didn't want to cook. Or not even that I didn't know how. I was too broke to buy fresh produce, lean meats, and I simply didn't have the time. Getting about 6 hours of sleep at the absolute maximum, working 6-8 hours a day/36-40 hours a week, and going to school full time; There was a lot of pasta and frozen pizzas as well.
So here I am. Amanda Peterson: age 23, in a relationship, and could lose about 35 lbs. As of today, I am sitting at 167 lbs. My weight should be around 130-135 lbs (if I was in ideal BMI range). I am working as a Manager in Training at a local Marriott hotel. AKA pursuing my chosen career path! There has been a lot of changes in my life over the past few months. I've had a falling out with my mother who was recently diagnosed with cancer, found out my parents are divorcing, moved in with my life long best friend and her family, and I have finally found someone that I can say I 100% trust and love unconditionally. So not all bad news right? Wrong. I found out about a whole slew of illnesses that run on both sides of my family. From cancer and mental illness to (the now rather basic) diabetes and heart disease. This was the starting point.
The next thing I know I am eating more veggies and trying to become a healthier human, with no veganism intended at this point... Unknowing that I am about to make a huge life changing decision. Here we go. This is it.
2 weeks ago, I was at Francisco-the boyfriend-'s apartment and I was waiting for him to come home from work. With no cable connection and my complete boredom of Facebook, I decided to check out some Netflix! I grabbed a Salami sandwich, 2 Clausen's pickles (yes, I love pickles), made some tea, and wrapped myself in the most amazing plush blanket I could find. Scrolling through the movie selections, I was in the mood for something educational. Having flashbacks to being 14 again, I thought culinary education would be a fabulous idea! Get the mind rolling for some dinner ideas and what not. Vegucated was the flick I chose to pass some time with. It was a documentary from 2010. (A complete list of documentaries is listed below.)
Holy sh*t! I had heard of animal cruelty, animal testing, unhealthy conditions and adding hormones, but good grief! Talk about an eye opener. Suddenly, my Salami sandwich wasn't all too appealing. I was getting physically ill at even the thought of what I had just consumed.
So starts the research: I was online ALL night trying to see how healthy veganism is and what it entails. It seemed like not too bad of an idea, since I am also lactose intolerant. So I pretty much would be simply cutting out eggs, meats, and anything containing animal byproducts ... just kidding, this isn't simply by any means! Through it all, I was becoming more and more turned off to consuming animal products. Thanks to educational/activist groups such as PETA, I was able to watch some behind the scenes footage of what the common processes are for slaughtering pigs and cows. YEP! Totally done with meat!!!
Dr. Oz has an amazing website full of useful Vegan tips. You can Google the term "vegan" and the links are endless. Aside from the animal cruelty issue, there are more than enough studies to prove that being vegan/vegetarian is much healthier for your body. I don't mean this in terms of being physically fit, but in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and all sorts of internal things. Not to mention juicing and eating raw veggies is AMAZING for your skin. And obviously you have to keep a steady work out regiment to obtain your goal physically. Plus there is more to it than just eating veggies. You need to eat veggies (some raw), grains, fruits, legumes, and drink lots and lots of water. FYI: Oreo's are Vegan... But that doesn't mean you should buy them! A lot of junk foods that are high in sugar/sodium are vegan, but eating Frito Scoops and Famous Amos Chocolate cookies isn't going to make you healthy. It's a life style change, and it's one that cuts out all food that are straight garbage for your body. However, if you are the person who cannot cut out ALL the bad things, here is a list of all the things that are Vegan in your (probably current) Carivorous daily life: PETA Accidentally Vegan
Collectively, Francisco and I watched about 5 documentaries and conducted some independent studies. After our findings, we decided to embark on this journey together. It is always easier when you have someone to accompany you not only for support, but for the competition factor as well. Monday, February 18, 2013 we officially became practicing vegans.
Here is a list of documentaries that you can currently catch on Netflix or watch online:
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Food Matters
Fors Over Knives
Hungry Fro Change
Vegucated
The above documentaries have forever changed my point of view on health, happiness, medicine, my personal lifestyle, and the world as a whole.
A new opportunity. A new life. A new me.
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