about
Katherine and Steph, two high school seniors journeying through the month of February, 2014 from start to finish as vegans. Testing out a new lifestyle, and hoping to reveal more about ourselves than we think.
Katherine and Steph, two high school seniors journeying through the month of February, 2014 from start to finish as vegans. Testing out a new lifestyle, and hoping to reveal more about ourselves than we think.
We'll include guest appearances, funny things, and many a complaint on this blog, although we'll try our hardest to stay positive, even without chocolate.
meet the bloggers:
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| Katherine |
my purpose I am going vegan for the month of February because I was looking to try something new and reinvent the food I eat. I'm adventurous and always up for a challenge and Steph's idea seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore the culture of vegan food. Lately I've been considering eating healthier and modifying my diet to incorporate more nutritious foods. I've always been intrigued by the idea of going vegan and the world of vegan/clean food cooking and baking appealed to me. I don't want to think of this month as a diet or have it associated with the negative and sometimes stressful connotations of that label. If I lose weight or slim down, sure, I'm ok with those positive unintentional side-effects but those are not the goals of this experience. My intention in this month-long project is to immerse myself in the world of vegan cooking and learn how to replace the fatty, salty, sugary and processed foods in my diet with raw, fresh, and clean alternatives. This is a test of my independence, time-management, and self-control and if I take anything from this experiment, I hope it will be a new appreciation for the value of healthier, more nutritious foods.
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| Steph |
High school senior from upstate NY. Vegetarian for four years running. First time being vegan for more than a week at a time. Blogging for the first time (outside of class). Year-round rower, b-baller in the winter months. Loves adventuring, exploring, antiques, road trips, and yolo experiences. Love being constantly busy. Perfect afternoon: doing something I've never done before. Favorite foods: brownies, banana bread, lemon squares, peppers, everything else other than meat (and vegan cheese). Favorite vegan recipes: Lemon Pancakes. Favorite vegan eatery: Chipotle. Red hair. Innie belly button. Nail Polish should always be chipped. Photo was a selfie in my backyard.
my purpose Becoming a vegan for at least a month of my life has reserved a spot on my (extensive) New Year's resolution list for the past few years. In the past, I have hosted "vegan week" in which myself and a few friends would become vegan for a week in the earlier months of the year. I noticed, during these weeks of Veganism, that my body felt more powerful and alert than it ever had before. This feeling intrigued me, and I began to research the diet and way of life more and more. This year, I was tired of only a week, and desired to see the effects Veganism had on my mind and body for a longer period of time, as well as fulfilling my long-time resolution. Although I do not agree with the connotations of the lifestyle (protesting animal products because of animal abuse cases, not wearing leather, etc...), I am vegan to improve my well-being, my awareness of food, and to challenge myself in a way that I have never done before. I sincerely hope that my vegan experience will live up to my high expectations, and that I will enjoy the person I have become at the end of my journey.
my purpose Becoming a vegan for at least a month of my life has reserved a spot on my (extensive) New Year's resolution list for the past few years. In the past, I have hosted "vegan week" in which myself and a few friends would become vegan for a week in the earlier months of the year. I noticed, during these weeks of Veganism, that my body felt more powerful and alert than it ever had before. This feeling intrigued me, and I began to research the diet and way of life more and more. This year, I was tired of only a week, and desired to see the effects Veganism had on my mind and body for a longer period of time, as well as fulfilling my long-time resolution. Although I do not agree with the connotations of the lifestyle (protesting animal products because of animal abuse cases, not wearing leather, etc...), I am vegan to improve my well-being, my awareness of food, and to challenge myself in a way that I have never done before. I sincerely hope that my vegan experience will live up to my high expectations, and that I will enjoy the person I have become at the end of my journey.
Being vegan means eating a diet that does not contain any products from animals. This is a plant-based diet that excludes meat, dairy, and eggs. Contrary to popular myth, vegans can receive enough protein from their diet by incorporating protein-rich grains like quinoa or chia seeds, soy based foods like tofu and soy yogurt, and your everyday vegetables like chickpeas and spinach. For the purposes of this blog, we will be including honey in our diet because though it comes from honeybees, honeybees do not suffer under the current harvesting methods as other animals in food production do.
how we do
We plan on adhering to the basic vegan rules as mentioned above for the whole month of February 2014. There are two meal plans (links on the meal plans page) that we can use to guide us but, for the sake of time and resources, many meals can and will be improvised. Sometimes our lifestyles may demand indulgence in non-vegan food, which is why we have designed and system of acceptable cheats to the program.
cheats
Cheats are times where we break from the guidelines of vegan and consume something that is non-vegan for whatever reason. This could include milk products, dairy, eggs, and even meat (probably not for Steph, the resident vegetarian). We are allowing four different types of cheats for the month, which can be used at anytime during the course of the month. They are as follows:
Cheats are not designed to devalue the experience of being vegan or make it seem like a restrictive diet. People make mistakes and cheats are to alleviate us of guilt when we have a minor slip-up.
social media
#veganforamonth
how we do
We plan on adhering to the basic vegan rules as mentioned above for the whole month of February 2014. There are two meal plans (links on the meal plans page) that we can use to guide us but, for the sake of time and resources, many meals can and will be improvised. Sometimes our lifestyles may demand indulgence in non-vegan food, which is why we have designed and system of acceptable cheats to the program.
cheats
Cheats are times where we break from the guidelines of vegan and consume something that is non-vegan for whatever reason. This could include milk products, dairy, eggs, and even meat (probably not for Steph, the resident vegetarian). We are allowing four different types of cheats for the month, which can be used at anytime during the course of the month. They are as follows:
Level of Cheat
Code Red: can eat non-vegan foods for one entire day (ex. everyday of my normal life)
Code Orange: can eat non-vegan food for one meal (ex. a night out at Red Lobster)
Code Yellow: can eat non-vegan food for one snack (ex. cheese and crackers)
Code Green: can eat one piece of non-vegan food (ex. a candy or cookie)
Cheats are not designed to devalue the experience of being vegan or make it seem like a restrictive diet. People make mistakes and cheats are to alleviate us of guilt when we have a minor slip-up.
social media
#veganforamonth
#trythechallenge
twitter/instagram
@stephacquario
@katherinekjq
