To Vegan or Not To Vegan?
The Road Ahead
Eating meat is a habit for my family. I have four children, three of whom are under 12 years old and an adult child who, for the moment, is lost to the horrors of Western Society and subjugation to The Man. I raised this person, however, and therefore I have hope that at some point they will return to me and we can continue growing and loving together.
As for my little three, being as how I know so much more than I did when my eldest was young, I hope to save them from the same path as their elder sibling. For me, this begins in the kitchen. I have studied and learned so much about nutrition in my journey as a mother and everything I learn points more and more toward vegetarianism and veganism.
Getting Started
My life is in a massive upheaval right now and because this kind of life-change affects children as harshly as it can (I have an arsenal of weapons at the ready to help combat this, including essential oils, a love of the outdoors and a solid foundation in connectedness), our journey into veganism will be slower than I might like. I'm a serious fan of jumping into things with two feet, with all of my hope clutched in my arms and a heart full of love... all of which I stand by as being amazing; however I have a child to whom big change is shrouded in anxiety fear. Therefore I will make these changes slowly and watch as they help or hinder her in her day to day life. Although to be honest, she'll be the one who loves this the most!
Already, we keep what meat we consume to ethically raised and slaughtered animals (what a ridiculous oxymoron that statement is; it embarrasses me to even write it. ) however it's still not enough to be the loving and conscious family I want us to be.
Inspiration and Goals
Having just watched the latest vlog from @kennyskitchen and being in the aforementioned life upheaval, I've gotten the chance to do some deep inner thinking. My children, as healthy as they are, need to know what it means to be a good person, and to chose to be good on all of the levels, not only the ones that we find easy or fun in the moment.
My goal is to lessen any flesh intake in our home by a full 1/2 by the end of the month (June) and completely flesh-free by the end of July. I know this does not a vegan make, lol, however it's where we will begin. Honestly, this will probably be the easiest step for most of us. My youngest son will have the most difficulty, although If I do this correctly he will undoubtedly find more food that he enjoys. I will NOT do what I have seen so many others do and resort to chemical-laden foods created to mimic the taste and texture of meat. We will focus on substituting animal proteins for plant derived proteins and adding lentils and nuts and rices and ... I'm excited. We already make 90% of our meals from scratch so I'm not afraid of some planning and I am - and have always been - committed to doing what is right for our family.
Thanks for reading, I hope you'll follow us on this journey!