Whew! It’s been a few weeks! I really needed the break, so please forgive the absence . . . and thanks for reading if you’re still here :-)

The last few weeks have been nutty: I ended my nearly four-year stint at my first job out of college (as an assistant editor at a book publisher), turned 26, spent 2 weeks at my parents’ house consolidating my entire life’s worth of writing/photos/keepsakes/BOOKS/etc. into a few boxes to take back to NYC with me, sold tons of their old stuff on CraigsList (and a monster yard sale!) in preparation for their move to Colorado, came back to NYC, started a new job at a literary agency, and upped my running mileage in preparation for next month’s 10K (up to 5 miles now!)

All that aside, though, I also reached an important milestone on June 2: the Vegan Year officially ended. Something I haven’t really discussed on here is the fact that my boyfriend Sonny and I spent the last year eating entirely vegan (with the exception of an irresistible piece of wedding cake one week before the year was scheduled to end, as well as a couple non-soy lattes that accidentally made their way into my mouth thanks to Pret a Manger baristas, Progresso Vegetable Soup and its hidden beef stock, and a bowl of not-fake-buttery popcorn that Sonny’s mom mistakenly fed us last year).

BACKGROUND: A little over a year ago, Sonny–one of the biggest meat eaters I’ve ever met, and the person least inclined to eat vegetables)–told me that for his 28th year, he wanted to be vegan. Between his 28th and 29th birthdays–June  2nd to June 2nd–he would consume no animal products, not even honey. When he told me this, I was shocked, but also really happy (it’s hard to see someone you love consume huge amounts of red meat, cheese, and ice cream without worrying about their health).

Immediately, I told him I’d do a vegan year as well. Why? Partially because
I wanted to support him, partially because I was already vegetarian and knew it wouldn’t be a huge shift for me, but mostly because I thought he had
awesome reasons for wanting to do it:

a) To create a new relationship with food.

b) To remind himself that the majority of the world’s population has very limited access to high-quality food, and most Americans don’t appreciate how AVAILABLE everything is here.

c) To see if he could do it.

Also, I wanted to redefine my relationship with veganism. I’d been vegan before, but for entirely the wrong reasons:

a) To assume a new “identity” and assert “control” during a
stressful, insecure time in my life.

b) To restrict food and lose weight, in a “veiled” manner.

I won’t try to define the entire year in one post, but a lot of really good
things came of it:

a) Sonny and I discovered a lot of foods we both enjoy, and had fun cooking
them together (and saved money in the process!)

b) I had a much different experience with veganism than before: less
processed foods, abundant enjoyment of produce, little restriction.

c) I narrowed down the animal products I actually missed. Over time, the
biggest offenders were Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and salmon (and
occasionally eggs, but I could usually solve that craving with a tofu
scramble). Every other non-vegan food, I could honestly take or leave. I
didn’t miss many of the things that I used to eat simply out of habit (Light
‘n’ Fit yogurt, tuna salad, mozzarella cheese, frozen yogurt, etc.).

d) I learned to be a more astute shopper. Dried beans and rice are a MUCH
better long-term investment than a box of veggie burgers.

Sonny is still vegan. I am not. In the last couple weeks, I’ve enjoyed plain Greek yogurt almost every day (I gave it a week or so, and the craving just didn’t go away!), and I ate two salmon sandwiches made with a can of wild salmon. I still eat plenty of vegan meals (right now, for example: mixed-green salad and Ezekiel bread with hummus and tempeh), but I’m also realllllly enjoying eating yogurt again.

I’m incredibly proud of Sonny for making it through the year (when truthfully, none of his family or friends thought he’d get through it!) and, in the process, totally reforming his eating habits and proving that if you have faith in yourself, you have the power to change your life completely. It’s a lesson that never gets old, I think.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I took from this year is that labels just aren’t my thing. I want to be a healthy and conscious eater (and maybe even someday a 100% vegan) because it’s the sum of my choices, not because it’s dictated by the vegan label. And I think when I became vegan before, I wanted to “force” these changes on myself, and use my moral opposition to harm against animals as a way to deflect attacks on the way I was eating. I think this was a shallow way to approach veganism. And I’m glad I’ve moved past it.

I’ll definitely be reflecting more on the vegan year in the coming months (along with my quest to rid myself of skin allergies, which I’ve been reading up on!)
What was the most significant lifestyle change you ever made? Why did you do it?

Whew! It’s been a few weeks! I really needed the break, so please forgive the absence . . . and thanks for reading if you’re still here :-)

The last few weeks have been nutty: I ended my nearly four-year stint at my first job out of college (as an assistant editor at a book publisher), turned 26, spent 2 weeks at my parents’ house consolidating my entire life’s worth of writing/photos/keepsakes/BOOKS/etc. into a few boxes to take back to NYC with me, sold tons of their old stuff on CraigsList (and a monster yard sale!) in preparation for their move to Colorado, came back to NYC, started a new job at a literary agency, and upped my running mileage in preparation for next month’s 10K (up to 5 miles now!)

All that aside, though, I also reached an important milestone on June 2: the Vegan Year officially ended. Something I haven’t really discussed on here is the fact that my boyfriend Sonny and I spent the last year eating entirely vegan (with the exception of an irresistible piece of wedding cake one week before the year was scheduled to end, as well as a couple non-soy lattes that accidentally made their way into my mouth thanks to Pret a Manger baristas, Progresso Vegetable Soup and its hidden beef stock, and a bowl of not-fake-buttery popcorn that Sonny’s mom mistakenly fed us last year).

BACKGROUND: A little over a year ago, Sonny–one of the biggest meat eaters I’ve ever
met, and the person least inclined to eat vegetables)–told me that for his
28th year, he wanted to be vegan. Between his 28th and 29th birthdays–June
2nd to June 2nd–he would consume no animal products, not even honey. When
he told me this, I was partially shocked, but partially elated (it’s hard to
see someone you love consume huge amounts of red meat, cheese, and ice cream
without worrying about their health).

Immediately, I told him I’d do a vegan year as well. Why? Partially because
I wanted to support him, partially because I was already vegetarian and knew
it wouldn’t be a huge shift for me, but mostly because I thought he had
awesome reasons for wanting to do it:

a) To create a new relationship with food.

b) To remind himself that the majority of the world’s population has very
limited access to high-quality food, and most Americans don’t appreciate how
AVAILABLE everything is here.

c) To see if he could do it.

Also, I wanted to redefine my relationship with veganism. I’d been vegan
before, but for entirely the wrong reasons:

a) A way of assuming a new identity and asserting “control” during a
stressful, insecure time in my life.

b) A veiled method of restricting my food intake and losing weight.

I won’t try to define the entire year in one post, but a lot of really good
things came of it:

a) Sonny and I discovered a lot of foods we both enjoy, and had fun cooking
them together (and saved money in the process!)

b) I had a much different experience with veganism than before: less
processed foods, abundant enjoyment of produce, little restriction.

c) I narrowed down the animal products I actually missed. Over time, the
biggest offenders were Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and salmon (and
occasionally eggs, but I could usually solve that craving with a tofu
scramble). Every other non-vegan food, I could honestly take or leave. I
didn’t miss many of the things that I used to eat simply out of habit (Light
‘n’ Fit yogurt, tuna salad, mozzarella cheese, frozen yogurt, etc.).

d) I learned to be a more astute shopper. Dried beans and rice are a MUCH
better long-term investment than a box of veggie burgers.

Sonny is still vegan. I am not. In the last couple weeks, I’ve enjoyed plain Greek yogurt almost every day (I gave it a week or so, and the craving just didn’t go away!), and I ate two salmon sandwiches made with a can of wild salmon. I still eat plenty of vegan meals (right now, for example: mixed-green salad and Ezekiel bread with hummus and tempeh), but I’m also realllllly enjoying eating yogurt again.

Maybe the biggest lesson I took from this year is that labels just aren’t my thing. I don’t want to NOT eat something just because it’s at odds with a label I’ve given myself; I want the choices I make to define me, and not the other way around. Does that make sense? I want to be a healthy eater (and maybe even someday a 100% vegan) because it’s the sum of my choices, not because it’s dictated by the way I’ve labeled myself.

In any event, the year has been a great learning experience, and I’ll definitely be reflecting on it more in the coming months (along with my quest to rid myself of skin allergies, which I’ve been reading up on!)

I hope you’ve all had wonderful summers so far!