When reading the instructions for our activist action idea, I was imedietely drawn towards the idea of taking up the personal approach to going vegan for a week. I understand how going vegan is showing solidarity and care with those fighting in the movement for the rights of animals and women together against masculine culture, gender and sexuality oppression, and patriarchal standards that exists very vividly today; also thanks to the work by Carol J Adams and Deane Curtin. Their work shows clear support for a much deserved and needed new world to come, free of any kind of suffering, oppression, and exploitation.
Before Covid-19 hit, I was 100% vegan when living in Massachusetts after college. I saw Fed Up on Netflix one day and was instantly turned off to animal products all together. The pandemic and my relationship at the time really changed the relationship I had with my body and with food. I am now back to where I want to be with my weight, but I never went back to being vegan. Although I am gluten free, which has done amazing things for my skin and hair! My mom sometimes asks me if I will ever go back, and I tell her that I would like to. This might be exactly what I need to kick start my vegan lifestyle again.
With this plan I want to make sure that I stay dedicated! I do want to achieve more weight loss, and I know that when I was vegan before that I did loose weight, kept it off more easily, and looked even better than I do right now. I don’t mind speaking about my weight. I wouldn’t say that it’s a problem for me, but I don’t mind admitting that I would like to loose more. I do need to also get my cholesterol down. It’s not great. I think that my plan will be effective, because I have been vegan in the past and going cold turkey with action plans in life has really benefitted me. I think that it would be great to also document my progress, so that I can remind myself of the progress that I make and the goal(s) that I am trying to achieve! Will I have days where I slip through the cracks a little bit? Sure! But I think that’s part of the process of change, and growth. I am excited to get started. There are a lot of food items that have animal products in them that I didn’t know about when I first went vegan! Did you know that Tostitos Hint of Lime chips contains milk ingredients?? Bet you didn’t! I will have to give those up! I have been eating them a lot lately! I will start on Monday April 10th.
Hi Alina
I love how you are taking this assignment and making an opportunity for yourself to make some different choices! Power to ya!! I too have dabbled in Vegan and Vegetarianism when I was living in San Francisco, but living there it was much easier to find restaurants and great foods that fit within my dietary restrictions. I think it is amazing to use this opportunity to make a statement about the treatment of animals and to really stand in solidarity with the way that they are treated. I think another important aspect of this conversation is recognizing how many people are forced financially into contributing to this issue due to accessibility. Many people don’t have access to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, and living in San Francisco I meet a lot of people who forgot that aspect of this conversation and shamed people who weren’t vegan or vegetarian. Now, I am not insinuating that you would do this!!! Not for a second!!!! But, I do think it is important to bring up things like Food Deserts and accessibility when we take on this topic. Just food for thought! (no pun intended) 🙂