I was never intending to write this blog. I wanted my website to be a place where you can come, find cool tips and tricks and learn some new recipes for some very difficult food challenges. However…I have been getting quick a few questions on why vegan? Why are my kids (mostly) vegan? and some very daunting questions on being a Christ following family and the choice for veganism. I don’t have all the answers for you but I can point out a few things that speak to us as well as pointing you on to other good sources of information.
We are very social people. We like hanging out with other people and if you do that, you might eat with other people. Our dietary choices often become topic of discussion not usually by our choice but it happens. If you have been around enough vegan people (I know its a growing trend!) you may have encountered quite some…emotional responses from both sides. Omnivores and herbivores alike have both expressed stark opinions on their sides and often there can be both tensions and hurt. I strongly believe that this is unnecessary. As Christians, the bible as made it abundantly clear that we are free to follow our own conscience when it comes to the choices of what we put into our bodies. This page right here is the only place where I will talk about why we are vegan, the points for veganism and benefits. While I encourage a healthier lifestyle, it is never my intention to shame others who don’t follow this particular lifestyle because, quite frankly, its none of my business. I will put links to other sources as well if you have more questions regarding this issue, feel free to contact me at rusticveganmama@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer.
So why has my family chosen this?
Firstly, being vegan is not the easiest option. It required my family to agree on this and we went through a trial period, researched up the wazoo and sought advise. I encourage the same. So I am going to answer this by breaking down what we have found as reasons for our lifestyle.
- Biblically- Oops, here we go. If you have ever read through your bible or spoken to christians with a particular passion for vegan or meat eating, you may have noticed that there is arguments for both sides of this coin. I have both read and studied the bible cover to cover (I do have an associate of arts in religious study- not a doctorate but still valid) and have found a few things that make me lean to the veggie side. Firstly, I don’t believe that cruelty to animals is consistant with a Christian world view. Proverbs 12:10 says that “A righteous man regards the life of his animal” Most of the meat consumed here in North America is ethically awful. I’m not going into details but you can easily find evidence of animal cruelty within packing houses merely with a key strike on google. I love that there are amazing people out there that are fighting to protect the animals but I also have found that many put the lives of animals above humans and that is also wrong. We, as humans, are made in the image of God and to deny a starving person in the name of animal rights just doesn’t sit well. An argument I have also encountered as a vegan christian, is that God gave us as humans dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28) I strongly believe that God does not give such wondrous gifts without expectations of responsibility which in our current state of destruction has not exactly been taken seriously. Points I believe are all worth taking into consideration when looking into this lifestyle but I mostly want you to remember that this is all secondary to the main point of knowing and loving Jesus. Paul talks about not passing judgement based on what we eat in Romans 14:2-6 and you should consider that Christ made us free to make these minor (biblically speaking) choices. There is a bigger picture here people.
- Health- This right here is our primary reason for choosing this lifestyle. Health. Veganism (when done right in a whole foods, plant based way) is super high in vitamins, nutrients, fibre and protein (yes I did just say protein). Its low in your bad fats and cholesterol and has been shown to prevent of reverse a wide variety of diseases. When you stick closest to the plants, you don’t consume many of the chemicals used in meat, extra hormones or “additives” that packaged food contains. It can be done very wrong. I had a friend once who said she tried being vegan but all she ate was french fries so she didn’t find a difference…anyway, a good vegan diet is rich in a variety of fruits, veggies, legumes and grains that can bring every source of nutrient the body needs. To all my muscle building friends out there, lifting and chugging back the protein thinking a vegan diet doesn’t work for muscle building…Have you met my husband?? His arms are like the size of my thighs and he’s needing to switch gyms because his current gym literally does not have machines with enough weight to continue his gains. Honestly, I could write you all a long drawn out paper stating the pros of eating this way in the health sense but I strongly recommend watching documentaries of doctors who have put in time and done all the research showing the results. I recommend Forks Over Knives, What the Health? and Vegecated. They are all on Netflicks right now.
- Environment- If you are like me, which chances you are if you are visiting my site for the outdoor section, you love the great outdoors. And, if you follow any news, you know that humans are seriously screwing up the beautiful gift we have been given. We are cutting down forests, polluting our rivers and oceans and releasing toxic waste into the air mostly in the name of…well…meat actually. We are constantly destroying some of the most beautiful places and creatures that give so much extra colour to our lives not to mention destroying it for the future generations. I’m not much of a hippy anymore but I really do believe that we have a responsibility to care for our environment but also to enjoy it. If you want more information on meat and environment, I recommend cowspiracy that is showing on netflicks.
- People- As both a Christian and a human being, I believe that we need to care for our neighbours. A huge part of this being aware of what goes on with the origin of the food we are consuming and the way if effects people. If we took the food that United States feeds the livestock raised for meat consumption, we could stop people from starving. Thats a pretty big stinking hairy deal. Let it sink in, Americans who eat meat are participating in an industry that chooses burgers over human lives. Yup, we love people so we don’t eat meat. It goes beyond just not eating meat but being aware that much of the cheaper chocolate that you find just before the till was hand picked by children stolen from their families or sold into slave labour. Thats why in many of my recipes, I encourage you to find local companies or companies that have effective policies against purchasing things such as coco beans, coffee beans, sugar, etc from slave labour. Sure it’s a drop in the bucket, but it’s one that rolled right off my conscience.
So there is a few of our families reasons for doing what we do. May you find this site not a place for judgement on your eating but a place where you can find helpful ways to make your lives healthier and happier. Again, email me with your questions or leave comments, I’d love to hear your reasons.
Love God, Love People
Karemi
