Thursday, April 14, 2005
aw, crap...
So. I'm like this vegetarian type chick, right? A former ethical vegan who is seriously starting to consider going back to her vegan ways. Neo-hippie crap to some, perhaps, but something that makes me feel better about myself. And we all need to do something to help us feel good about ourselves, right? As long as we're not being all selfish or mean to others, I mean.
So. In my vegan days, and well into my current vegetarian lifestyle, I find myself fond of the fruit of the soybean. Tofu, TVP, wheatmeat, seitan, soy sauce, etc., etc., etc. Chock full of protein, adaptable to sauces, very yummy when properly prepared. Just what a hopefully-no-longer-growing vegan girl needs in her diet. Naturally, since as a wanna-be-again-vegan I'll be cutting out the eggs and the dairy again, I'll be stepping up my soy product intake to replace the lost protein.
So. A couple of months ago I'm walking with MusicianMan to his car, as we're at one political meeting and he's my ride to our next political meeting, all the way on the other side of town. We're rushing because we're running late, I'm dragging my little rolling backpack behind me, and he tells me about this article that a friend of his had sent him, about how bad soy is, especially the crap that's produced in America, and how it opened his eyes, because, though not a vegetarian, he was a consumer of soy products.
I can't believe my ears, not willing to accept what he's telling me because what will I do without my precious soy? But I ask him if I could read the article, because it's something I think I need to read.
Months pass. I nudge him a couple of times. "Hey, MusicianMan, how's about that article?" Finally, this past Sunday, as he arrives to a meeting, he drops several stapled pages onto my lap. I pick it up, puzzled, and read the title. Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food. I smile up at him, thanking him, and he smiles a sheepish smile back. I tuck it in my tapestry shoulder bag.
The next morning I read it on the bus. And I'm somewhat surprised at what it has to say. Yet, not so much, because I'd noticed sometime ago that my digestive tract liked to get a little rumbly and funky after eating soy. Not too bad, but a little uncomfortable. But I realize I may very well have to give up most of the soy I eat, because while I don't eat it everyday, I still eat a fair amount. Enough to go over the limits mentioned in the article.
(No, I'm not summarizing the article. There's too much to summarize. It all boils down to, "Soy - not all that good, 'mmkay?")
And since I'm considering the whole vegan thing again, I realize that I'm going to have to completely revamp the way I eat. Yet again. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, mind you. I've been eating a lot of crap lately. And I almost never cook anymore. I'm either eating out or ordering in. Not so good for either the health, waistline or pocketbook.
So. I decide it's time for me to clean my damn kitchen already (I don't cook when it's a mess and it's been a mess for too long) and to start shopping. I haven't gone shopping for anything besides cat stuff, paper goods or beauty aids since almost the beginning of time, it seems. The refrigerator and cupboard? They be almost empty. What I want to do is shop for yummy healthy stuff and allow dairy and eggs into my home, but only if I buy them from places like Whole Foods and I determine that the farms in which they were produced were not those horrible factory farms. And I will not eat egg or dairy in restaurants.
As for soy? Well, I don't know if I can cut it out totally, as a girl can eat salad and pasta in restaurants only so often, even if she loves it. But I will cut way back on it. Much like soda and alcohol, I'll rarely bring it into my home, except possibly edamame, as that hasn't been all processed. I'll just have it when I'm eating out, which I'm going to do less of anyway.
Besides, I don't know if I could ever completely give up those yummy, spicy BBQ vegan drumsticks from Newsroom Cafe. Those drumsticks and I have a long and sordid history. I earned those drumsticks...
So. In my vegan days, and well into my current vegetarian lifestyle, I find myself fond of the fruit of the soybean. Tofu, TVP, wheatmeat, seitan, soy sauce, etc., etc., etc. Chock full of protein, adaptable to sauces, very yummy when properly prepared. Just what a hopefully-no-longer-growing vegan girl needs in her diet. Naturally, since as a wanna-be-again-vegan I'll be cutting out the eggs and the dairy again, I'll be stepping up my soy product intake to replace the lost protein.
So. A couple of months ago I'm walking with MusicianMan to his car, as we're at one political meeting and he's my ride to our next political meeting, all the way on the other side of town. We're rushing because we're running late, I'm dragging my little rolling backpack behind me, and he tells me about this article that a friend of his had sent him, about how bad soy is, especially the crap that's produced in America, and how it opened his eyes, because, though not a vegetarian, he was a consumer of soy products.
I can't believe my ears, not willing to accept what he's telling me because what will I do without my precious soy? But I ask him if I could read the article, because it's something I think I need to read.
Months pass. I nudge him a couple of times. "Hey, MusicianMan, how's about that article?" Finally, this past Sunday, as he arrives to a meeting, he drops several stapled pages onto my lap. I pick it up, puzzled, and read the title. Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food. I smile up at him, thanking him, and he smiles a sheepish smile back. I tuck it in my tapestry shoulder bag.
The next morning I read it on the bus. And I'm somewhat surprised at what it has to say. Yet, not so much, because I'd noticed sometime ago that my digestive tract liked to get a little rumbly and funky after eating soy. Not too bad, but a little uncomfortable. But I realize I may very well have to give up most of the soy I eat, because while I don't eat it everyday, I still eat a fair amount. Enough to go over the limits mentioned in the article.
(No, I'm not summarizing the article. There's too much to summarize. It all boils down to, "Soy - not all that good, 'mmkay?")
And since I'm considering the whole vegan thing again, I realize that I'm going to have to completely revamp the way I eat. Yet again. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, mind you. I've been eating a lot of crap lately. And I almost never cook anymore. I'm either eating out or ordering in. Not so good for either the health, waistline or pocketbook.
So. I decide it's time for me to clean my damn kitchen already (I don't cook when it's a mess and it's been a mess for too long) and to start shopping. I haven't gone shopping for anything besides cat stuff, paper goods or beauty aids since almost the beginning of time, it seems. The refrigerator and cupboard? They be almost empty. What I want to do is shop for yummy healthy stuff and allow dairy and eggs into my home, but only if I buy them from places like Whole Foods and I determine that the farms in which they were produced were not those horrible factory farms. And I will not eat egg or dairy in restaurants.
As for soy? Well, I don't know if I can cut it out totally, as a girl can eat salad and pasta in restaurants only so often, even if she loves it. But I will cut way back on it. Much like soda and alcohol, I'll rarely bring it into my home, except possibly edamame, as that hasn't been all processed. I'll just have it when I'm eating out, which I'm going to do less of anyway.
Besides, I don't know if I could ever completely give up those yummy, spicy BBQ vegan drumsticks from Newsroom Cafe. Those drumsticks and I have a long and sordid history. I earned those drumsticks...
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