How to Survive Your First Year as a Vegetarian

Make friends with Avocado Toast

I will soon celebrate my veggiversary and after four years, I've learned a thing or two about how to hold your own as a vegetarian. Your first year can be tricky but whether you're new to it or just considering making a change, it's easier than you think.

1. Bring your A-Game
You got skills in the kitchen? Then don't let them go to waste just because you've got a taste for kale. Tracye McQuirter, author of By Any Greens Necessary, suggests looking in your recipe repertiore  for 3 meals that are already vegetarian, 3 meals that could easily become vegetarian, and 3 vegetarian meals you'd like to try. So, lose the meat but don't lose the flavor.

2. Enjoy the fruits of eating fruit
It's a big change and the first few months can be a challenge, so make sure to appreciate the fun things about being vegetarian. I've lost weight, I get to snack all day on lots and lots of low calorie high nutrient fruit and veg, I've met lots of new people, tried so many new recipes and sometimes, at restaurants, I have an excuse to have the chef whip up something special just for me.

3. Don't go it alone
If you've made this change for yourself, while your friends or family have not, then don't think your riding solo. Hit up blogs for recipes, try Happy Cow for restaurants, there are even clubs and meetups you can join. Vegetarians and vegans can be found in country, every city and every state, and they just love potlucks.

4. Fear not the fake meat.
In the first few years especially, meat substitutes can be a life saver. They allow you keep some of the recipes that you know and love while settling into your new found vegginess. Veggie burgers, sausages, and faux ground beef help make the transition easier. Not sure where to start? Look a little closer in the frozen food aisle at the supermarket or pop into a whole foods store for a larger selection.

5. Educate yourself
There are some amazing books available on all aspects of vegan and vegetarianism. Jonathan Saffon Foer takes up the philosophical argument for vegetarianism in Eating Animals. While, Tracye McQuirter's bestselling By Any Greens Necessary is an all in one guide for transitioning to a vegan diet. Bryant Terry's delicious Vegan Soul Kitchen is over flowing with recipes that will make you cry they're so good. And the ladies behind veggie classic, Skinny Bitch, will have you laughing out loud with they're no nonsense approach to food and nutrition.

6. Name drop like a boss
I won't lie: the haters will hate BUT just remember that you're in good company. Lots of beautiful, intelligent, successful and inspiring black people are vegetarian and vegan. Tia Mowry, Serena Williams, Erykah Badu, Prince, Russell Simmons, Mos Def, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Williams, Brandy, Samuel L Jackson and Angela Davis to name but a few. Stand proud, there are more people in your camp than you might think.

7. Get friendly with fresh produce.
Since I stopped eating meat I've tried kolrabi, jackfruit, calabash, spaghetti squash, persimmons, pomegranate seeds and even cactus! What we see in an average grocery store is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce (see what I did there). Think of it this way: you haven't given up meat, you've discovered fresh produce.  Explore your local supermarket, but don't forget to check the farmers markets, vegetable delivery schemes and even you neighbourhood swapmeet - really though - for new and interesting fruit and veg. There's a whole new world of flavours out there for you. So that the next time someone asks you "what" you eat, you can blow their mind!

3 Questions for Sistah Vegan Conference speaker Pilar Harris

Souce: Pilarinmotion.com 

Today the Sistah Vegan project is bringing together black vegan women from all over the interweb to discuss race, gender, veganism, nutrition, yoga and more in the 1st annual Sistah Vegan Conference on 'Embodied and Critical Perspectives on Veganism by Black Women and Allies'. This ground breaking event has been months in the making and has a host of speakers sharing ideas within a vegan activist frame of mind. I caught up with blogger, Pilar Harris, of Pilar In Motion, to ask what she's looking forward to from the conference.

What inspired you to take part in the Sistah Vegan Conference? 

I was really just excited about the prospect of an open forum to critically discuss some of the things I have been experiencing since I became a vegetarian eight months ago. I find that in my family and even in my community, veganism is still considered sort of taboo. When I found out about the conference, I felt inspired to join in and see what other women of color are going through -- to see how the lifestyle impacts each of us in a way that is special and interesting.

You'll be speaking on notions of beauty, how does this topic connect to experiences for women of color?

When I think of beauty and all the issues that stem from it, I'm considering what it means to be a woman as well as all of the ideas, rituals, tools, and products that are a part of how we treat our bodies. For me, beauty is about being at home in the body. As women of color, it's important to be aware of how, historically, we have been cast outside the mainstream notion of what it is to be beautiful. In my discussion, I will cover some of the ways we are marginalized in terms of access to quality, cruelty-free, vegan body care products. I'm very excited to get into this topic because I think many of us take personal care for granted. I know I do!

There are lots of interesting topics being explored at the conference, along with your own, which speakers are you most looking forward to?

This is one of those days that I'm going to be glued to my laptop all day long. I am so looking forward to everything! Some highlights on the roster, for me, are Sari Leigh and Kayla Bitten's discussion of Yoga and Radical Self Care for young girls. One of my favorite vegans, Russell Simmons, has written about yoga as a tool to reduce the stresses that urban youth experience. The topic, in general, is one that I'd love to pass along, maybe in my own community.

 

I'm also looking forward to the open discussion titled "Why I Relinquished the Gospel Bird and Became Vegan." It's nice to hear about the paths women take toward this lifestyle.

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If you're interested in the Sistah Vegan Conference, you can get copies of the recordings after the conference finishes. For more information visit SistahVegan.com.

Call for papers for the first annual Sistah Vegan Conference

Dr. Breeze Harper, editor and mastermind of black female vegan anthology, Sistah Vegan, is hosting the  first annual Sistah Vegan Conference this fall, on September 14, 2013. It will be an online interactive conference, meaning presenters can use webcams, audio, and PowerPoint which will be fully experienced by the audience.

At the end of each talk, audience members will be able to engage in Q&A with the presenter. The entire conference talks will be video recorded and accessible after the event, to ensure that this valuable information will not be lost; it also ensures that those with internet access who could not attend will be able to access this information.

They are specifically looking for critical perspectives on veganism, animal compassion work, and self-care from the epistemological standpoint/embodied experiences of people identified women of African descent. We seek presentation that address

• sizeism
• ableism
• lgbtq experience and challenges in heteronormative spaces
• intersecting antiracism and animal compassion
• how racist micro aggressions in predominantly white spaces affect our health, and why self care is a needed aspect of ‘social justice’ for Black women and girls
• critical perspectives on Afrocentric or Afrikan holistic health movement
• parenting as a black vegan

Topics need not be limited to these above, however, the above are more of a priority, due to their near invisibility in most vegan and animal compassion spaces. This is open to all women and girls of African descent regardless of ‘formal’ education background or writing/artistic style. We encourage academic and non academic presentations.

Should your presentation be accepted, you are invited to submit it to be part of the first Sistah Vegan journal issue, scheduled for a January 2014 release.

Please send proposals by July 10, 2013 which should include your name, institutional affiliation (if you have none, that is fine too), presentation title and 150 word abstract. Talks should be about 20 minutes long, with 15 minutes for Q and A. Email to breezeharper at gmail dot com.

Possible keynote speakers have already been sent invitations. Once their participation is confirmed, Dr. Harper will post their presentation titles.

As part of the Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for the Sistah Vegan Project , those who can help are asked to donate to see this conference happen. Dr Harper will be offering honorariums for keynote speakers and hopes to offer scholarships for those who cannot pay registration fees. Why registration fees? Though it is online, there is a need to pay for the internet conferencing service and a plan that can host one hundred or more people. All are welcomed to register and attend as audience members.

For more information visit Sistah Vegan.

Sister goes vegan: Tia Mowry's New Vegan Photoshoot for PETA

Tia Mowry's Vegan Photo shoot for PETA

Tia Mowry, one half of twin stars of 90s American TV show Sister Sister and former star of BETs The Game, has teamed up with PETA for a campaign to promote her new found veganism. She looks amazing in the photo shoot wearing nothing but a gorgeous apron made of live veggies—specially designed by costumer Mia Gyzander. Tia was ecstatic at the press launch on Monday.

Tia announced that she and her husband Cory Hardrict had become vegan earlier this year. Tia adopted a vegan diet for better for health, to boost energy, and cleanse mind and body. While she was welcomed by some, she was also met with a bit of bullying from others on twitter.

Any vegans out there? Do you get bullied for being vegan? I sure am...
— Tia Mowry (@TiaMowry) March 21, 2013

She bounced back with a frank and endearing Google Hangout and this brand new campaign. Tia was especially moved to advocate vegan eating to her friends and the African American Community as some of her family members have suffered from diet and lifestyle-related health ailments.

Tia joins a number of black celebrity women who are embracing a meat free lifestyle in order to keep fit and combat illness like heart disease which affects black women at a rate that is twice as high as white women. According to the Black Women's Health Imperative, Black women die from heart disease more often than all other Americans. Vegan and vegetarian diets have been proven to reduce the rate of heart disease by as much as a third so Tia is sending a welcome message.

Check out the behind-the-scenes footage from Tia's tantalizing photo shoot and her interview with PETA about how going vegan has changed her life!

PETA's list of Sexiest Vegetarians Celebrities 2012 lacking in Black Beauties

Leona Lewis, former winner of PETAs Sexiest Vegetarain Celebrity

PETA has announced its list of the 100 Sexiest Celebrity Vegetarians of 2012. While every starlet is a contender, I was struck by the lack of black women on the list. While black men make up 14 out of dreamy 50 male nominees, only 4 black women are listed amongst the 50 veggie vixens. So what gives?

I mean Leona Lewis, Serena Williams, Robin Quivers and Angela Simmons are all gorgeous, but there are lots of other black female vegetarian celebrities that could have been listed this year.

If they'd have asked me, I would have included some of these sexy black vegetarian female celebrities.

Erykah Badu - Musician, Actress and Vegan

Angela Bassett - Actress and Vegetarian

Joy Bryant - Actress, Animal Rights Activist and Vegetarian

Tina Turner - Legend and Vegetarian

Nia Long - Actress and Vegetarian

Alicia Keys - Singer and vegetarian

India Arie - Singer, Song Writer, Vegetarian