Accidental vegan... almost.

 

I blame it partly on Netflix. I watched a documentary called Game Changer, about people who had become vegans. I found it very poor; it seemed to be a sales pitch, propaganda if you will. There is little compelling info, just selected people who evangelise about the cause. Athletes talked about becoming vegan and finding incredible performance improvements. Other people claimed their lives had greatly benefited. The arguments put forward were badly discussed, and misleading in my opinion. There is also too much anecdotal "evidence" for me to take it seriously. It certainly didn't persuade me.

But it did get me thinking more about the subject. There are far better documentaries the "...spiracy" series is one. The first one was cowspiracy, followed by seaspiracy. Whilst not without an agender, and a conclusion to confirm they are more fact based. Some comments have been reported as being taken out of context by the interviewees. 

Since watching them I have made some changes; it's been gradual, almost without me realising. I do still eat meat, maybe once a week. I don't drink cows milk, replacing it with oat milk; barista version. I'm not sure how the barista version differs but it makes better tea. I think it tastes fine, unless you drink it straight you wouldn't know it wasn't bovin derived. 

I go for the vegetarian pizza and pies, and no longer eat fish. There are plenty of plant based alternatives, some better than others. I tried making a Sunday dinner from Tofu, it wasn't a great success. It's the picture at the top of this post. I was unprepared for how wet it is, the recipe didn't say that I really needed to dry it out before frying. The result was edible but the consistency wasn't as appetising as it could have been. 

Apart from the "tofu incident" I'd say it's been okay. Maybe my meat consumption will drop further, I don't know. If I'm eating out I'll go for the vegetarian option, if it's likely to be tasty and not an afterthought addition to the menu.

I don't think I have experienced improvements to strength or stamina - it's been no game changer - and my weight hasn't changed.

This post isn't about trying to make anyone change. It's just my thoughts and experiences. I'd suggest you investigate the subject and make up your own mind. My nephew is vegan, he doesn't make a big thing of it, he'll talk about his decision without preaching.

Another change I realised whilst writing this; I don't really want alcohol anymore, I was never a heavy drinker, maybe a glass or two of wine a month. There is rum in the house, but I just don't fancy drinking it. When I eventually visit a pub or restaurant again, I very much doubt I'll buy a beer.