I've decided to do it

I've decided to finally take the plunge...into veganism.

I have been contemplating it for a long time now. But I was worried about getting an adequate amount of protein while I was solely breastfeeding. I was concerned that Cruz wouldnt get enough nutrients, vitamins, etc.

Now that he is a big ole' boy (drinking whiskey and rye) and eats three square meals a day, I feel confident enough to make the switch.

There are a few things that have effected my decision. Obviously, the outrageous and disgusting videos that have been circulating the web lately in relevance to animal cruelty. Earthlings is a good place to check them out if your interested.

And then I stumbled upon a T.V show the other day called 30 days. I had never seen it before and it happened to be about a natural born hunter spending 30 days with animal rights activists to see if they could open his mind to their way of thinking. Obviously they showed him some pretty graphic and horrendous stuff. Stuff that cannot be unseen. Stuff that I think of EVERYTIME I look at any meat or dairy.

And I also read this blog, that I absolutely love. She is vegan and recently went into detail about her decision to become vegan. The conversations that ensued in the comments was so inspiring. You should definitely check her out. I just love, love reading Drea's blog.

In reading her blog she brought to attention the cruelty in the lives of the average milking cow. How they are hooked up to metal machines and overpumped all day long. Often resulting in sores and wounds on their utters. After reading that I did a TON of research on it. And the living conditions are just insane. That they never leave their tiny stalls. That they live in their own waste.

So I am making a gradual switch to remove my footprint in the world of animal cruelty.

I would like to specify by saying that I dont have an issue with eating meat. I actually like the taste of some meats. Turkey, chicken, BACON! But I cant stand the animal cruelty. I dont have any opinion at all about anyone who chooses to eat meat. In fact, I do plan on still giving Cruz some amount of meat, fish and dairy. I fear him not getting adequate nutrition while I am still learning how to replace the important parts of animal proteins. And above all else Cruz's health and well being are the most important thing.

Luckily, there is an awesome array of local and small farms and natural resources where I live in California. The one I have chosen to tour and go with is called Strauss farms. They are a free range dairy. For every cow on the dairy there is 2 acres of grazing room. During the warm months the cows are allowed to graze on organically planted grass at their leisure but are always provided shelter and shade. They work with a nutritionist and feed the cows depending on their ages an needs. Calves need a different diet then a pregnant cow or a milking cow. They have clean and dry bedding at all times. They grow about 60% of their own feed. The milk is unhomogenized and the cows obviously ingest no pesticides. They use homeopathic remedies to treat the cows, but if antibiotics are needed to save the cows life, they are permanently removed from the milking herd and allowed to live on the farm. And they have whats called a closed herd meaning they only breed the cows that they raise in order to ensure that organically fed heifers only breed with organically fed bulls. And the milk comes in glass bottles to reduce the waste of plastic ending up in landfills.  So, obviously, I am really excited about this family owned operation and plan to tour the farm in the coming weeks.

I'm excited and invigorated to finally take the plunge.  And a tad bit anxious, as I have never been a great cook and I know this choice will cause me to cook a lot more.

I'll keep you posted!