Remember When We All Went Vegan?
I remember the wonder….watching a YouTube video about smoothie bowls and thinking why hasn't anyone ever shown me this magic?! If my memory serves me well, I feel the vegan ‘surge’ was around 4 to 5 years ago. It was EVERYWHERE, LOL! And it was not just me. The views on YouTube will stand by my allegations. Vegan content was extremely popular. Influencers creating in this niche were doing extremely well. Restaurants began feeling obliged to create a vegan menu that didn't just have chickpeas. Supermarkets began giving us the vegan aisle. Remember? Are you already thinking, ‘Why are we here, Ij?’ Well!
We are here because I figured it was time I wrote my first food-inspired blog post. Starting with my ‘how’ and ‘why’ ( both complex and chaotic ) made easy sense.
When I discovered veganism, I was turning the page to the next chapter of my food story. Without sounding big-headed, I was low-key ahead of my time. At the young age of 21, I gave up sugar! I know, right?!?!
Okay, okay, okay………Let’s backtrack a bit…a little closer to the beginning. Something came over 21-year-old Ij. I woke up one day and told myself, ‘ I have got to figure this food thing out. I don’t want to be like the women in my life. I don’t want to be fat.’ ( that sentence is an ENTIRE conversation. Maybe in the book, my therapist suggests I write ) They were constantly talking about losing weight. On two bob diets. Writing this, I now have a grasp of a sentiment at the time I did not have words for. I disdained the lack of discipline and commitment every time one of them casually discarded their diet. Of course, I now know that our food relationships are INCREDIBLY complex, but at 21, it is very easy to decide what you THINK you know. The obtuse arrogance of youth. Regardless, that disdain was a part of my inspiration. I wanted to commit to myself. I wanted to end a cycle. (Ij, always with the bigger picture. I know. I continue to ask Divine to be very clear about why I have been given this gift) And off I went on this wondrous unfolding of my food story.
Let’s fast forward back to the late 2010s when veganism was approaching cult status and I had just discovered the magic of a smoothie bowl ( and chocolate hummus. I know. The vegans are adventurous. At the very least, we must give them that.) I had also just given up meat and poultry intuitively. Thinking back, I guess my body wanted a major reset. I am of the belief eating a whole plant-based diet, even for just 18 months, can be a powerful way to reset, replenish and heal the body. The vegans and I were destined to meet. (It was also the dawn of a very tumultuous time of my life. Divine said, ‘Hang on, kiddo. You will need a strong body for this’ )
A few years passed, and within those years, my body became stronger and more fluid than it had ever been. I discovered my body wisdom and in turn, deepened my intuition. Some said I was aging backwards, despite being only in my late twenties. I stopped counting calories and started to really learn about nutrition. The fear of fat ENDED ( and the love affair with nut butters began. Lord have mercy. LOL) But what really stood out for me was my greatest gift of that time, that food is medicine. If I feed my body well, I give it an amazing building block to work with. I strengthen its ability to defend itself from disease. I help it to function exceptionally well. It would weather storms much better. What a delicious and profound way to love myself. Considering that I was ( and still am) on my healing journey, this was a big piece of the puzzle that just clicked so comfortably in place. My therapist recently affirmed me. If my body is weak, I can’t possibly handle or process the inner work I am doing.
At the age of 34, ( how old I am as I write this), my food story mirrors the woman I am today. I am committed to me, my values and passions. I know my non-negotiables ( a work in progress). I don't bend easily. I calculate the value of thrills presented to me. Fear is now a croaky misshapen cheerleader rather than a big bellowing bully. I am compassionate. Graceful. Less judgemental (working very hard on this one, LOL).
Food has always been a source of joy and pleasure for me (sometimes too much! hehehe) and as I have matured and continued to dive deep into the layers of my humanity, I see how food has been a part of life altering moments in my life. Investigating my relationship with food has been incredibly insightful and without doing this, I would have not been able to transform myself in the way I have. Food is like sex. To ignore our relationship with it is akin to amputating a part of ourselves and frankensteining ourselves. (Did I just make up a word? Cool!)
PS. I am not vegan. I never actually was one. I eat, what the cool kids may call, a whole food plant based diet.
PSS. Is this blog post a little everywhere? It is mirroring where I am in life right now. I am mid transition. I am working on something. I am really looking forward to sharing.
PSSS And no, I won’t be doing recipes and all that. LOL