I have had a beard for around seven years now. During that time
it has been various lengths and bushiness but ever present. This is relevant as
it actually predates the beard fashion by a couple of years. Something people
do not know and why should they?
When I get asked about it and say that I have
had it for a while I get sideways looks as if to say, “really?”
The point of
this is that while there are trends, I also ride a single speed bike to work wear
statement glasses and run ultramarathons,
not all things that we do were as a result of a trend. What has this got to do
with eating a vegan diet?
I have been vegan for a little over three years now. It
started, like most, with a move to vegetarianism and there was a moment. There
was a flash of lightning that came from a Rich Roll Podcast and specifically episode
160 on July 19th 2015 and an interview with David Carter. It was
this that prompted me to make the full change and remove dairy from my diet.
On
reflection it seems weird that you can be vegetarian and still consume eggs,
milk and cheese. I stop short of describing myself as vegan as on occasion I do
eat some dairy, never in the pure form but sometimes in cooking. I always try
to avoid it but if there is little option then I will. If you want to label me I
am >99% plant based. There’s a t-shirt slogan right there.
What I experience a lot is a sense of defensiveness that I get
from people that ask me about it. I do not go around banging the drum for this
at all but if I am asked I will explain my motivation and the impact that it
has had on me and my health.
How do know there’s a vegan at a cocktail party? Don’t worry they will tell you.
When asked I normally cite the following reasons and
outcomes;
- RRP
Podcast and specifically the David Carter interview
- Netflix
documentaries; Cowspiracy, What the Health, Forks over Knives etc
- Injuries
from running that have a connection to consumption of dairy (tendonitis
issues that milk is known to inflame)
- Stopped
dairy and injuries cleared up, skin better, feel much better (generally feel
much less gloopy) and have abundant energy
- Weight
is consistent and not an issue
- Recovery
from long runs is amazing
- Read
some books (China Study, Eat and Run and some blogs and posts by vegan runners;
Mike Wardian, Rob Krar, Sage Canaday etc etc)
- Immersed
myself in the online culture (Nutritionfacts.org, Neal Barnard MD, Ray Cronise etc etc
etc)
- No-one will ever tell you to eat less fruits and veggies
I explain this, largely I feel, without prejudice. Remember I
have been asked about this, I am not the idiot at the cocktail party.
When I start talking I notice that almost without exception
people get defensive and judgemental of themselves but as though it was coming
from me. I then find myself apologising for something I have not done and
explaining that while it works for me it isn’t for everyone. My wife is around >75%
vegan but my kids really are not all (although they do like vegan ice-cream and
soya iced coffee) as it should be they do what they want. So why do people get
defensive?
I think the main one is animal rights. You might have noticed
that I omitted this from the list above. Being totally honest this was not part
of the agenda for me when I started out. It was a selfish motivation that was almost
exclusively around me being a better runner. However as I have gotten more
involved and consumed more vegan materials online you cannot fail to be affected
by animal cruelty that takes place on an industrial scale. I do not reference
this unless asked as it is emotional and provocative. The vegan at the cocktail
party I suspect would reference this almost immediately.
When you are described
as vegan then this is where people immediately leap in terms of motivation and
why you would be. They know about it and like much of human kind choose to
ignore something that counters their version of their life. We all do this on a
wide range of topics and choices. This doesn’t make us wrong it makes us human.
We love nothing more than what we know our are bad habits being validated
however tenuously. Someone shining a light on that makes us uncomfortable and by
extension can often make us defensive. We feel the need to defend our way of
living even though it is not under attack.
So if you ask me why I’m vegan and I answer your question remember
that you asked me and I am just answering your question. I’m not selling anything
and it comes with no judgement from me.
Anything you feel as a result of that
is down to you as is any action you do or do not take.
Oh and i get my protein from the same place a gorilla does.
