I’ve decided to make the transition to a plant-based diet.
“Again?” I hear you say, dear reader. Yes, but with some important changes this time.
True, I’ve had some false starts the past few years, which you’re familiar with if you follow me on social media or know me in meatspace. My issues with maintaining a plant-based/mostly-plant-based diet has been documented extensively on this blog. This time around, I’m making several important changes:
1) I’m not going cold turkey. Before, I’ve made the switch in a fairly short amount of time, though not quite overnight. This time, I’ll be transitioning over several months. I’ll first eliminate meat from my diet over a seven-week period, reducing the number of meat days week over week. Afterwards, I’ll transition to a 90% plant-based diet, also over a seven-week period. This process should be done by the end of January.
2) I’ll still eat dairy occasionally. This is largely so I can travel without relying exclusively on the availability of vegan outlets, but also to keep some of my sanity.
3) I’ll be off social media for part of the journey. A certain segment on my end of the political spectrum treat veganism with contempt, with some justification. (There’s a discussion to be had about the intersection of white privilege and extreme vegan lifestyle choices, but not on this blog, sorry.) I hadn’t planned on taking a sabbatical from social media at the same time as beginning this transition, but it was a happy coincidence.
4) I’m doubling my B12 supplements. I was very lax with my supplements the past couple times I tried this. It’s harder to overdose on B12 than to eat too little, and much B12 in supplements isn’t absorbed when consumed, so this shouldn’t be a concern.
5) Accountability, i.e. this blog post.
I don’t need to reiterate the many reasons one might go plant-based, whether ethical, environmental, or medical — Google is your friend, dear reader. If you know me, you’ll guess that I’m more concerned about the looming climate crisis than PETA liberating lobsters from tanks in restaurants.
I’ll keep you posted, as always.