{"id":1760,"date":"2014-04-28T07:04:19","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T11:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localkitchener.ca\/?p=1760"},"modified":"2014-04-28T07:04:19","modified_gmt":"2014-04-28T11:04:19","slug":"locavegan-meal-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localkitchener.ca\/2014\/04\/locavegan-meal-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Locavegan Meal Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve told myself it would be cool to do a week of vegan eating at some point.\u00a0 I always assume it will be in the summer when fresh local veggies are coming out of my ears.<\/p>\n

However, I hadn\u2019t anticipated that we\u2019d be given a vegan cookbook.<\/p>\n

The cookbook we were given is The Oh She Glows Cookbook<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 A month or two ago when this came out I kept trying to win a copy from all the vegan blogs I follow. \u00a0(I didn’t win, but we magically received it as a gift!).<\/p>\n

\"oh <\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

What Kind of Eater Am I?<\/b><\/p>\n

And yes, although I am not a vegan I follow many vegan blogs.\u00a0 As an ethical omnivore I very much understand the kinds of things that can motivate people to become vegans.\u00a0 Although my own eating journey has not led me to the same place I often feel that if I had remained a vegetarian it would have made the most sense to become a vegan.<\/p>\n

Vegetarians who refrain from meat because they don\u2019t believe in factory farming of animals, and yet continue to eat factory farm products like milk and cheese are supporting the very thing they say they are trying to avoid.\u00a0 If dairy-and-egg-eating vegetarians claim that they are wanting to eat without causing suffering then hopefully they are only eating milk from very happy cows, and eating eggs from chickens that live wonderful outdoor lives – and this kind of food is possible to find, it just takes getting to know some farmers!<\/p>\n

Since this becomes very complicated as a vegetarian it makes more sense to me to become a vegan.\u00a0 If, however, the vegetarian\u2019s motivation is simply to \u201c eat lower on the food chain<\/a>\u201d and make better use of resources then the decision to refrain from eating meat while still eating some animal products like dairy and eggs makes sense.<\/p>\n

This is where ethical omnivores<\/a> come in.\u00a0 Having looked at the system that is producing food and realizing that there is<\/i> such a thing as food that is produced ethically and food that is not produced ethically, this way of eating attempts to source all food from good sources.\u00a0 The system recognizes the important role that animals have in agriculture and the benefits of raising livestock for dairy, eggs, and meat, but also limits the consumption of those animal products.<\/p>\n

An ethical omnivore\u2019s diet is more sustainable than the average North-American diet, but also more expensive, and requires more labor intensive farming methods than factory farming.\u00a0 This means it costs more.\u00a0 Thus, as an ethical omnivore I not only limit my consumption of meat because it\u2019s good for the planet, but also because it\u2019s good for my budget.\u00a0 Eating meat once or twice a week becomes somewhat of a special occasion, like last nights hamburgers, rather than the presumed main dish on every\u00a0plate.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Important Role of Vegan Blogs for All Eaters<\/b><\/p>\n

This is where vegan blogs like Oh She Glows<\/a> come in.\u00a0 Vegans are at the forefront of creative vegetable-based eating, and many of them are amazing cooks.\u00a0 Regardless of my own willingness to eat meat, eating 100% plant-based meals is good for me, good for animals, and good for the planet.\u00a0 Oh, and it\u2019s also just good tasting, at least when done right!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering about my favorite vegan (and vegetarian) blogs, here are a couple more:<\/p>\n