Vegan Challenge: I Draw the Line at Yeast!
One week in and the vegan diet has been treating me well. I unintentionally dropped three pounds, not necessarily due to not eating any cheese, but because I stopped snacking on junk food or doing late-night fridge raids. While my body has been responding well, my sub-conscious has developed a snide side I never knew existed. I feel like I'm constantly thinking of and being reminded of all the food I'm not allowed to eat. It's like someone gave me a coloring book, but took away more than half the crayons. Grocery shopping has been a little more exhausting because I have to read the ingredients of everything. It took me 20 minutes to find a loaf of bread I could eat as well as afford. Why do I have to pay twice as much for fake sour cream?
I decided that during my 30-day challenge I was going to be a strict vegan when it comes to food (winter is almost over and I'm taking full advantage of my leather boots before I put them back in storage), so I decided to go as far down as bee's honey. I got off my brew pub job early today so stuck around to order a new Braggot ale we have on tap, which is a hybrid of beer and mead. My careful co-worker reminded me that the beer was made with honey, and then continued with the idea that since yeast is technically "alive", some vegans don't consider it on their animal-free menu. She had me on the honey, but I draw the line at yeast!
Gosh, you could argue this 'alive' thing so far. Do you think any of the vegetables or fruits had living bacteria on them before they were scrubbed clean to eat? OK, I know. That's going too far. Or is it??
ReplyDeleteAren't the fruits and vegetables themselves living before they're harvested? It's a fine line.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I personally don't draw the line at "alive", but rather at "sentient", so yeast and plants are in, but anything with a central nervous system is out. =o)
ReplyDeleteOf note on the beer, the "gotcha" from a vegan perspective is usually what "fining agent" they use. A few of them use gelatin, casein, glycerin, and/or isinglass (all of these being animals derived products). So, Guinness is, very sadly, not vegan, but Corona is (also sadly, IMHO, because it's not Guinness). =oP