And So Begins Week Two

It's a bit overwhelming, this vegan thing. There is so much information online. There must be three million recipes. I have trouble remembering just where it was that I saw that fantastic-sounding eggplant casserole that I forgot to bookmark. There's just so much to read. (And here I am, adding more to someone’s already cluttered mind.)

Every website I go to has a list of sites that offer more ... more, more, more. Aside from the information overload, it's a huge relief to know that there are so many recipes that I'm fairly certain I'll never get bored.

In the past week, I've found many actors, musicians, and athletes are now eating a vegan diet. PeTA has a beautiful series of Ink Not Mink ads with beautifully tatooed bodies showing off their ink, and another series; I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur which features a lot of different celebrities sans clothing. The ads, along with a ton of information can be found on PeTA's website.

Natalie Portman appeared on Top Chef and challenged the contestants to make a delicious vegan meal, and Alicia Silverstone has written a book titled The Kind Diet and offers a website, The Kind Life, as well. I put a library hold on the book only to find out that I’m 42nd in line. That’s a lot of people who will be reading about reasons to quit eating meat. Hooray for celebrities doing somethin of substance!

Rory Freedman wrote the book Skinny Bitch about why she eats a vegan diet. That book got a lot of attention and in turn got a lot of people talking.

It's by no means a new book, but I love the book Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman, a former cattle rancher turned vegan who lives his life spreading the word about the horrors of cattle production. He puts out a newsletter full of information through Yahoo Groups. You can learn more about his story at Mad Cowboy.

If you’d like to try limiting your meat consumption, or going vegetarian or vegan, there are a lot of places that offer information on how to start. Here are a handful of the many sites available. I’ve found valuable information, recipes, and a sense of connection on all of them:

• There’s a 21-day KickStart Program sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

• I’ve already mentioned some of the fantastic recipes and information available from Dr. McDougall.

• The Fatfree Vegan Kitchen where Susan V has created and/or tested just about anything you can think of in the way of vegan cooking.

• One of my favorite sites, GoVeg is where you can find tons of recipes, statistics, videos, support … GoVeg has it all!

• I can’t fail to mention my favorite magazine, VegNews which also has a website.

• If you’re looking to meet other vegans for some face-to-face contact, check out Meetup, put in your zip code, and vegetarian in the interest area.

• All of the above are national, but there are also local sites such as VegKC in Kansas City. They are great places for local options.

If I had decided to go vegan in 1990, a mere 20 years ago, I would have had to go to the library and research it. If I was lucky, in my small town, I might have found a small amount of information in the reference stacks. I doubt there would have been a cookbook available.

I wouldn't have known a single other person that ate the same way and would have had no one to guide me. There wouldn't have been any pioneers readily available sharing their lessons.

Most physicians, even today, are pretty ignorant about everyday nutrition, much less veganism. In 1990, in small-town America, the physicians probably would have told me I would die if I were to do something so drastic.

So, while the amount of information is a bit overwhelming, I am so grateful for it all.