Vegans Are Not Aliens

As I write for AfroDaddy.com I am constantly challenged to leave my comfort zone and find out about people, places and events I may not have been exposed to. Everybody knows the basics about life so why would anybody want the same rehash of old news. For me, a brand new area was vegetarianism, and more specifically veganism.

As a brother who grew up eating burgers and ribs, the thought of living life on only fruits and vegetables never appealed to me as I thought that surely vegetarians were the ones missing out on the joys of the cow and the traditions like Thanksgiving Dinner and chitlins on New Years. I also had the false belief that being a vegetarian was reserved for "other people" and that no black man in his right mind would give up meat. Of course, this limited, narrow-minded thinking is what gets so many of us in trouble and as my common sense took over I decided to really explore what vegetarianism and veganism were all about. First lets start of with a quick definition.

Vegetarians are people who don't eat meat (pretty basic). Vegans are vegetarians who kick it up a notch by not eating any animal products (to include eggs and milk). Seems like a struggle but for people who believe in this lifestyle it is aboslutely the way to go. In fact, let's clear up some of the misconceptions about vegetarians and vegans.

• Hardly anybody is vegetarian: Studies show that 2 out 50 people in the US are vegetarians
• There are no black vegetarians. There are in fact many black vegetarians (Andre3000, and Dr. Dre to name a few). I posted an article on 20 Famous Black Vegetarians on the website
• Vegetarians are skinny little weak people. So wrong! Some of the greatest athletes of all time are vegetarians including Carl Lewis, Hank Aaron, and my personal favorite Edwin Moses who did not lose a 400 meter hurdle race for over 10 years!
• Vegetarian and vegan foods are bland. Vegetarian dishes are generally more flavorful than traditional meat dishes, primarily because the food is prepared more creatively and with more spice. Some of the tastiest dishes I have eaten are vegan and vegetarian.
• Vegans have to give up soul food. Boy I was happy when I found out this wasn't true. A quick search on the Internet will reveal hundreds of vegan and vegetarian soul food restaurants. I included a reference to 2 vegan soul food restaurants in an article on the site. Greens, cornbread, yams and barbecue are some of the things you like, then you will LOVE vegan soul food.

Being a vegan or a vegetarian may not be for everybody but it sure is a viable alternative for everybody, including black people. If you want to learn more about the lifestyle go to www.blackvegetarian.org or check out our 2 articles in the Food section of The Black Man Survival Guide.