hold the meat.

“You’re probably just doing it for attention”

“What’s the point in cutting things out of your diet?”

“I think in order to be healthy you need to include everything in your diet”

“He’s just being complicated”

Believe it or not, these are all things I’ve been told or have overheard about myself since declaring myself a vegan.

For the past year I’ve been dealing with a lot of stomach and digestive issues. I wasn’t doing much about it besides eating a ton of fiber and smoothies that were pumped up with Metamucil. Frozen yogurt was a staple in my diet, goat cheese covered pretty well every meal, I was eating like 10oz of chicken a day, and I was horribly bloated. I have weighed my meals ever since I took it upon myself to lose 90 pounds so I knew  what I was eating was within my caloric range and I was meeting all my macronutrient needs, yet I knew something needed to change. Although I ate a lot of chicken, meat had really no appeal to me. My instant thought was to become a vegetarian. I loved my dairy products, but the more I considered it the less I believed that meat was what was the culprit of my stomach issues. My next initial thought was that diary products were causing me such stress. This seemed most plausible.

I hummed and hawed for a while about what I should do with my diet and ended up going with what my brother’s adorable girlfriend did. She, too, was having some issues with her health and turned to a vegan diet. She has been vegan for years now and from what I understand most of her health issues have decreased or disappeared completely.

Alas, after doing some reading and researching, at approximately 3pm on one Monday afternoon in which I had consumed nothing but fruit and oatmeal I decided that Cale Bosch was going to become a vegan.

Becoming a vegan has been one of the most difficult journeys I’ve endured with my diet. Honestly, my weight loss diet doesn’t even compare. You can go pretty much anywhere these days and eat a healthy, balanced, low calorie meal. Watching what you eat was simple when you had a huge range of foods to choose from. Well, with a vegan diet you’re cutting out literally all animal products. No dairy, meat, foods that contain animal byproducts - hell, I don’t even eat honey! Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a menu item that doesn’t contain anything animal related. Sure, a salad containing only vegetables, grains, nuts, etc is usually pretty safe, but did you think to ask what’s in their salad dressing? Pasta sounds great with a pesto or tomato sauce, but are there eggs in the noodles? Usually.

I still have a long way to go with learning how to cook Vegan, as well. I’ve tried a world of new things and have discovered some amazing foods. I never thought I would try tofu and actually love it. I had no idea how versatile beans are/the fact that there’s like 374920778 varieties of them and somehow all taste significantly different. For someone who tried to avoid anything containing soy (due to estrogen) I have found myself eating a lot of soy-based products. I think the longer I am a vegan the more I will be able to rely on food that aren’t soy based, but for someone who’s slowly getting himself into a new diet I think it’s safe to say I need a little bit of soy in my life. If you’re wondering, most faux vegan foods (cheese, meat substitutes, etc) are soy based. C’mon, I literally ate so much goat cheese back in the day. I couldn’t cut things like that out completely (only the real stuff... sigh). Although I must say, soy cheese tastes kinda like butter and it’s delicious as tits (before being able to lactate, that is – too much animal product to handle... gross) (that was a reference to breast milk FYI).

Another huge challenge with this diet change has been meeting my desired protein intake. You’d be amazed how much protein you can find in plant based foods, however, it can be quite difficult meeting my desired intake of 120 grams of protein per day. Thank God for lentils, beans and dehydrated soy flakes. Dehydrated soy flakes sounds disgusting but when you cook them it honestly becomes this fake ground beef that is way more delicious than the greasy, fatty, nast-tastic real thing. You probably wouldn’t think that you could take something that looks like fish food, beef it up with some water, add spices, etc and BAM, have something delicious! I assure you, you can. My favorite thing to do with it is cook it with a little tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and taco spices and use it to make tacos or huge taco salads. The best thing about it is that it’s also super low calorie. The taco salads I create are literally the size of a fat newborn.

I’ve always felt like since I’ve lost weight I’ve been a bit of a diva when it comes to my diet. I hate going on vacations or visiting peoples’ homes and feeling like they need to cater to my lifestyle. When we’d visit my Aunt’s cabin I’d always bring a variety of my own foods and cook my own meals or ad-lib to whatever was being prepared for the family. I would be lying if I said I felt I wasn’t being judged about it sometimes. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t being judged in my own home from time-to-time. I’m sure I’m overreacting, but it honestly feels like a lot of people truly don’t understand it. . Now I have this whole Vegan thing to worry about. We went to the lake a couple weekends ago and I’d normally be able to enjoy the lean chicken breasts they’d throw on the BBQ, but now I can’t even do that. It’s going to be a whole other challenge dealing with that from now on. I don’t want people to think I’m difficult, needy, snobbish or opposed to whatever they’re putting in their face. I’m not going to be offended watching you shove a steak in your face. What you put in your body is your choice; I just wish everyone had that same mindset as me! I’m sure a lot of vegans have faced this problem or something similar at some point in their life.

Although this has been a bit of a challenge I’ve put myself up too, and not necessarily a lifestyle change I’ve made fully based on animal rights, I really hope I can stick with this vegan diet for quite some time. I think with the more research I do and interest I take in why people choose to become vegan its only going to persuade me to pursue this diet even further.

So with this blog entry I leave you with a challenge! For quite some time now I’ve celebrated Meatless Monday almost every week. I challenge you to do the same! If you’re looking for suggestions or ideas check out www.foodgawker.com. They have all kinds of delicious vegetarian and vegan cuisines on there that get added daily. They have especially lots on Mondays for some reason... So try it out! Let me know what you think and share with me some cool recipes you’ve tried.

Most of my favorite supper meals are stir fries using whatever fresh vegetables I have on hand, some type of starch, and a vegan protein source (usually tofu and lots of beans). It always looks like I’m frying up the same thing but it’s different almost every time. So start with that for your Meatless Monday endeavors. For breakfast try a delicious green smoothie with flax and chia seed or oatmeal prepared with your favorite fruit or some warm spices (I love love love peanut butter, cocoa and a banana cut up with a little bit of sweetener added – its fucking DELICIOUS). And nothing beats a giant sandwich packed with roasted veggies and hummus for lunch. Or just make a big salad. Like a HUGE salad. Pack it full of beans and hearty foods. And top everything with Avocado. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered is that Avocado goes with everything... Literally everything.

Good luck!! And wish me luck, as well. I might need it. 

Check out some Vegan goodness!!

 This sandwich is 100% Vegan. Add hummus to the bread for the most delicious, healthy, protein packed 'sauce' 

 Here I made tacos with my dehydrated soy protein. Don't they look amazing? They were amazing.

 Wok Box can be vegan, too!! 

 Annnnnd thank GOD, most alcohol is vegan as well (just ignore the creamy liquors seen in this photo... Vodka contains nothing that came from an animal. Drink away, bitches).

Sometimes I have a hard time being vegan when I'm smashed. 

Me: "Milkshakes are Vegan, right?" 

Denny's Waitress: "Well... Considering they're made of nothing but ice cream and milk..."

 Tofu stir fry, avocado, and homemade pita chips!! So much yum!!

 Mashed up avocado on a simple salad takes it to the next level!!

 Thai food is the best vegan option ever for eating out!! So many amazing dishes to choose from!

 My all-time favorite oatmeal dish baking in the oven! Oatmeal, shredded carrots, cinnamon, and banana baked with applesauce and almond milk. It's delicious carrot cake for BREAKFAST. Boom. Top that shit with vegan cream cheese icing... #DEAD

Another attempt at a vegan stir-fry! This time with spaghetti squash and garlic hummus on top instead of avocado!