New Year, New You

For those of you who need a fresh take on your well worn resolutions list, I have conveniently prepared some to-dos for the coming year. Forget about dropping those ten pounds, hitting the gym, and finally getting that budget under control. That's been so done. Try some veg-friendly tips on stepping out of your ho-hum routine, your slouchy old comfort zone. Stretch your brain, your soul, and your reservoir of eco-conscious ideas. Live, love, eat veg, and take a second, if you would, to pass it on.

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Read a book on veganism - The more informed you are, the more in control you feel. When an omnivorous friend asks where you get your protein, you can rattle off a few options. You can also feel good knowing that your new diet is lowering your chances of heart disease, type II diabetes, and certain types of cancers. The more you read, the more you know, the more confident you become in your choices. On this front, I suggest an informative work rather than one of the many great vegan recipe collections. My pick here is hands down Christina Pirello's This Crazy Vegan Life.

Try a new recipe each week for one month - Most of us tend to get stuck in a dietary rut. We have our breakfast favorites, our typical lunches, and our weekly dinner specials. The problem with this is that eating then becomes boring. More importantly, however, it almost ensures that we miss critical nutrients. If we are eating the same foods all the time, we are not eating some foods that our bodies may need. To this end, head to your local library or bookstore and pick up one of the many great vegan recipe books on the shelves. Try Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's latest, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. For more dessert ideas go for Sweet Utopia by Sharon Valencik. If it's a dinner dish you're looking to make, check out Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm or the huge new collection 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.

Share with someone your reasons for going vegan - Most people are curious. They want to know why you eat what you eat. Consider this a five-minute opportunity to educate not attack. With the top three reasons for going vegetarian being the welfare of the environment, the animals, and personal health, the typical reason for going vegan is concern for the creatures with whom we share the earth. Inform the listener on the practices of egg and dairy farming. Share with them the fact that mother cows are kept pregnant so they continue to produce milk and that their babies are taken from them so that we can ?enjoy? the milk that was intended for these infants. Explain that even if you don't eat meat you are still supporting the meat industry if you drink milk because the male calves are taken for the veal industry. Share with your friend the videos at www.meetyourmeat.org and www.veganvideo.org.

Try a new food each week for one month - Challenge the taste buds. Spice up that well worn menu. Pick up a new to you food the next time you head to the store.. Ever had jicama? Throw some in a salad. Toss a little tempeh in a stir-fry. Make a batch of miso soup. Whip together your favorite quick bread recipe using spelt flour, oat flour or chickpea flour instead of part of the whole wheat flour you're used to. Haven't tasted one of the many soy ice creams on the market? Here's your excuse! My personal vote is for Purely Decadent's Cherry Nirvana. Or maybe you want to experiment with the yummy tasting new coconut milk ice creams on the shelves. Try Mocha Almond Fudge, Passionate Mango, or Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl from Turtle Mountain. By spicing up that grocery list, you will feel a sense of renewed enthusiasm and commitment toward your vegan journey.

List twenty things you're thankful for - An attitude of gratitude has been shown to keep us not only mentally healthier, but physically healthier as well. Too often we approach our veganism with a sense of deprivation. I can't have this. I can't have that. Try this activity instead: Get out twenty index cards and a fat black (or purple or whatever color makes you happy) permanent marker. Now list one thing on each card that you are thankful for about the whole vegan experience. Personally, I am very appreciative of dairy-free chocolate chips... and Fritos... and restaurants that have many vegan choices. Mark down one item on each card. You can keep these around your house where you will see them often (one on the door of the fridge, one taped to your bathroom mirror, one at your desk, for example) or you can rubber band them and keep them together in a handy spot. The next time you feel frustrated about your decision to go vegan or about the lack of cooperation from our meat focused society, pull your cards out and read all the things that make you happy about the way you eat.

Eliminate one item from your life - In an effort to be more eco-conscious, take your gone green commitment to the next level. Choose one item from your life that you can totally eliminate. This may be diet related such as honey, white sugar, or a packaged, processed favorite that is not contributing to your overall health and well-being. It could be an eco-related item such as dryer sheets, cotton balls, or hairspray. Give the earth and your pocketbook a bit of a break. Need ideas? Check out www.frugalliving.about.com, www.frugalvillage.com, and www.eartheasy.com/live_simplify.htm.

Request that your library carry a vegan book title - Some libraries will honor patron requests when it comes ordering time. You have the vegan titles, love the vegan titles, and want to pass those ideas on to others in your area. The general public cannot check out books on vegetarianism if there are none on the shelves. Suggest some fun, attractive looking titles such as Wheeler del Torro's The Vegan Scoop, Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Vegan Brunch, or Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink, & be Vegan. Ben Shaberman's Vegan Monologues is a great way to transition non-veg readers into the vegetarian way of thinking. A collection of essays on both veganism and life in general, Monologues is informative without being preachy.

Host a vegan dinner, play date, potluck - Sometimes the easiest way to win someone over to the green side is through the gut. Most people have this image of vegan food as dry and boring and tasteless. When Jennifer McCann's Vegan Lunch Box was reviewed in my local paper, the author intimated that while the recipes were healthful and totally vegan they were tasty nonetheless.. Gather some girlfriends and lay out a spread. This is the time to bring out the good stuff. Practice on the family before offering it up to others so that it is nothing short of superb. Great Chefs Cook Vegan by Linda Long offers not only delicious inspiration, but ideas on plating as well. Long's challenge to top chefs to create a totally vegan meal has brought together such names as Cat Cora, Alex Stratta, Erik Blauberg, and Todd English. The food is beautiful, rich, and sublime. Your friends will be duly impressed.

Write a thank you note to the person responsible for your veg transition - Maybe it's a relative or maybe a friend, but take a second out of your day to say a simple thank you to the person who helped you make the transition into vegetarianism. Shoot them an email, facebook them, or buy a pretty card and stick it in the mailbox. They will get a lift knowing that they mattered in your life and you will benefit from the attitude of gratitude that we know contributes to both mental and physical health.

Subscribe to a veg magazine - This is a no-brainer. Feeding your head with fresh ideas, creative recipes, and current news trends helps to inform, inspire, and entertain. And, of course, you will have to pass it on to a friend when you're finished all in the name of recycling (or activism!). If you're a news junkie go with the national award winning VegNews. If you're more into cooking and trying new foods, sign onto Vegetarian Times. While I'm talking glossies here, don't let money stop you. There are more and more online magazines focused on vegetarianism. Try www.vegetarianwomen.com, www.veggielife.com, or even the online edition of VegNews at www.vegnews.com.

Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.

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