In the last year, I, like many others, have become more interested in the environmental impact of our food choices. The food we eat, order, purchase, and/or cook impacts our body, mind, and earth. Since my teenage years, I have been concerned about the ethical impact, and have gone back and forth between an omnivore and vegetarian diet.
Last year, I was 99.9% vegan, which I particularly liked. I had always wanted to try it, so I made the big jump. After being a vegetarian for so long, a vegan diet is relatively easy. I have never been a big consumer of pigs or eggs. I cannot eat chickens because of how poorly they are treated while being grown and all the chemicals that the chicken companies inject into the meat. Avoiding butter and cream (esp sauces) proved to be the most difficult.
I appreciate the way I feel with no dairy. I originally lost weight, but that stopped after about 5 months, so I don't count that as the top reason to go vegan. I have greatly appreciated my clear skin - I have suffered from "adult acne" (I don't think there was ever a break between my teenage acne and my adult acne though) and winter eczema. On a vegan diet, the acne is almost non-existent (even during hormone fluxes), and I have had very limited eczema. I don't know if it was the cow's milk, preservatives, or hormones in the dairy I was consuming that contributed to these conditions, but I love that they are under control.
My favorite all encompassing vegan website is: http://www.thekindlife.com/
In 2012, I am going to continue the vegan diet, with a careful selection of sustainable fish now and then. I am concerned about which fish to eat - I want to make smart decisions and am concerned about the impact that my fish purchase makes - I don't want to buy fish that is endangered, overfished, caught with large by-catch, or caught through exploitation of labor paid less than a living wage.
I have narrowed it down to the following lists of fish I typically eat:
SAFE TO EAT: North Amerian Tilapia, Wild Caught Alaska Salmon (coho, sockeye, or pink), Pacific Halibut, Mackerel, Atlantic Mahi Mahi, Trout, and Arctic Char
NEVER EAT: Atlantic Cod, Flounder, Imported Farmed Salmon, Atlantic Halibut, Monkfish, Bluefin Tuna, Tilefish, Orange Roughy, Grouper, Anchoivies, Red Snapper, Asian Tilapia, Imported Farmed Shrimp, and Chilean Sea Bass
I am concerned about shellfish, but need to learn more. Lobster from the Atlantic is usually sustainably caught, but those caught in Central America are over-harvested and divers are sometimes injured in the process. King Crabs are overfished. Imported farm raised Shrimp is laden with chemicals. Giant Atlantic scallops are harvested by dredging, which causes damage to the ocean floor.
Here is some more information if you are interested:
http://www.seachoice.org/
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