Sneaky vegan.

I just sat here eating my vegan sandwich and staring at that Chris Farley GIF for legit like 5 minutes before I opened a new post.

Clearly, I've been lazy about blogging this week, and I doubt you want to read a post encapsulating all of the meals I've eaten since Monday, so I'll try to hit the high notes.

I'm much better at vegan cooking now. I'd actually say this has made me better at cooking in general. I've tried new flavors and techniques that I otherwise probably wouldn't have.

I am still having Diet Coke cravings here and there, but I try to remind myself that it never really makes me feel better after I've had it, so I try to stay away.

I am having cheese cravings seriously pretty much every minute that I'm awake, and probably most minutes that I'm asleep too. Cheese is amazing. Vegan cheese is the worst. I am seriously considering throwing this vegan thing overboard and having pizza for dinner tonight.

This whole thing has really made me think about the role that food plays in my life. I am the first person to proclaim the wonders of sharing a good meal with friends, but then I remember the times that I've used food to comfort or reward myself, and it makes me kind of sad. Haven't I evolved beyond that point? Or matured beyond that point? What is it about our society that says: "You're good. To show you how good you are, you get to eat this cookie." Think about those messages. Why can't we communicate how much we value one another in other ways? I value you and your health, here's a beet. High five. Or, how about, I value you, let's spend some quality time together. I dunno. I know that someday I'll have kids and I'll shove a fistful of oreos into their mouths just to have silence for the amount of time it takes for them to chew and swallow, but I hope that I also communicate my approval and appreciation in other ways too.

Oh, and the title of this post - this week someone asked how the veganism was going and I said that I was being a "sneaky vegan." What I mean by that is that I've been eating a lot of processed soy and a lot of things that I shouldn't be eating only because they're vegan - for instance, a vegan cookie is still a cookie. Eating 5 vegan cookies may be better than eating 5 regular cookies, but it's still eating 5 cookies. I committed to this diet with the intention of focusing on whole foods and plants and I haven't really been doing so great at that. There are a million documentaries about how veganism is great for you, but I'd be interested to hear how veganism affects your body if you're NOT following a whole foods/plant based diet. What if all you eat is tofu and veganaise and fakon (fake bacon)?  Does anyone know where I can find information on that?

I'm back to juicing. I really do feel good after drinking juice in the morning.

That's all I've got for you today. OK BYE! Have a good weekend.