I became a vegetarian in 1973 when I finally pieced together the concept that meat comes from animals. I was almost eighteen at the time, but though slow to come to this realization, once I figured it out, I was committed to not bothering other creatures for their body parts and fluids. I became a vegan in 1975 after attending a World Vegetarian Congress and learning about inhumane practices in animal husbandry.
I have been influenced by many cookbooks over the years, and I will cite any that originated a recipe. I often change recipes to make them vegan or to reflect what foods I have on hand.
I use organically grown ingredients as much as I can, because although health is not my primary reason for being a vegan, I do like being healthy, and my recipes and comments will reflect that.
During this time I have had five pregnancies producing six babies, none of which weighed less than seven pounds/twelve ounces, including the twins (eight pounds and seven pounds/ fifteen ounces). All of the babies nursed for a number of years and then went on to a vegan diet. My grown children are all normally sized and healthy, and all are still vegetarian, as far as I know, by their own choice.
I mention this in case anyone is wondering if a vegan diet can maintain their health over a long period of time. I can't speak for anyone else, but it has worked for our family. I try to use a variety of foods in the vegetable kingdom, and I do use a vegan vitamin and mineral supplement and nutritional yeast.
There are many resources for more information if you are interested. Until then, I hope you enjoy eating some of the things we do.
