When I decided to look for ways to enjoy life without meat, I found myself in a world of strange ingredients, passionate opinions, and confusing factions. I didn’t know the difference between vegan and vegetarian, and I wondered if I could use nutritional yeast to make my bread rise. I had known for a long time that raw fruits and vegetables are more beneficial than cooked, but I was unaware that raw veganism is actually a thing. I believe that it’s better to avoid processed foods, but I hadn’t heard of whole food plant based eating (wfpb) nor did I suspect that there were strong opinions about all kinds of non-animal but nevertheless forbidden (depending on which practice you followed) foods. It was insensitive of me, but I had not even considered the implications, contradictions, and possible immorality of wearing leather shoes while vegan.
I keep my mind open to information that might result in better health outcomes, end cruelty to animals, and save the planet from climate disaster, but I don’t attach labels to myself or my choices, and no one dictates what I can and can’t eat. When it comes to food, informed common sense is my only rule. (The benefits of going vegan may be cancelled by the stress of worrying whether some particular culinary fault disqualifies one from membership in a given community of orthodox meat abstainers.)
So no, I am not a real vegan. I am a person who chooses not to eat meat. I am attentive to facts and opinions that may have a significant effect on my health and the health of people I care about. Fruit and Stuff is the place where I collect, sort, and interpret confusing and contradictory information and opinions related to health, especially on life without meat and on becoming as healthy as I can from eating just fruit and stuff!
When I switched to plant-based living after a lifetime of meals planned around a main course of meat, I immediately felt positive effects and found it surprisingly easy, even fun, to change my habits and explore new ways of enjoying food. Fruit and Stuff is a collection of some of the many things I have learned since I started the journey.