Where Do You Get Your Protein?

Whenever I tell someone I'm a Vegan, the first response is always "Where do you get your protein?" First of all, we don't need as much protein as everyone thinks. America especially has an issue with consuming way too much of it. As most of you know, there are complete and incomplete proteins. When people think of complete proteins they usually think of meat, fish, and dairy. While it is true that these are the easiest ways to get complete proteins, it is definitely not the only way.
Complete Proteins
1) Quinoa (8g/cup)
2) Soy(8g/cup)
3) Chia(4g/2 tbsp)
4) Hempseed(10g/2 tbsp)
Complementary Proteins
Complementary proteins are two incomplete proteins combined to create a complete protein. This would include like nuts and legumes, or grains and legumes.
1) Hummus and Pita Bread
2) Rice and Beans
3) Peanut Butter Sandwiches
4) Trail Mix
5) Spirulina with nuts (Homemade energy bars)
6) Lentils and Rice

What I Eat in a Normal Day:
Breakfast:
1 cup Oatmeal(6 g)
1 Banana(1.3g)
1/2 cup Soy Milk (8g)
Lunch:
3 cups Spinach(3g)
2 tbsp Hummus(2.4g)
1/2 cup Tofu(10g)
Dinner:
1 cup cooked Broccoli(4g)
1 cup Brown Rice(5g)
1 cup Black Beans(15g)
Snack:
1 Larabar Bar(5g)
2 tbsp Peanut Butter(9.2g)
                                                
Total: 68.9 Grams of Protein
Since I do endurance training, I need a minimum of 68.75 and a maximum of 80 grams of protein per day for my weight category. The amount of protein each person needs is entirely dependent on their weight and level of physical activity.

Always Remember:

Animals are friends, not food.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Millner

Fun Things I Can Still Eat

I know it may seem like Vegans survive on celery sticks and grass (which is sometimes what it feels like too...) but that isn't always the case. There are plenty of normal human foods that I can still eat. Most of these are accidentally Vegan, meaning the companies that produced these products didn't actually intend on this happening, but there are no complaints here.
1)Fritos
I'm not a very big fan of these but it's nice to know I can eat something out of my dorm's vending machine.
2) Oreos.
Yes. Oreos. Every flavor. Now I'm not sure what exactly goes into Oreos... Like I'm looking at the package right now and I just don't understand. Well that's absolutely terrifying.
3)Unfrosted Pop-tarts
Again, I don't understand how exactly this can be Vegan but sure; I'll go with it.
4)Red Bull Energy Drinks
Ew. This stuff literally tastes like liquid sweet tarts and death.
5)Most Clif Bars
I pretty much survive on these at college. Actually, I survive on my suite-mate's Clif Bars... and the rest of her food. Also, Larabars are actually Vegan approved and are the best creation in the history of the Universe.

Since we're talking about fun foods that ARE Vegan, I think now's a good time to address the fakers. These are the dirty liars of the bunch. On that note, here are some things that, sadly, ARE NOT Vegan :(
1) Pumpkin Spice Lattes
This one hurts my soul so much you have no idea. Seriously. I'm personally offended. Even if you swap out your regular milk for soy you are still drinking condensed milk from the flavoring itself. Not to mention that there are no actual pumpkins in the recipe.
2)Honey 
People always forget about this one. Honey comes from bees, therefore it is not a plant source. Anything with honey in the ingredients list is off limits.
3) Marshmallows/ Chewing Gum/ Jell-O
Gelatin. For all of you that don't know where gelatin comes from: It's basically just boiled bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, etc. YUM. Thankfully, the make Vegan marshmallows :)
4)Almost all dark Colas
Most of your sodas and processed drinks contain dyes made from insects or animals such as Red 40.
5) Certain Beers and Wines
Gelatin, isinglass (which is fish bladders), bone marrow, etc. Some Vegan examples are Redd's Apple Ale, Angry Orchard, Absolut Vodka, and Bacardi.
6) Anything with artificial Vanilla flavoring
Nothing better than some nice beaver anal secretions. This is not an exaggeration. They literally take secretions right out of the beaver's ass.

Always remember:
Animals are friends, not food.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Millner

Why Did I Become a Vegetarian?

To be frank, meat is gross. I went Vegetarian 3 years ago simply because I realized what I was actually ingesting and to be honest, I haven’t regretted a single second.  I'm sure most of you have heard of the documentaries Food Inc. or Forks over Knives but if not you should definitely go watch them on Netflix right now. No, seriously. Go watch one of them now before you finish reading this. It may seem kind of cliché, but that is the entire reason. I was literally afraid of meat.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. 
Actually, no. Probably not. There are a lot of people that don't care about the animals or what they themselves are consuming. If you are one of those people, maybe I can change your mind. I’m not going to go all hippie tree-hugger on you guys, as much as I’d like to, but to put it simply; These animals are abused and neglected. How would you like to be locked up with no sunlight or space to move? There are plenty of people that argue that this is why animals were put on this Earth. Yeah, totally. Animals were totally put here by some mysterious chain of events so that humans could abuse, neglect, and eat their flesh. I really hope my sarcasm is shining through at this point. 
Live simply, so that others can simply live. 
My other favorite argument about giving up meat is that "One person becoming a Vegetarian does not affect the world." Oh really? While it may not seem like I am making that great of an impact, by being a Vegetarian I am saving 100 animals per year. What are you doing with your life? People are so concerned about world hunger but aren't willing to do a damn thing about it. If everyone would give up meat, or even limit it, there would be enough food in the world to feed everyone. Don't believe me? Alright. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/reasons-go-vegan/ Here's some proof. By going Vegetarian I am not only saving myself, but others as well. One pound of meat uses 2,400 gallons of water. That’s absolutely ridiculous. There are people that don't have water and we are wasting it on things we don't need.  
You are what you eat.
In my opinion, diet is the best form of medicine. I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying “You are what you eat.” That’s the truth. What you eat can either help you or harm you. I don’t know about everyone else, but I want to be the very best I can be. There are a lot of people with no concern for their personal well-being because they really don't see their diet as a threat. When I went Vegetarian, I was doing it solely out of respect for the animals, not so much myself. On the other hang, my choice to be a Vegan was entirely based on health reasons. That doesn't mean that I'm not just as eager to save the animals as I am myself because I totally am. “Save the planet” and all that bullshit. It has been proven multiple times that plant-based diets are the best way to go. I could go into this topic for hours so out of respect for time...

Always remember:
Animals are friends, not food.
Sincerely, 
Jasmine Millner

Going Vegan: Why Is It So Damn Hard?

Being Vegan is by far the best decision I've ever made. At this point in time, my lifestyle isn't really that much of a challenge. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of days where I would love to devour an extra-large pepperoni pizza by myself... but it gets easier.  So here are a couple reasons why being a Vegan is so damn hard:

1)The transition itself is brutal.

Becoming a Vegan is no easy task unless you have extreme will power (which I do not). I mean, I didn't cut out animal products cold-turkey. I was a Vegetarian for 3 years so my transition wasn't nearly as hard as those who just up-an-quit animal products entirely. Transitioning into this lifestyle is by far the best plan of attack. I started out by giving up red-meat, then meat as a whole, and now I am a full-blown Vegan. When I think back on the past three months... part of me wants to gouge my eyeballs out. Why work so hard for something that seems so pointless? Then I remember why I started and it's all worth while.

2) "Where do you get your protein?"

Fools; protein does not only come from animals. Where do you think the animals you are eating get their protein from? The reason why I respond so harshly to this one is because no one ever asks this question out of concern. This is always used as an attack on my lifestyle choices. My father is the best example for this one. I love him dearly don't get me wrong. Coming from someone who grew up on a diet centered around meat, there is no possible way that he could understand where I'm coming from. When he came to visit me at college, he was practically force feeding me because he was afraid I was malnourished. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is going to agree or understand. 

3) Slip-ups

You. Are. Human. We all make mistakes. Just remind yourself why you started and get back up on your feet.

4) "Being a Vegan is unhealthy"  

*buzzer noise* wrong. Now this one's a little controversial so if you have a problem with it... please turn away now. Humans were never mean't to eat animals. We just needed to adapt to survive. There are even studies now that prove how detrimental dairy products are to our health. Our bodies can't digest that stuff.  Although being Vegan is one of the best diets you can have, it is also one of the worst when not treated properly. Being Vegan does not mean starvation. So back to the main point, I'm still here... so it obviously can't be that bad right?

5)Peer Pressure

Yes. Peer pressure. There is nothing worse than when your friends wave slices of bacon-pineapple pizza in your face. 

SO... Go Vegan. Yeah, it's hard as shit. I'm not going to lie. 

But always remember:

Animals are friends... not food :)

Sincerely,
Jasmine Millner