Instead of going Vegan, go Conscious!
Let me start of by describing the term “being conscious” which basically is a way of saying “being aware” and the word “vegan” means items (food and products) which do not consist of ingredients coming from an animal. Conscious consumption allows you to act out of awareness knowing where your item comes from and how it was treated before they become a part of consumption. Whereas vegan items are merely another label saying animals are not used in the food or product however much of the vegan labeled food contains quite a lot of processed ingredients and chemicals and many vegan items are still tested on animals.
For the sake of this article, I would like to say, I dream of the day each and every individual, globally acts out of a state of consciousness and awareness and regarding consumption, where we finally recognize animals as equal living beings. I would also like to note, there are many foods and products which have the label "vegan" on them but are change making companies providing conscious products, I am merely referring the the general label "vegan". As much as the whole “vegan” movement has contributed to a lot of people eating less meat or buying less items which come from cruel mass production, it is merely another label. One major issue in our society, is that we keep on putting everything into boxes, categories, labels and instead of constantly creating new labels, how about we simply become aware of the way we live and interact with our environment, maybe consume less yet become conscious of how we live?
In this article I will be putting forward why one goes vegan, what is vegan food and what vegan products are. I will then speak about what it means to live consciously, therefore consume consciously.
Having said this, even where I do mention that form a health perspective it might be better to eat conscious vegetarian food (so still coming from an animal) instead of purely plant-based, I really am an advocate for fair animal treatment meaning no testing on animals and promoting conscious plant-based food. In our society this is possible, we are no longer in a cave-men age where there is food or product scarcity, it is merely by choice that we consume from animals.
WHY DOES ONE GO VEGAN?
Regarding food and products, some do it because of their love towards animals, others because they want to be healthier and some maybe because it’s trendy. There are many reasons why one can go vegan, however there have always been people in history who have had the wellbeing of other living beings and the planet at heart and have not fallen victim to the consumption society and therefore are aware (are conscious) of what they put into their bodies and what items they use without having given this lifestyle a label. It takes a little more work, as ideally this would mean you grow much food yourself and make many day-to-day items yourself or even start trading home made items and food within society again (like back in the day). As well as to live quite organically which requires you to do some research and go only to markets or certain shops who sell consciously produced and sourced items. And it’s true, it is so much more convenient to go to “standard” shops and buy what is offered in mass, especially when you have little time on your hands and live in western society. In the end of the day, it’s about prioritizing your wellbeing and that of others and the environment, how you co-exist with everything in this world.
VEGAN FOOD
We have so many vegan products now which are “pretending” to be meat, sausages, cheese even fish. Now if you are someone who is plant based and an animal lover, out of experience and research I can assure, one does not want to eat something that tastes like it is or comes from an animal. So, much of vegan “faux meat” can be considered to be made for people who eat a lot of meat, milk and cheese, yet wish to reduce this consumption or potentially even stop and consume healthier. From a health perspective many of these items are processed and contain quite a lot of chemicals which are in the end of the day not very healthy for you.
As a side note, you will find a lot of soy in these products and the production of soy is contributing to the deforestation of natural environments which is leaving many animals without their homes and eventually being a cause of their death as these natural habitats of many animals are being replacing with soy plantations.
Again, don't get me wrong, there are also lots of plant-based foods which you can buy now a days which are extremely healthy and simply have the label vegan on them due to societies constraints, I am merely speaking about these "vegan processed foods".
Watch out even plant-based foods and fruits and vegetables can be unhealthy too
Having said all of that, processed plant-based foods are also not very healthy therefore its merely a question of being aware of how and where the items are treated and grown. In the end of the day if you wish to fuel your body consciously with high vibrational items, best case scenario is to grow your own foods and next best, buy from local farmers or independent shops which sell for local farmers where you have transparency of how items are treated and grown.
VEGAN PRODUCTS
Many products labeled as vegan, being clothes, beauty products, washing items, anything you use on a day-to-day basis might not contain any ingredients from animals, however they are still testing on animals! So, it might not contain any items from animals but during production some can still be tested on animals. So, watch out when you buy “vegan” cosmetics for example as the big mass companies are still testing on animals.
Careful, products with the label “vegan” still test on animals!
The label “vegan” on products means there are no animals ingredients in it, without the label “cruelty free” on it, it can still mean that animals are tested throughout production.
The label “cruelty free” means the product was made without being tested on animals.
The label “vegan” means the product doesn’t contain any ingredients coming from an animal.
If you wish to buy products which do not test on animals nor have any ingredients from animals in them, then make sure to look that the products both have “cruelty free and vegan” on them. Ideally you can research the company, how it produces and where and merely be conscious about what and from who you are purchasing. This might keep you away from consuming “mass” products and consuming more from small startups.
Products
Conscious products are mainly those items which are not produced in mass but on a small scale. Many of these will have the label "vegan" on them, simply because it is currently an easier method in society to identify conscious utilities like this. You can find quite a few start-ups providing all products from utilities to clothes which produce consciously and these are most often sold in smaller and independent shops.
WHAT IS CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
Conscious consumption means to be aware of where food and products come from and how they are treated. Regarding food this is for everything from fruits, vegetables and even animal production. Regarding products it is from having a production transparency to see where the fabrics and items used for the products come from, how these are treated in production and of course what working conditions employees are under.
Our human bodies are made of energy and in order to fuel this gorgeous “machine” we are given and allow ourselves to live at the highest vibration possible for ourselves, we can live a much healthier and happier life when putting high vibrational things into it and using items with high vibration. Since everything is energy and everything has an energetic vibration, food and products, whatever items you use and put into yourself influences the frequency you energetically vibrate on. If you wish to read more about this topic of energy, you can read more in this article here.
Fruits & vegetables
Do the fruits & vegetables come from an organic farm where they are grown in nature and treated with love and therefore deliver you seasonal items? Or are they grown unnaturally in a warehouse and sprayed full of chemicals? The energetic and nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables grown in these two different environments, is miles apart!
Vegetarians and meat eaters – eggs, cheese & meat
Now, I am really not someone to advocate eating meat, but if you ate meat your whole life and bam stop one day to the next your body is going to crave it again, so take it step by step and simply become aware of where your meat comes from and how the animal is treated. Since everything is energy, you don’t want to be eating “fear fueled meat” which you can read about in my article where I describe the energetic value of what we put into our bodies.
How are the chicken and cows treated during their everyday lives? What kind of a life do the chicken have, can they freely run around on the farm? How are the cows living their everyday lives? Are the locked up in cages and forced to produce or can freely enjoy their day and are cautiously handled during production? For the meat eaters, how are the animals then “taken down” by the farmers?
What makes the difference, is finding out HOW the food is grown and treated before it is sold to the end consumer. So, if you are somebody who is still eating meat and wish to stop, a good way to approach this is to became aware of yourself and what your “gut” is telling you what it wants. If you feel that you still want meat, be aware of where the meat comes from, how it was treated and processed before ending up in the shop or market.
Consciously plant-based
Ideally it would be that we eat completely organically from our own fresh garden or from organic farmers. So, aside from natural plant-based foods like organic fruits and vegetables, nuts all kinds of beans like lentils, or quinoa and couscous, there are so many high energy products which give the human being all the nutrients we need, are extremely tasteful and do not harm animals or the environment. Of course, even here, be aware of how the items are farmed (consciously) and avoid buying from mass producers and check out small farmers.
To get the most conscious foods it is best to go to local markets or see which small independent shops work with farmers in your region.
Conscious products
Globally there are so many great brands who are truly making a difference and allowing us to consume less but more consciously. Starting from soaps, washing powders, deodorants, razors, make-up, clothes, yoga matts, sunglasses, whatever you can think of, it exists out there and often in the small independent shops in your cities you will find some conscious items and if not, there is always online shopping to get conscious products! Remember your skin absorbs whatever you put on it the same way as you absorb what you eat and drink! As a side note, I know these items might be a little more expensive, but from research I made and experience the price difference is not that high and the benefit is so worth it!
Since most of us in western society grew up eating meat and animal products like cheese and milk, our bodies are not from birth on used to eating purely plant based. Therefore, instead of eating all these vegan items, it’s much better for the human being to eat conscious meat and conscious cheese and eggs, slowly consume less of these items and eventually eat purely plant based, as nature truly provides us with everything out bodies need! Listen to your gut, and feel what resonates with you when you see certain products, do they “feel right for you?” Build a relationship with your own intuition and listen to what you truly want. That’s why it’s also so important to have a good relationship with your intuition (or also known as your gut) but this also goes onto another topic “being able to listen to our own intuition and shutting up any external influence”. That does take practice, and in the end of the day we are here on this earth planet to simply evolve in our own individual time 😊
CONCLUSION
To sum this up, talking both about vegan food and vegan products, what’s important is that we stop putting things in boxes, categories & labels and start become aware. Much of veganism is just another label and a modern hype, and it does not matter what topic we are looking at, in the end of the day it is important, we as individuals become aware of ourselves and the environment and start living consciously. Aware of our lives, how we act, of our environment, aware of what we put into ourselves, aware of where the food and products come from and how they are made, simply becoming aware which basically is another word for being conscious.
We are generation change!
Enjoy, yours truly,
Isabel