Labels – Why Does Choosing a Lifestyle Mean Being Pigeonholed?
When I had juice with my good friend Cheryl this past Friday, it was the first time in a long time we’ve had to catch up with each other on our lives, and the exciting things happening to both of us.
During our conversation, we discussed how people now seem to be gravitating towards labeling themselves; we have environmentalists and ethical shoppers, but the ones that stood out most for both of us were vegetarians, vegans and raw vegans. I noticed that even I have been doing this labeling myself.
If, as a raw vegan, I decide to have some French fries, the usual response is “but aren’t you not allowed to eat that?”… First of all, who but me has control over what I put into my mouth? If I feel like eating fries, then I’m going to eat fries. However, if I choose to wear the raw vegan label, if I DO eat fries, there’s also a label of hypocrisy that comes along with it.
I decided to choose a mainly raw vegan lifestyle because I have strong beliefs in animal rights and compassionate eating, and my body functions optimally when I only eat fresh, raw foods. It actually takes less time for my meals to process and I don’t get slowed down. However, for me, there are certain joys that can be derived from pleasure foods; one of my big ones is cheese. I like strong, artisan cheeses that just melt in your mouth, so I see nothing wrong with indulging myself in this joy once in a while.
Does that mean I sacrifice all my beliefs because I choose to partake of something not raw and not vegan? It shouldn’t. Cheryl was telling me about Daniel Vitalis, and she urged me to watch one of his videos:
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