Why I'm (not) vegan

It was way back in 2009 when I saw for the first time the documentary Earthlings with the wonderful and persuasive voice of Joaquin Phoenix and the poignant music by Moby...
I was not new to animal rights issues but that vision was an experience so intense that it changed my relationship with nutrition forever! The very next day I began my lifestyle journey into vegan.

It was a very turbulent relationship right from the start: at the time (we're talking about almost 15 years ago!) little or nothing was known about veganism except through the few avant-garde sites specialized on the subject, usually managed by volunteers and other passionate animal rights activists, there was no mention of it in the mass media and the common person at the word vegan he looked at you with a look mixed between questioning and scared...
Not to mention choosing specific foods at the supermarket: finding tofu it was a challenge and you had to go to specialized shops or hope for the good old Valsoia brand which at the time aimed at the anti-cholesterol market rather than the vegetable food market but which could be found every now and then at the local supermarket with prices very different from those now.
There was not even a shadow of burgers, meatballs, vegetable drinks of all kinds and other amenities in ordinary supermarkets and the plant-based food boom would arrive, at least in the small Sicilian town where I lived, only many years later...
Eating at a restaurant was always a lottery: at the time, ham or bacon was not considered properly "meat" for many restaurateurs and there were many times in which I found the little surprise hidden on the plate... Today I certainly see that there's much more information and sensitivity on the topic!

But all this did not lead me to give up on my intent, on the contrary: I read up on vegetable cuisine with great passion and dedication, I studied every book and site available on the subject and perhaps it was only in this moment of my life that I really started to learn to cook 🙂 I also posted some recipes on Veganblog, which when I see them again now make me smile with tenderness!

But traveling for the dance didn't help at all.
I remember that there was a period in which I regularly went to Milan to study and at the end of one of these long training sessions of almost 8 hours together with my fellow dancers, tired and hungry, we desperately looked for something to eat: unfortunately I found nothing vegan and understood, in front of my miserable dinner of bread and oil, that to travel and dance I would have to carry a sort of small cooler bag with me around Italy, which was obviously impossible when traveling regularly by plane from Sicily...

Since then I have gone through many phases: almost 10 years of vegetarianism around the world, then a return to an omnivorous diet for a few years and then a return to veganism and then starting the wheel again and again... Until February of this year during which, as a vegan, I discovered I was pregnant.

This pregnancy was for me a journey from many points of view, including nutrition: I was followed by a vegan nutritionist at the beginning, but my body immediately started showing signs of intolerance and so I had to changing my diet at least three more times before finding the one that made me feel good and guarantee all the nutrients for me and for the life I carry in my womb...

But why am I telling you all this?
Because I would like to share a thought with you born from many years of continuous push and pull with plant-based nutrition, and above all from the adventures of the last few months.

The big dilemma that I found myself facing due to the physical problems related to nutrition that I have encountered since the beginning of pregnancy is this: if the basis of the lifestyle vegan there is a firm principle of non-violence, how can I deny what my body needs, especially in this phase in which I am no longer alone but the health of my baby also depends on my choices?
And speaking with friends, comparing themselves with their experiences regardless of whether they are pregnant or not, I realize how much the question of the body and the substantial differences between each of us is so important when choosing your diet...
Today more than ever choose a plant-based diet it is a choice that, in addition to supporting human health, is of extreme help for the great changes our planet is undergoing: unfortunately, however, not everyone can access it due to problems related to their health.

The choice of non-violence, then, should also be maintained with regard to everyone's choices and in any dialogue that may arise with those who do not share our choice or choose differently from us! Too often, however, I witness real skirmishes (and I've been through them too, at the beginning of my journey I felt that this choice was radical and essential!), especially online where it's easy for tempers to flare up over the keyboard, or worse, at demonstrations. of hatred and misunderstanding for those who choose or think differently...

After all, no one knows our body and needs better than us. Promoting awareness of our profound needs, the well-being of the body-mind in its entirety and welcoming diversity with gentleness and understanding: this can lead, in my opinion, to great awareness and great change.
Because the planet is not something separate from us, from our way of inhabiting it and our body, from our relationships and from the emotions we nourish: if it is the cessation of violence that we have at heart, first of all it is in our little world that we must realize it, in the way we interact with others, with our needs and necessities.

Instead of imposing a mental vision or a pre-packaged "diet" on ourselves or others, let's try to listen and listen to ourselves, with patience, with love: this small gesture is a big step towards a profound change, cultivating a sensitivity and compassion that is aimed at all forms of life.