Health and compassion

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Vegans feel cleaner, more energetic with no animal products

 

 

August 29, 2008

 

 

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By AMY DEIS

 

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Julia Sobieraj, 17, uses eye shadow that does not contain any animal by-products. Many cosmetics, shampoos, lipsticks and body products can contain items derived from animals such as biotin, carmine, cetyl alcohol, gelatin, keratin and guanine. (Doings photo by CURTIS LEHMKUHL)

PHOTO GALLERY • The vegan life

 

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Why eating animals is harmful

"I used to love meat and would eat anything," she said. "But then (my grandpa) would refer to it as a cow or a pig, and it just clicked that I was eating an animal."

On top of not eating meat, fish or poultry, a vegan takes vegetarianism even farther by also not eating any dairy, eggs or animal by-products. Many vegans also apply the philosophy they cannot use anything containing any part of an animal such as leather or gelatin, which is found in shampoos; coatings of pill capsules; and other cosmetics.

In addition to not eating any animal products, Sobieraj stays away from shampoos, lotions and makeup that contains any animal by-products. She started by looking at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Web site, which has a links page of companies that sell vegan products.

Sobieraj eats a lot of ethnic food such as Mediterranean and Thai and cooks a lot on her own because her family is not vegan. Omitting animal products from her diet gives her more energy, and she feels cleaner on the inside.

Joel Gratcyk, Union Church of Hinsdale's project manager, and his wife, Abigail, said they felt cleaner inside when they went vegan for 30 days in May. After reading Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's book, Skinny Bitch, which explains how food affects the body, they tried a vegan diet.

"It opened our eyes to how the food chain works in the U.S. and to its negatives," Joel said.

Before starting their 30 days, the couple planned their meals, read up on recipes and stocked their Ravenswood kitchen with animal-free products.

They recorded the whole process on a blog that allowed readers to keep tabs on their progress, menus and slip-ups, which they didn't have. Halfway through, Abigail said being a vegan really wasn't that difficult, but she did miss fish and sushi. As for how it affected their budget, she said that because they stopped buying meat, dairy and processed foods, it wasn't that much more expensive to buy more grains, fruit and vegetables.

"Our grocery bills have jumped, but we don't spend nearly as much money on going out," Joel said.

Although the Gratcyks decided not to continue their vegan diet, they both said it has helped their overall food intake. Abigail said they might even do it once a year to cleanse themselves.

"Overall, our diet will be healthier, and we know we have a lot of options and know which are better for us," Joel said. "We're both happy to have done this."

 

Peter vv