Why I Made Vegan in VA

For the past year, I’ve been working on creating this blog and I think I’m finally ready to really share it—yay!

I’ve already told you a little about myself (in my Meet Me Series), so now I’d like to tell you why I’ve made this blog. There are a few reasons, really:

bike rack at Cogan's North

1. I’m a sharer. When I find a particularly useful tip, tasty recipe, cool podcast, etc., I immediately want to share it with everyone I know. Good news is meant to be shared, right? And anything that makes life better/easier (like finally figuring out the perfect vegan French toast recipe!) is definitely good news.

2. There are a ton of great local resources sharing info about community events, activities, and other developments in Hampton Roads, but very, very few that focus exclusively on veg-friendly things to do, see, or eat. I’m excited to help fill that information gap.

3. People often ask me for vegan recipes, for tips about how to cut down on meat/dairy/egg consumption, or how to make the transition to a fully plant-based, vegan diet. I LOVE when people ask me about this!

As I said before, I’m a sharer, so it’s like getting a surprise present every time I get to help someone on the path toward veganism. The only trouble is that I often feel like I am throwing too much information at a person at once. Like, I know that rattling off a list of my favorite faux meat products isn’t going to stick in a person’s brain for very long. I kept finding myself thinking, If only I could jot down some notes for them to reference later… (Not to mention that every time this happened my husband would say, "See, this is why you need to blog!")

vegan breakfast: scrambled VeganEgg
 with tomatoes, whole wheat toast, OJ, & coffee

So, that’s kind of a quick round-up of the reasons why I decided to launch Vegan in VA. I just want to share what I’ve learned with y'all so that your lives will become easier, healthier, and more compassionate.

Maybe I’ll save you some time so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel (like I have many times since making the switch to veganism) and maybe I’ll make it easier for someone  to commit to a plant-based diet or even a fully vegan lifestyle.

Maybe I’ll even convince everyone in Virginia to go vegan!

Ambitious? Sure. But a girl can dream.

Meet Me, Part 3: Veg Life

Welcome back to Vegan in VA for the third and final installment of my Meet Me Series.

I covered my basic bio in Part 1, VA life in Part 2, and now I’ll delve into my journey to veganism.
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My husband and I have been vegan for over a year now, but this isn’t the first time on a veg diet for either of us. He was vegetarian for a few years long before we met and I was a vegetarian during high school and college.

teenage me with the fawn we rescued and raised

Growing up in the country, I passed cow pastures and chicken farms on my way to school. I often got stuck behind pig trucks on their way to the nearby slaughterhouse.

Once I started learning more about what went on behind the scenes in the leather industry, in the meat industry, and in the animals-as-entertainment industry, it all became too much for me and I made the easy decision to be a vegetarian.

At the time, I didn’t understand that the egg and dairy industries were just as bad as the meat industry and that, really, going vegetarian isn’t enough. But I was a teenager who was at the mercy of my parents, who bought the groceries and who didn’t share my desire to avoid eating animals. Plus, in a rural area that pretty much depends on the pork industry to survive, there weren’t a whole lot of veg options available.

I was vegetarian for a few years, eventually breaking during college. I was omni for about six years after that, during which time I was never able to shake the guilt that came with eating animal products. Images from the many animal rights videos I watched would pop into my head even as I savored the flavor of the food I was eating. Things you can’t unsee is how I like to put it.

Eventually, the guilt got to be too much. I couldn’t justify eating animal products anymore, especially when I knew better.

I did a lot of research and discovered that, in addition to being more animal-friendly, there are TONS of health reasons to make the switch to veganism. The decreased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and especially cancer (both my husband and I have an elevated risk of various cancers) were very appealing. Plus, I found out that a vegan diet is actually fantastic for the environment as well, even better than driving an electric car!

I took all this information to my husband who is totally amazing and wholeheartedly agreed to join me in switching to veganism. We set a date, made a plan, and dove in. Turns out, it’s an easy change to make when you have good reasons to do it. It’s even easier when your partner is committed to making the change, too.

this is how we grill now - vegan sausages and assorted veggies

So far, I have zero regrets. Switching to veganism has made me feel better both physically and mentally/emotionally. I feel healthier on the day-to-day and I’ve only been sick once since I changed my diet. I no longer have guilt about how my diet negatively affects animals or the planet.

Sure, sometimes people (who don’t understand) give me grief and sometimes it can be challenging to dine out in restaurants or at non-vegan’s homes, but those are tiny hurdles and they’re so, so worth it in the grand scheme of things.

Basically, it was a bit of a windy road to get me here, to this place of proud and permanent veganism, but I’m stoked to have ended up in such a great place!

I hope that, by sharing this with you, you’ll feel inspired to make a lifestyle change of your own. A life of compassion is always a good choice and I encourage all of you to take any steps you can in that direction.

Maybe you’re not yet ready to fully commit to veganism—that’s OK. Start small, with Meatless Mondays or whatever works best for you. Any step in the right direction is a good thing, and if easing into it is the way to make your veganism stick then it’s definitely the way to go.

But now I want to hear from you! Are you a vegan? Are you considering veganism? What was your journey like? Tell me about it in the comments. You never know who you might inspire. :)


Click here to read the previous post in this series
< Meet Me Part 2: VA Life

Meet Me, Part 2: VA Life

Hey, y’all! Welcome back to Vegan in VA for the second installment of my Meet Me Series. In Part 1, I gave you a basic introduction to me and now I’d like to briefly introduce you to my home - Hampton Roads, VA. _________________ I’d like to begin by clarifying something for those of you who aren’t familiar with my little corner of VA. The area where I live is referred to by several names: Southeastern Virginia, Tidewater, Hampton Roads, the 757, and, most recently, Coastal Virginia. It’s kind of a running joke that our area has a bit of an identity crisis and I honestly pity any non-locals who try to keep it all straight. I’ll probably use all of those names at some point so just know that, whatever I call it, I’m talking about the same area, which includes Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk, and Isle of Wight County.

Melody loves technology,
even if she's not always
the most helpful officemate

But anyway, let’s get back onto the topic at hand, shall we? I share an apartment with my husband and our grumpy (and slightly neurotic) old cat named Melody. We live in one of Norfolk’s many beautiful, historic neighborhoods, in delightful proximity to a ton of shops, restaurants, and places for entertainment. Best of all, we are in the best part of Hampton Roads (aka HRVA) that a vegan could be. We’re lucky enough to have a wide range of restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers markets that offer all kinds of veg-friendly fare. Living here makes a vegan lifestyle so easy! It’s really fantastic and we are grateful every single day to live in a place that is so understanding and accepting of our lifestyle.

that time a giant rubber
duck appeared in the
Hague in front of the
Chrysler Museum

As much as I love food (and I love food A LOT!) there are so many other reasons why living in HRVA gets me stoked. Living here means I’m just a short drive from the Atlantic Ocean. The beach is one of my favorite places to be, so this is a Big Deal for me. There are also various museums (many of which don’t exploit animals for entertainment, thankfully) that cover science (the Air and Space Museum), local history (the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe), art (the Chrysler Museum), and much more. Plus, there’s an abundance of outdoor activities available like kayaking, hiking, surfing, and biking - which is my personal favorite! In addition to all that awesomeness, HRVA is also a great place to be a geek (and I’m a big one). We have locally-owned video game and comic book stores, the Tidewater Comicon, and an annual lightsaber battle every May. I’m a history nerd, too, and since VA is literally where America began there is no end of cool historic things to do - including visiting the Historic Triangle (i.e. Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown).

live music at Harborfest, an
annual event on the
Elizabeth River

What I love most though is that, even though I’ve lived my whole life here in Hampton Roads, I’m still discovering new and exciting things to do and see and places to go. Plus, with our wonky but awesome weather, you can do just about anything at just about any time of the year. Some people might find it lame that I’ve lived in the same place my whole life, but I tell you what: I love it here! HRVA has been a wonderful place to grow up and start my family. I can’t even imagine any place else being able to offer all that HRVA can. But what about you: What do you love about your hometown? Tell me in the comments! Click here to read the previous post in this series < Meet Me Part 1: Welcome to Vegan in VA

Click here to read the next post in this series

Meet Me Part 3: Going Veg >

Welcome to Vegan in VA!

Hello and welcome to Vegan in VA! Thank you so much for stopping by.

Before I get into all the fun that is veganism (and everything else I plan to talk about on this shiny new blog!) I want to take a few posts to introduce myself.

This post is Part 1 (of 3) in the Meet Me Series.

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I'm a big fan of big sunglasses

My name is Shari G, but you can call me Shari.

I’m a proud Southern girl, born and raised right here in the 757. I spent my formative years in the country—literally living between a cotton or peanut field (depending on the year) and a corn field. I came to the city for college and have basically stayed here ever since.

Despite living in the city for a decade now, I still have some country tendencies (like only wearing shoes when it’s absolutely necessary), but they’re balanced out with a little bit of hippie-ness and a little rock-n-roll . . . and a heavy dose of my husband’s New York City Style!

My interests, like me, are pretty eclectic. I love all kinds of food, books, movies, and music. I like the mountains and love the beach. I’m happy to spend a day riding around on my bike or touring a historical site. I enjoy cooking and trying to master my Canon DSLR. Most of all, I love that VA is a great place to do all these things.

geeking out at the lightsaber
battle in Town Point Park

I don’t think VA always gets the attention it deserves, so I’m looking forward to sharing some of its awesomeness with the world—and especially you!

I’m also looking forward to sharing some of my favorite vegan-ized versions of traditional Southern recipes with you. Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to give up Virginia staples like BBQ and Brunswick Stew! And you might be surprised how easy it is to transform those kinds of dishes into cruelty-free versions.

That’s all for now, but get on down to the comment section and let me know what your favorite Southern dish is. Are there any that you haven’t had since you went veg?

Click here to read the next post in this series

Meet Me Part 2: VA Life >