Is being vegan enough? by Kat Mendenhall, VLCE

A Reflection: “Being” vegan isn’t enough. It should serve a higher purpose.

It’s barely 6 a.m. I’m awake, thanks to my dog who needs to pee and my cat who is patiently waiting on the dog to go pee so she can begin her morning purring for food. Now that the animals are happy, I examine what’s next on my agenda. Meditate, yoga stretching, sip tea, go for a run, make a smoothie, body brush, shower with body products that have no chemicals, put on my organic makeup and my eco-friendly clothing. Whew! I’m worn out getting my vegan self ready for my vegan day — but there’s more.

What about my homemade vegan meals? I’ll need a balance of grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruit. Consider raw or no raw. I’ll want to avoid oil, too much salt and sugar, no faux meat; nothing processed, God forbid. In addition I’ll need to include a smoothie with super foods, fermented foods for a healthy gut, juicing for my cells, and let’s not forget to take pictures of the best-looking dishes!

In between, I’ll need to write a vegan blog, share some vegan news on my social media sites, work on marketing my vegan business, schedule a vegan meet-up, plan a vegan workshop, catch up on vegan reading, spend some creative time on a new vegan product line, all while questioning myself. Do I promote enough? Share enough? Do enough in the name of veganism? Or — even worse — are my vegan missionary efforts all in vain?

Wow, being vegan has become a bit religious, don’t you think? I just spent my whole day trying to be a vegan saint, a disciple of the V-word, pleasing some vegan gods that are armed and ready to attack at the slightest mishap in my plant-based “walk.” I feel that they’re judging my food choices, cooking style, and eating style. If I’m a good vegan girl, I can successfully secure a place in nutritional heaven.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the do’s and don’ts, rules that seem to constantly change. Who makes the vegan rules? Who is responsible for calling the shots in nutritional heaven? Bring him/her to me. I choose to be vegan, to live each day as consciously and compassionately as I can. No, it’s not perfect, and it doesn’t have to be, because being vegan is about MORE than me. It serves a much higher purpose. For some people though, I get it. It’s all about the FOOD. To them I say…write me up!

Meanwhile, I’ll continue working towards the crown I’ll receive for saving animals, trying to alleviate cruelty in the world, and attempting to diminish the destruction of our planet.

It’s not always perfect. I ate junk food before I was vegan and I eat a little junk food now. Leather has not completely left my world and shhh … I still use “some” chemicals. It’s a lot of work to keep up when all I really want to do is Just. Be. Vegan. That ought to be good enough, and yet for me, it has to serve some higher purpose.

People need a reason for being here and being alive, a purpose. Veganism provides a vehicle for that. That purpose can be easily misconstrued when the focus on success in the here and now outweighs the significance of the eternal. The bigger picture is that sickness and disease continue to ravish people’s bodies; animals are still exploited and cruelty continues; the environment suffers, and the quality of land and water keep on diminishing. For me, this bigger picture is the higher purpose. We have important work to do. And just having the chance to do it is a blessing.

A native Texan and vegan activist, Kat Mendenhall, VLCE considers herself a stuck in the city country girl on a mission to mend the world through whole-plant based nutrition and cruelty-free products. She is a vegan culinary nutritionalist and avid boot maven whose company, Kick Butt Boots is giving leather the boot by designing the first cruelty-free Texas style cowboy boots to hit the market. You can read more about her vegan culinary services at Katmendenhall.com and her unique and beautifully made cowboy boots at Kickbuttboots.com.