High-raw veganism and minimalism: Major life changes

[Kiwibird]

Not sure if anyone else on this forum does either of these, but I've been working towards both for a while now and they've made a profound impact on my life and significantly improved my long-problematic anxiety issues (and more!). Just thought I'd share a bit of this journey with everyone

I'll start with the minimalism. A year ago, when we were preparing to move from Arizona to Oregon, I started packing up our apartment. It seemed overwhelming, so naturally, I procrastinated until the day we rented the U-Haul to really pack up (and was loading it up until almost 11pm). I have always been pretty organized, so our last apartment was always neat and tidy, but also had excessive cabinets and room to store things. Once we had pulled out all our belongings and shoved them in this 13' truck, we realized we just had to leave some of it behind because it wouldn't all fit. I expected (perhaps naively) to be unpacked and back to "normal" in about a week because in my mind, it was our furniture taking up all that room in the truck. HA! We had SO much stuff, many things that were "decorative", "for special occasions" or "I might use it someday". It took a month to get unpacked, and mind you we are in a small apartment, not a vast house. Much got shoved into a storage area and I was so fed up I just let it sit there as a heap of negative energy and frustration. I finally reached a breaking point this summer trying to "organize" all this random crap that added NO value to our lives, but did create extra work to clean and maintain.

When I finally had something of a meltdown over why nothing ever seemed neat and tidy anymore, it dawned on me that no matter how many times I pulled the same crap out and no matter how many times I tried to reorganize it, the reason it wasn't staying organized is because there was simply too much stuff. I started with a general clearing out. Then I got rid of 90% of my clothes, and kept around 60 items total that would work through all seasons. I pared down my kitchen to the bare essentials. Now I am doing another, final, clear out and REALLY being strict about what I keep. It is so easy to get dressed now that there is a limited number of items to choose from. All the "decorative" furniture covers, pillow shams, extra couch pillow ect... went and our furniture looks more cohesive again (all either white or dark wood). I've taken about 20 trash bags of god-knows-what to the Goodwill so far (total). I expect 5-10 more before I'm done. It's almost like an addiction now to keep getting rid of stuff until only what we need remains... My anxiety has gone down, I spend less time cleaning and my detailed lists of where everything is stored are a thing of the past! I am starting to feel alive again rather than oppressed by material things! I did order a new coffee table that is sturdy with clean lines. I've hated ours since we bought it (it's nice, but totally mismatched to everything else and exudes bad vibes for me because it just destroys visual unity in our living room). I think I may have to find the exact quote again, but something along the lines of "organization is just another word for hoarding".

And then, the high-raw and vegan diet (which I will keep short, since it's a touchy issue and I'm not "pushing" it or judging anyone, just sharing my personal experience). Basically, I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years. I randomly began reacting to dairy by way of hives that wouldn't go away (and eventually realized dairy was the cause) this summer and took it as the kick in the butt I needed to finally go vegan. And of course, I don't like junk food, so I've been doing a high-raw foods diet. About 80% of everything I eat now is uncooked. I have learned some totally awesome recipes and ways to prepare raw fruits and veg to "imitate" cooked and processed foods like pasta, pizza, rice or noodle stir fry, ranch dressing, casseroles and even "chicken" (though that one is a little TOO time consuming to do often). It's almost been 2 months since I cut dairy and eggs (my final holdout animal products), and I have NEVER felt better (probably due to likely having a dairy intolerance for a while before major symptoms surfaced)!!! My skin has cleared up, my breathing improved, I'm not as congested, it's amazing! And since it takes a while to prepare raw food dishes so you aren't just eating whole fruits and veg all the time, it's nice to have the extra free time the minimalist venture has brought Between the 2, I finally feel like I have time to focus on doing things besides sitting at home panicking about everything

 

[Dinosrawr]

Wow! That's absolutely incredible, April! I wish I had the gall to do what you've done. I'm still in the beginning stages of setting up my independent life, so I'm still trying to accumulate things. I am, however, naturally a huge minimalist. I HATE clutter. If I haven't used something and discover it months later without having realized it's been missing from my life, I get rid of it. My mother hates me because every time I go home, I clean her office and chastise her about organizing her basement, haha!

I honestly hope one day that I can become some semblance of a vegetarian. I REALLY love meals that have meat as the base protein, but I recognize how terrible it is for the environment and for the animals. Mass-production farming is just inherently wrong, but that's why I subscribe to the idea of Compassion in World Farming. I don't think it's entirely possible to remove farming from our society, but I believe that we should approach it compassionately and with genuine concern for ALL animals involved - including us. We're destroying our world just so that we can barbecue in the summer... it's ironic. They've proven that animal agricultural is far worse for the world than any combination of running vehicles that use fossil fuels.

How did you start your life as a vegetarian? I'm always curious how it begins and how you stay strong with it, because I'd love to eventually ease into it.

 

[Kiwibird]

Wow! That's absolutely incredible, April! I wish I had the gall to do what you've done. I'm still in the beginning stages of setting up my independent life, so I'm still trying to accumulate things. I am, however, naturally a huge minimalist. I HATE clutter. If I haven't used something and discover it months later without having realized it's been missing from my life, I get rid of it. My mother hates me because every time I go home, I clean her office and chastise her about organizing her basement, haha!

I honestly hope one day that I can become some semblance of a vegetarian. I REALLY love meals that have meat as the base protein, but I recognize how terrible it is for the environment and for the animals. Mass-production farming is just inherently wrong, but that's why I subscribe to the idea of Compassion in World Farming. I don't think it's entirely possible to remove farming from our society, but I believe that we should approach it compassionately and with genuine concern for ALL animals involved - including us. We're destroying our world just so that we can barbecue in the summer... it's ironic. They've proven that animal agricultural is far worse for the world than any combination of running vehicles that use fossil fuels.

How did you start your life as a vegetarian? I'm always curious how it begins and how you stay strong with it, because I'd love to eventually ease into it.

Be careful with the "accumulating" things That's what happened to me. Me and my husbands (then boyfriend) first apartment we moved in with literally a bag of clothes, a twin bed and a 2-drawer mini dresser thing. That was IT. How in the course of 7 years we went from that to all I've been getting rid of came from me seeing stupid things "we could use in the future" (mainly decorative things for our "future house" we are no where near even looking at owning). Very stupid in hindsight. That and the only thing my mom and I ever did together was go to the flea market and thrift shops every weekend and egg each other on to buy things:09: That mindless consumerism is OVER!

I went veg because I happened to come across an article about an injured cow left to die of exposure in a slaughterhouse parking lot. I think it was the first time I really connected meat to animals. I was so horrified, I haven't eaten meat since (January of 1999, I remember because it was right around my birthday). BUT my mom hasn't eaten red meat or pork since before I was born so meat was never a big part of my diet. I ate chicken and fish growing up, but I only had beef and pork a handful of times in my life. It was much harder to give up dairy, as I love dairy products. I've been wanting to go vegan for a long time, but to do veganism properly requires a lot of time and energy. That, or you'll feel like crap and go back to meat because you weren't eating properly as a vegan. Though, having a patch of persistent hives growing daily from my back and down my arm was quite the, um, catalyst for finally going vegan, difficult or not:52apparently, it's a common symptom of dairy allergy in adults, who knew?).

Soy meat is tasty, but you can't eat too much. So many artificial ingredients it's essentially junk food. Not to mention the "great debate" about the high levels of phytoestrogens in processed soy products that can affect hormones when you you too much soy. Home-made grain-based meat substitutes are much better for you and taste good (depending on the recipe), just aren't as realistic looking. If you aren't quite able to give up meat all together, even cutting back is a step forward in the right direction! Some people have one day a week they are veg or vegan all day, or one meal a day they don't consume meat. Even things like that could be a good way to ease into it. I just quit cold turkey and never looked back, but i don't think most people can do that.

 

[RavensGryf]

Good for you April . I find this wonderfully refreshing! Especially where we live in the US, where "excess" is practically part of the culture.

I don't want to say too much of my personal life on here, but we had to move in with my elderly dad this year into his home. We have just 2 rooms and 1 bathroom and it's inconvenient and not enough to say the least. That's for Don and I and the 4 birds to live out of. It more than sucks. I tell myself this is not a permanent situation. So we have had a not-too-fun change of lifestyle and are basically getting by on bare basics. :52:

As far as the eating, I think it's great that you've found a healthy way to eat that works better with your body . I eat a ton of raw vegetables myself. Fresh veggie juice too a couple times a week. Not all veggies agree with me, but there is enough variety that does. I'm actually obsessed with making sure I get more than enough in my diet every day. I am also a serious meat eater (for a high amount of protein) as a fitness enthusiast, and I include healthy lean cuts in my diet, but I absolutely respect those who choose for whatever reason not to. I know it's not right for everyone's body. Oh.... and I also like my junk food too :54:

I would think that the hard or frustrating part of being vegan would be that although it is getting more common, you would encounter even more of "can't buy that, or that, or that, etc" or a restaurant, forget it. It can be a challenge I would think. Then I guess you get used to it and it gets streamlined where just know where to go or what to buy after a while. Good luck

 

[weco]

Not sure if anyone else on this forum does either of these, but I've been working towards both for a while now and they've made a profound impact on my life and significantly improved my long-problematic anxiety issues (and more!). Just thought I'd share a bit of this journey with everyone

You sound like a good candidate for military life, either as a dependant or as the military sponsor.....

Good luck.....

 

[RavensGryf]

April, obviously your husband is on board with the minimalism, but how about the food? Will you both be eating the same way, or will he have some foods separate from you?

 

[Kiwibird]

You sound like a good candidate for military life, either as a dependant or as the military sponsor.....

Good luck.....

Why is that?

April, obviously your husband is on board with the minimalism, but how about the food? Will you both be eating the same way, or will he have some foods separate from you?

He's actually on board with the raw foods too. I honestly didn't expect him to be, but he doesn't feel he eats healthy enough at work, so he's excited to eat extremely healthy at home. Go figure... I don't mind cooking him the same vegetarian meals I've always made even though I'm totally vegan now. I've actually never cooked meat before (in my life) and don't ever plan to, so he's used to the fact if he wants to eat that at home, he makes it. That was a "take it or leave it" thing he knew before we ever moved in together :20: One of those things in life I am unwilling to compromise on (touching or cooking meat), but he's totally fine with it. And I'm not too insane with it, if he has some kind of frozen meal or whatever. I'll heat something like that up, but touching raw animal flesh- NOPE!

 

[weco]

You sound like a good candidate for military life, either as a dependant or as the military sponsor.....

Good luck.....

Why is that?

Because we military/ex-military types normally move around every couple of years, base to base/post to post/ship to ship & in the case of married personnel, depending on the military person's rate/rank, they are allowed certain weight limits of personal effects and household goods, to be shipped at government expense, so we learn how to downsize quickly unless we want to pay for our own moves, we are forced to pare down our "have-to-haves" and reading your story I could directly relate to growing up in a military family after my father went back in the Navy after the Korean conflict & made a career out it, spending a total of 33 years in uniform.....

 

[labell]

Excellent life choices April and mostly I am and have been doing the same thing for many years.
Minimalist non-clutter came about through moving ALL the time for my husbands work. This went on for years and since it was always me that did the packing, with my husband doing the lifting I began to scrutinize each thing. Did I use it? Do I love it? Do I want to move it? Do I want to dust it? Before that I was as close to a hoarder without being gross as you can get. I kept things because well I may need it someday and raised by a father who went through the depression anything and everything was usable and could be re-purposed though it rarely was!:54:

Moving was a kick start to looking at my stuff as expendable but just consumerism in general began to bother me. I have never shopped a black Friday and never will. I also enjoy keeping things simple and uncluttered because searching for something I know I have and can't find makes me insane! Minimal dusting is better for my breathing so I only keep things that I love.

I was never a big milk drinker but cheese, oh my, big fan, I can't have any dairy now so I live with it. I eat some fish (not shellfish) but no other meat and I can't eat gluten so finding things with neither of those ingredients is almost impossible in ready pre-packaged foods so I eat a lot of raw or made from scratch as well which is better for me in the long run.

I always look at those "tiny houses" and they are so cute but I don't see me ever being able to go that extreme and my 6' 3" 225 lbs husband would have NO part of that! LOL!

 

[Scott]

I'm not quite sufficiently evolved to go the minimalist route yet..... I've always preferred open spaces in the house, and have literally hundreds of "pieces" from another hobby.

I ditched most meat and virtually all dairy years ago, feel much better and now maintain a normal weight - less than I did in high school. The only flesh consumed is fish, 5 times per week on average. I'd like to eliminate that, most likely post-retirement as my travelling job makes a strict diet problematic. Dairy is limited to "dairy" cheese on occasion. My only dietary weakness is sweets, but blood chemistry is excellent so this is not a pressing issue.

Haven't pursued the OP concept of raw veganism - my veggie consumption is very high but includes items typically cooked. Kudos to venturing beyond the norm and having great success!!

 

[Kiwibird]

I've been working REALLY hard these past few days to look at every single item we have and make sure it's something we use/enjoy/adds value to our lives. Also sorting and cleaning things I'm keeping, so it's just taken a really, really long time It'll be worth it though! So happy with the progress I've are thus far. I can feel a much better energy in our apartment without tons of little storage bins with unuseful items everywhere I did do some serious research into minimalism, the various ethics and ideals behind it and found many of the videos and blogs were very "all or nothing" and kind of pretentious. Personally, I just want less stuff to maintain/worry about and a visually nicer home. I don't want to set ridiculous limitations to "own 100 items or less" nor to live in a stark, cold environment not to mention my husband wouldn't be ok with either of those things! Thought I's share some tips I learned for those interested in a reasonable approach to "minimalism"

1. Go in phases. Do a generally clear out of stuff you're 100% sure you don't want. Then put things your on the fence about in a box or just out of sight for a few months. Do another clear out of those items you haven't thought about, and focus on areas you're slightly on the hoarding side of things with (for me, knick knacks and clothes!). After another few months, list out every "place" in your home and go through every dresser, cabinet and storage bin one by one off your list. REALLY ask yourself if it's worth keeping or not. By this point, it's gotten really easy to answer that question and if you're like me, you'll be ready and excited to get rid of it! Also be sure at this "phase" to make an organizational plan for what you're keeping!

2. Bigger task-specific "organizational" units work better for things like craft supplies or tools than lots of little baskets and bins. Be sure you actually organize the stuff too, in such a way you won't go back to it being cluttered! It's absolutely worth the investment to get one or 2 specifically units to keep these things organized in long-term. For example, I used to have buttons in jars, needles and pins floating around in a fabric bin, other tools in various baskets. I bought one big craft storage unit at Joann on sale for $40, and found a scrapbooking suitcase at a garage sale. What was millions of jars and baskets and bins EVERYWHERE so I couldn't find ANYTHING is *so* much easier in 2 units made for craft supplies. I'm sure the same could be said for other things like tools or supplies for other hobbies.

3. Work on a way to keep yourself from falling into old habits and making impulse purchases. I've been working on this for a while. I shop only off a list that I budget out estimated costs, and only bring enough cash to the store to get what I have on the list. If I do see something, I think about how useful it would be, do I *really* need it, if so where would I put it and would the cost of the item be better used elsewhere. Then I think about it for a few days, and if I still want it and it's still at the store, then make a final decision to purchase or not. I find I don't make impulse buys at all anymore. I do still buy things we need or genuinely want, but not things I see at the store and find myself wondering how I ever lived without it.

4. One of the most ridiculous "tips" I saw/heard over and over while researching minimalism was to "photograph" sentimental items and get rid of the item itself. Um, certain things are truly sentimental and I don't just want a photo of it thank you very much. What I did instead was set aside one box for "sentimental" items. It did make me think about what truly holds sentimental value, but also allowed me to keep items I don't use but don't want to get rid of (like a small cruet set from my grandma, and a pair of heart sunglasses I wore at my (outdoor) wedding reception). Setting aside a certain space forced me to reconsider all the 'other' things I was only keeping because I'd had them a long time, not true sentimentality.

Hope this helps some other people who are interested but also don't want to go to an extreme

 

[SilverSage]

This was such an encouraging post! I go through "purging phases" and fairly often donate things that are just in my way, but like weco mentioned, that has a lot to do with knowing that in a couple of years we will be packing it all up again, and trying to fit it in a new house! It also helps that we are just starting out in our marriage so budget is tight, and there simply isn't money to just "get stuff." Also, we didn't get much for our wedding, only one item we received is something I think is rather silly, but I happen to know that even though I think that, it was expensive and given with love.... I use it to hold feathers . But on a more long term theme, clutter clutters my mind and makes my chest close and can literally paralyze me, so I can't allow it. Oh, and on budget, I often look at a new gadget or decoration and literally think "do I want this, or a bird toy/accessory that costs this much?" That doesn't mean I go buy a bird toy, but it helps me not spend money on things I don't actually want that much.

For the diet, I am transitioning to a plant based diet as well, but I am also sensitive to wheat and legumes, so that complicates things. I am focusing on "natural" and "real" rather than raw, but honestly that is the direction I suspect I am heading! Milk messes me up like crazy anyway. It is amazing how much your life can change when you put only good fuel in your body. I am learning what my specific body needs to be healthy, and it is fantastic!