Launching the Loon's Spoon

A Loon's Spoon Posting

Today, in honor of Earth Day, I am going back to a plant-based diet.

I was inspired by two books: Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life.  Oddly enough I read the books at the same time, starting with Bob Spitz' Dearie, then looking for a break from Julia's recipe wrestling I turned to the table of Contents of my Kindle.  Gene Baur's book on the Farm Sanctuary he founded had magically appeared on my device while I wasn't paying attention; I pre-ordered the ebook about a month before its publish date.

Both books portray people passionate about food, where it comes from, its preparation and how it is enjoyed. I don't think anyone would call Julia Child a vegetarian and Gene Baur is definitely a vegan, but both inspired me to think more about food and eating. I guess the popular term is mindful eating.  Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention - a practice that harkens back to Buddha, but has gained popularity today with organizations like the Center for Mindful Eating and a dozen, or so, books listed on Amazon.com.

After reading about the philosophy and practices of the Farm Sanctuary in Baur's book I am convinced that a plant-based diet is the only diet in keeping with the compassionate, sustainable lifestyle I desire. I knew this 30 years ago when I was a vegan, but then things got tough and it was easier to eat fish from time to time and welcome CHEESE! back into my diet.

The pictures and stories of these animals, the animals at the Farm Sanctuary , convince me to focus on a plant-based diet and stay clear of animal-based products.

According to Baur it isn't enough to just stop eating animal products, you should let others know what and why you're doing it.  Inspire change when and where you can.  At Farm Sanctuary they ". . .engage people where they are on their journey to a cruelty-free lifestyle".  They advocate that, "All human and nonhuman animals should be treated with compassion and respect" and support incremental change.  I like that idea - set an example, be informative, yet respectful.

My interrupted journey is now back on track. More Loon's Spoon postings to follow.