I just glanced at the Mighty O's site and there was a brief post from the day before yesterday stating that she'd ordered food from a vegan restaurant (no idea what) and brought some gluten-free waffles and Morningstar veggie sausages from home. And there's a note telling readers to check back on Friday for the next blog post. That's it, though.
Maybe I'm just too cynical about the whole thing at this point. Or maybe I was cynical about it from day one. It bugs me that someone as stupendously wealthy as Oprah can't at least find someone to write down what she's actually eating while on this purported vegan fast. I also don't think it's doing any of her followers any favours to read that she's merely ordering vegan takeout. This would have been a great opportunity to show how easy it is for people to (affordably) cook the right foods for themselves at home. What really, really, really bugged me the most, however, is that Kathy Freston, her supposed vegan fast guru, responded to Oprah's blog post by writing: ''You may have to drink a protein shake during the day to get your full nutrients (not everyone has beans and nuts on hand!!)''.
Maybe I'm just too cynical about the whole thing at this point. Or maybe I was cynical about it from day one. It bugs me that someone as stupendously wealthy as Oprah can't at least find someone to write down what she's actually eating while on this purported vegan fast. I also don't think it's doing any of her followers any favours to read that she's merely ordering vegan takeout. This would have been a great opportunity to show how easy it is for people to (affordably) cook the right foods for themselves at home. What really, really, really bugged me the most, however, is that Kathy Freston, her supposed vegan fast guru, responded to Oprah's blog post by writing: ''You may have to drink a protein shake during the day to get your full nutrients (not everyone has beans and nuts on hand!!)''.
Um... First of all, nobody who's eating Morningstar veggie sausages is going to urgently need a protein shake to get their ''full nutrients''. She's making it sound as if nutrition is all about meat, meat, meat. Plus, if ''not everyone has beans and nuts on hand'', then who the hell has vegan protein powder on hand at al times? It just makes it sound as if the vegan cleanse is unhealthy and unbalanced and IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to do without a personal chef, access to a vegan restaurant and supplements. It's too bad, really.
2 comments:
I feel the same way about it as you do - I was actually excited at first, thinking that this could get eating veg*n into the mainstream, maybe even become an 'acceptable' way to live, or at the very least cause people to be more aware of what they eat and perhaps encorporate veg*n food into their diet more often.
However, it seems that in a lot of ways she is just reinforcing the stereotypes about us we already have to deal with: that it takes HOURS to make our food (and that its not good anyway), that it is a complex process to find well balanced food, and that we must be keen on self-deprivation.
Oh well, I guess in some ways I have to kick myself for expecting this to be anything other than another one of O's attepts to lose weight.
For the record, I have, and never will have a Morningstar Farms product - for one, it is processed, for two, I did not give up meat so I could have fake replicas of it. Sometimes, and maybe I am just being harsh, I wonder why people who eat things like 'tofu dogs' don't just eat hot dogs. I mean, they obviously miss the meat, and don't take issue with eating something that is mimicing what they gave up, so what is the point? Just seems like the veg*n equivalent to burning something in effigy, sure it's not the REAL thing, but that is what it is intended to mimic.
i want to say that on her post from week 2 on thursday she talks about want a glass of wine and deserving it. that's a-okay with me, but i hope that it's vegan wine!
i'll admit that i'm a bit skeptical about this whole thing as well. i mean, on one hand she's giving veganism a shot and getting "the word" out there, but on the other hand - i'm not too sure i would have gone about it the same way she is.
and i would like more information on what she's actually eating, too!
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