Oprah Update, Conference This Weekend

OPRAH’S (VEGAN) CLEANSE

I’m happy to report that it looks like Oprah is still doing her 3 week vegan cleanse.  She didn’t blog about it for a couple days (what on earth could be more important?!), but she’s been pretty good the last few days.  In Monday’s blog this week, she said this:

I’ve had no cravings or food issues—I’m in harmony with life. The rest of the group is doing better, no headaches this week from caffeine or sugar withdrawal.

I love it!  People ask me if I ever crave things, and honestly, I really don’t anymore.  I think once you start to look at things like cheese (something I used to LOVE) as bad for your health, or cruel to animals, it’s not that hard to let it go.  It just takes a shift in your perception, I think.  In Oprah’s case, I think it’s probably more an experiment to see if she feels healthier, but I like that she has already acknowledged that there is a lot of cruelty involved in raising animals for food.  I am hopeful it will make a difference in her long-term eating habits, and possibly affect others.

I know people have claimed that it’s only easy for Oprah because she has a chef.  I don’t deny that having a professional chef on the payroll would make eating a healthy vegan diet much easier – of course it would. But I think saying it’s too hard to eat vegan UNLESS you have a chef is kind of a cop-out. It just takes a little planning, and any average person can do it. Trust me, I am exceedingly average when it comes to cooking – just ask my sisters!

MIDWEST ANIMAL ADVOCACY CONFERENCE

I blogged about this once before, but in case you missed it, I need to mention it again.  Tomorrow night kicks off the Midwest Animal Advocacy Conference that has been organized by Compassionate Action for Animals.  It promises to be informative, interesting, and fun.  I’m really excited about it.  Check out my old post for more information – or go straight to the conference’s site.  There’s still room for more attendees, too, if you’re interested in joining – and you should!