It seems you haven't thought this vegan plan through relative to your plans to cross the pacific. What you are planning to do while cruising across the Pacific is foolish in my opinion. Unless you plan to live off canned vegetables, you will find it next to impossible to find enough fresh produce in the islands and then keep it fresh while sailing to the next group of islands. Then there is the crossing...what will you be eating once you are 10 days out and you have another 12 days to go before you reach the nearest island?

But hey, it will be interesting to see how it goes! Good luck.

Hi there! Love your blog. We are in the planning stages of full time cruising, and I can totally relate to your transition to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle.

The biggest advice I can give is not to give yourself any labels. You end up finding your groove, what is and isn't acceptable to you, and you follow that path. Meaning, if you want to eat fish, and no pork, chicken, or beef...then you don't eat it. I also find that labels are only for people to identify with you...and they end up raising more questions and sometimes even criticism.

I too don't eat any kind of meat. I was once a raw food vegan, but decided that wasn't a lifestyle I could sustain. What is important is that I try to fill my daily diet with as many fruits and veggies as I possible can, some raw and some cooked! I do still eat fish on occasion, and will likely eat more when sailing. The most important point is to source the best quality food you can.

The comment above by "anonymous" is not so accurate. Even "meat" doesn't stay fresh for days on end. You will have to rely on dry goods during a long ocean crossing, and doing it without meat will not be a challenge! You will be creative and find ways to adapt to your new lifestyle, and before you know it, if will be the norm! Besides, you can dehydrate fruits and veggies, as well as freeze them for later use!

Good luck on your journey. It's a very personal one, and it's nice that you are sharing the whys and hows. It's great to present new ideas to people who may have never given a thought to how food makes it to our tables!

Fair Winds,

Stephany

PS A good film to watch regarding the industrialization of food, specifically the meat and dairy industry, is Food, Inc.

Stephany,

You speak as if you have crossed the Pacific...have you? I have...and with a refrigeration system on board, it was quite simple to keep meats frozen for the entire 22 day crossing. On the other hand, Vegetables when bought fresh only last 5 - 6 days.

Planning your food consumption for a Pacific crossing is hard enough, I question the logic in making a life changing decision on the cusp of a life changing event.

It seems manic from this point of view.

But hey, what do I know ;-)

PS, Taru, if all your readers agreed with everything you did, the comments section of your blog would be a bore. My comments aren't meant to be personal attacks, only insight.

I don't mean to point out the obvious but being vegetarian technically means not eating animals and that includes fish.

Perhaps your diet change might be more aimed at eating sustainable foods and not commercially produced meats/foods.

For example, was that local fish caught in a sustainable way? or by commercial fisherman that cleared the bottom of the ocean, looking for only one thing and killing everything else on the way?

I love your blog and don't mean this as an attack, I just find it confusing at this stage...

Yes, you will have a much easier time in Asia! Ummmm tofu!!!! South America is soooo hard to be a vegan in (veggie not so much). These food pics have me drooling!