Getting Vegucated: An interview with Ellen Orchid Mausner | This ...

The film "Vegucated" is about educating "regular" people who want to go vegan. The filmmaker, Marisa Wolfson, had the idea to do "Supersize Me" in reverse. ?The path to becoming vegan is multi-layered, involving learning about new foods, what foods are already vegan (hello, Oreos!), dealing with withdrawal from cheese and other food addictions, and learning about the plight of the animals and the planet.

Ellen Orchid Mausner?was one of the people Marisa found to vegucate. ?A single mom, psychiatrist, and?comedienne, we get to watch her experience on film. ?She is open, honest, funny, and still vegan! ?I got to ask Ellen about being "Vegucated."

Lisa Dawn Angerame: Why did you decided to get Vegucated?

Ellen Orchid Mausner: I wanted to learn about the benefits of a vegan diet and other issues regarding animal cruelty and saving the environment, especially from the waste/pollution aspect associated with current factory farming practices.

LDA: What was easy??

EOM: Tasting all the new foods! ?Learning about seitan, tofu, and quinoa. New flavors, new recipes, new ideas.

LDA: What was difficult??
EOM: Giving up dairy, especially milk, eggs, and cheese. Occasionally I would get cravings for these things, but I found that the substitutes were quite enjoyable, e.g. soy milk, almond milk, soy cheese. ?I used to eat a lot of salmon and tuna and it was hard giving those up. I used to like milk in my coffee and sometimes there was no soy or almond milk available, e.g. on airplanes and most restaurants, so that was also hard. I made myself drink it black at those times!

LDA: Are you still vegan?

EOM: Yes, I am still vegan. ?I feel so much better about having a healthier diet, losing weight and also boycotting those industries where animal cruelty occurs, with extreme exploitation of cows, pigs, chickens, fish. As time goes by, I keep learning how to eat better, trying more new things, even new greens! ?I have seen for myself that I can live exclusively on a plant-based diet and absolutely don't need - or want- to eat any dead animal flesh. ?

Photo credit: GetVegucated.com

Source: http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/07/getting-vegucated-interview-with-ellen.html

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