Take the Veggie Challenge!
I attended the 24th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair last weekend at Harbourfront Centre. It was interesting, and there were various samples of veggie and vegan-friendly food available.
I also came across a stall selling Vegemite! I was surprised to see somebody selling Australia’s own rich source of vitamin B at the Veg Food Fair. I spoke to the guy at the stall and he said people at last year’s fair actually requested that he sell some this year. He also said that during this half of the year Vegemite is vegan-friendly, and during the other half of the year it’s only veggie-friendly due to the production methods. Totally random but cool!
Of course not everybody loves Vegemite, and on first taste people usually have a reaction similar to Maja’s (a couch surfer from Slovenia who stayed with me last month):
I will confess that it does take some getting accustomed to, and it took me a few tastings before I started to like it! My tip for anybody is to spread a little on with butter first. If you put too much on at once it’s just too strong.
Anyways, I signed up for the 7-day veggie challenge as a constant goal of mine is to make healthier eating choices. Though I’ve tried being veggie before, and I’ve been eating at vegetarian places a lot lately (thanks to my veggie & vegan friends here in Toronto) this was a good opportunity to put my diet to the test. “You are what you eat” as we’ve all heard before.
Incidentally I’d love to watch the documentary Food Matters sometime. Some friends here watched it a while ago and said it was quite interesting.
I’m already on Day 2 and I tell you what, it’s been challenging! Especially as I have NO food at home and need to go grocery shopping REAL QUICK! I’ll also be in Montreal Thurs evening through to Sunday so maybe not the greatest time to go veggie 
Some readers may be asking what is a “vegetarian” and what’s “vegan”?
The Toronto Vegetarian Association gives a good explanation:
Vegetarians
Vegetarians don’t eat the flesh of any animals be they mammals, birds or fish. In addition Vegans don’t eat any animal products such as milk, cheese and eggs.
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians
They include dairy products and eggs (free-range please!) as part of their diet. This is the diet most commonly thought of as vegetarian.
Vegan lifestyle
Those practicing a full vegan lifestyle endeavour to live lives which do not cause any suffering at all to animals, or exploit animals in any way. This normally involves not eating eggs, dairy produce, or honey; not wearing leather, wool, and silk; and not using products that have been tested on animals. Entertainment that confines or exploits animals such as circuses, rodeos, and zoos is avoided.
Here are my pics from the fair:
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