One of the cool things about transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle is taking one's diet into consideration. Many of us are trying to get healthy and slim down. But what do we do with all the confusing information on weight loss? Do we go on a Paleo diet, Atkins, Weight Watchers, raw diet, or should we buy our "food" from Nutrisystem? (Sorry, I had to put food in quotes in referring to Nutrisystem---their meals don't look like real food to me!)
Minimalizing your diet is a great way to consciously think about what you eat, how much you eat, and what effect your eating habits has on yourself, the animals, and the environment. Even though I started on a plant-based diet before attempting to simplify my life, I was still buying a lot of processed foods and in general, buying too much food. Now I think about buying food the same way I think about buying other consumer products. Do I need this? Have I used up the other box of this yet? Can I wait to replace this until the other one is used up? Lately, my pantry is looking more sparse, and I love it. I can see what there is to eat; with less choice I'm forced to create a dish and use up what I have. And it saves on the grocery bill!
But what does being vegan have to do with minimalism? I'm providing two links to two of my favorite blogs that have dealt with this very concept. For me, I eating mostly vegan and try not to worry about the occasional bite of something with egg or dairy. I hope you take the time to read these essays by The Minimalists and Leo Babauta who writes ZenHabits.
The Minimalism of Veganism
The Simpliest Diet for Lean Fitness
