Dusty Jones grew up in the Deep South, where barbecue and chicken are king and tabletops often overflow with animal-based foods. His wife, Leslie, was raised on the opposite side of the country, in the Los Angeles area. Her family’s meals, heavily influenced by their Mexican heritage, were usually cooked with lard. There wasn’t much in their early upbringing to predict they would both go vegan later in life. But then again, perhaps there was.
Dusty experienced a wake-up call when a loved one required open heart surgery at age 47. Leslie watched her own family members go on medications for diet-related health problems. The two met while Dusty, a systems engineer, was living in California. When he found himself battling persistent high cholesterol at age 40, his doctor laid it on the line. That — and watching the documentary “Forks Over Knives” — turned the tide. The 2011 film examines the claim that most, if not all, degenerative diseases that afflict humans can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting a menu of animal-based and processed foods. It had a profound impact on Dusty and Leslie.
“I thought, if I can eat like that and not worry any more, sign me up!” Dusty said Saturday. He was relaxed at the family dinner table, where he and Leslie enjoyed barley pilaf with edamame and roasted red peppers for lunch. Their son, 19-month-old Connor, brought them toys to inspect. Leslie is expecting their second child March 1.
Both husband and wife had been vegetarians at some point in their pasts, but about six years ago, they made the commitment to become vegans. What’s the difference?
While a vegetarian diet excludes consumption of all animals, including pigs, cows, birds, fish and all other sea animals, a vegan diet also avoids foods that come from animals — including milk and all other dairy products (butter, cheese, ice cream) and eggs. The many processed foods that include eggs or dairy are also eliminated. Many packaged and premade goods contain hidden animal ingredients that vegans also avoid. The plant-centered diet revolves around an infinite array of grains, herbs, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes from around the world.
It’s been called gastronomical activism.
“We’ve been at this now for a while,” Leslie began. “It’s been easier since we moved here than it was in L.A., where there are vegan restaurants and we ate out more. Here, we cook much more at home and can maintain it easier.”
Set up for success
The couple’s dedication to a vegan diet inspired them to establish a utility kitchen, in addition to their primary kitchen. There they keep the tools of their lifestyle — four different juicers, three blenders and a dehydrator, among other appliances. There is also a water ionizer to raise the pH of their drinking water. (Dusty fills six bottles of water every morning to take to work.)
With Connor at his side, dad deftly assembled ingredients for a smoothie, including sunflower seed butter, vanilla almond milk and hemp seeds. The drink will provide “all your protein for a day,” he said.
Yes, there was the initial expense for the appliances, but beyond that, the couple doesn’t feel their grocery bills are any more expensive than they would be otherwise — and they are certainly cheaper than paying for medical procedures, they agree.
The secret
The “big thing” is planning, said Leslie, who keeps a notebook with five to seven meals mapped out for the week, ingredients on hand. Area shopping sources include Hollydale Health Foods, Kroger and occasionally even T.J. Maxx, where she has found several products from Williams-Sonoma. Others are Manna Grocery in Birmingham, Alabama, and Whole Foods in Jackson. Some ingredients are ordered online.
The couple uses an app called Cozi to help organize grocery shopping lists; both can check in to see what still needs to be picked up.
“You can’t buy too much too far in advance because almost every recipe will have some kind of fresh produce in it,” Leslie said, reinforcing the planning aspect. “And if you’re making (vegan recipes) from scratch, you just have to accept that there are going to be a lot of dishes,” she chuckled. “It’s all about perspective.”
If forced to come up with a food they each occasionally miss from years past, Leslie admitted it’s sometimes hard to pass up the Wienerschnitzel fast food locations back in California when she returns to visit. They remind her of high school and those chili cheese fries. For Dusty, it’s probably an old-fashioned burger and fries. But practically every comfort food one can come up with has a vegan version.
“I can substitute by making veggie burgers and baked, no-oil fries with garlic salt,” said Dusty, who grows his own wheat grass.
Out and about
Many want to know how hard it is to maintain a vegan diet when socializing, even in something as simple as lunch with co-workers. It’s a matter of taking lunch to work every day for Dusty. In restaurants, they practice very selective ordering. In the case of parties, they generally eat beforehand. When traveling or out for the day, they take along something to eat, to preempt temptation.
It does take some effort, but the rewards are worth it. Dusty’s cholesterol problems back in California? His numbers were normal after his first six months on a vegan diet.
“You’re reminded every time you get that yearly physical and get those numbers,” Leslie smiled, forming a celebratory “Yes!” fist. She likes the improvement in her complexion since the change in diet, too.
Their daydreams about the future include moving to a sleepy beach town and opening an all-vegan bed and breakfast with “incredible food.” In the meantime, they continue to read, study and expand their knowledge of veganism.
“We do it together, we support each other, and we love sharing about it,” Dusty said. “We’re constantly trying to evolve and up our game.”
BARLEY PILAF WITH EDAMAME AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS
2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed and drained
2 cups cooked barley
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2/3 cup green peas, fresh or frozen, thawed
2/3 cup corn, fresh, canned or frozen, thawed
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced (optional)
(Source: “Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book,” Reed Mangels)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.