Linda’s reflections-3 weeks vegan!

It’s 3 weeks and I’m still eating a vegan diet with only one serving of meat on November 6th. I did not enjoy it and went immediately back to a strictly vegan way of eating. Jackie and I have enjoyed finding and cooking many new recipes and are still doing well. Jackie is eating much less meat but is back to a few animal products.

I’m working on a special project at work that requires us to work 12 hour days. My employer is buying dinner for about 12 of us each evening. I had vegan pasta the first night, but have been bringing my own food since then so I don’t have to impose my restrictions on the rest of the group. As my colleagues look over my shoulder at my wonderful, fresh, crunchy spinach salads and quinoa with beans and corn stuffed in a whole grain pita they all remark on how good everything looks. I just tell them that a vegan diet does not have to be boring. I think they all had the impression that vegan food was lettuce and little else.

I still feel very good and don’t miss meat at all. My work group ordered in a massive amount of Chinese food the other evening and I was not enticed at all. Even though some of my old favourites were on the table (wonton soup and garlic ribs).

Thank you again to the Vegan Project for introducing me to a new way of living and all the support you have given me since.

Linda

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Day 7-The Last Day!

Vegan Diet Day Seven, Nov. 1, 2009

Breakfast: Lemon juice/water shooter, Tofu scramble with peppers, mushrooms, tomato and garlic.

Snack: Smoothie made with soya milk, peanut butter , banana and vegan infusion.

Lunch: Left over quinoa, beans, and corn in a whole wheat tortilla and a pear or apple for dessert.

Snack: Seeds and raisins.

Dinner: Chick Peas Romesco. This dish was fantastic both sweet and spicy. Lots of flavours and a real mouth party. Yum. The last of Bridget’s peanut butter cups for dessert.

Note: Our week long experiment has come to a conclusion, but the lessons we have learned will last us forever. We could not have done it without Bridget and the women of the Vegan Project. I’m not sure where we are going with all this, but I can say that my thoughts on food have been dramatically changed. I now feel my body working more efficiently, and have way more energy. I can honestly say that I have not missed animal products and as an added bonus have lost over 5 lbs.

Jackie views it as a wonderful experiment and looks forward to using a lot of the things she has learned in daily cooking and eating.

Again a huge thank you to the Vegan Project!

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Day 6 of the Vegan Diet!

Vegan Diet Day Six, October 31, 2009

Breakfast:  Lemon juice, granola & hemp milk, toast, coffee & silk.

Snack: Berry, banana and orange juice with vegan infusion smoothie.

Lunch: Jackie ate Indian food at the mall (dahl and curried cauliflower & potato with rice & naam bread). She even asked the server if the food had any dairy in it! I had leftover quinoa, beans and corn from last night in a whole wheat tortilla followed by a pear.

Snack: Seeds and raisins, vegan chocolate chips.

Dinner: Tofu and bok choy stir-fry with buckwheat soba noodles and sprouts, mushrooms and green pepper accompanied by miso broth. Bridget’s addictive peanut butter cups for dessert.

Note: Jackie and Bridget found some interesting data on line about depression and veganism. This may not be the right eating program for her. I am feeling great and now know what eating healthier can do for me. It’s not really a diet, but a lifestyle and I really am enjoying it. I think that while we may include some dairy and meats in our diet in the future we will always be more conscious of what we are eating.

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Day 5 of the Vegan Diet!

Vegan Diet Day Five, Oct. 30

Breakfast: Lemon juice. Toast & granola with hemp milk.

Lunch: Buddha’s  Feast  which was rice vermicelli with a vegetable spring roll, raw veggies, peanuts, sprouts and basil with soya and chili sauce.  Sorbetto for dessert.

Dinner: Quinoa with black beans, corn, salsa avocado, chili powder and tortilla chips on a bed of lettuce. Peanut butter cup for dessert, thanks to Bridget.

Snack: seeds and vegan chocolate chips.

Note: Jackie is feeling some anxiety in the mornings and we discussed with Bridget and think it could be hormones or a blood sugar thing. She will increase the amount of food she eats in the morning and see if it helps.

We had lunch at the Golden Garden (507 Main St. Vancouver) and we were impressed. Very clean and a nice vegetarian section on the menu.

Jackie and I have been talking about how we always thought we ate pretty healthy but we have discovered that what we have learned this week will set a new standard for us. We are truly enjoying the textures, flavours and variety of all the foods we have been experiencing in the past few days.

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Vegan Diet-Day 4!

Vegan Diet Day Four, Thursday, Oct. 29

We’re feeling really great!

Breakfast: Lemon juice shooter, course rye toast with peanut butter & jam. Coffee & silk.

Snack: ½ Tomato, olive & herb scone with earth balance spread.

Lunch: Leftover brown rice & French lentils topped with chopped, raw, crunchy veggies (snap peas, broccoli & red onion). A pear for dessert.

Smoothie: Another of our favorite coconut milk, pineapple, banana and vegan infusion.

Dinner: Leftover cauliflower soup (another really satisfying and tasty favorite) and a beautiful salad (loaded with veggies and soya beans) with homemade vegan ranch dressing made with nayonaise, lemon juice and spices, toasted corn bread with humus. We had the salad first and waited about an hour to eat the soup. Dessert: Soya yogurt with frozen berries.

Note: We are both feeling very good. Looking forward to incorporating more of what we are learning into our daily lives after the week-long experiment. What we know is not all there is. My sister and I were really in quite a rut as far as our eating habits and this is the perfect solution to that dilemma. We’ve learned so much and are opening ourselves to all the great vegan foods we’ve yet to try.  Snap peas are great for satisfying a sweet tooth. Lentils quash food cravings. Flavor can be enhanced with herbs & spices rather than animal fat. Smoothies don’t require cow’s milk. Some of you hard-core veg heads might think this is silly, but for two old, overweight, 50-something gals, we’re fascinated by all of this. We grew up in the meat & spuds 50s and 60s, and this is all new to us.

 

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Day 3 of the Vegan Diet!

Vegan Diet Day Three Wednesday, Oct. 28

Breakfast: Lemon juice/water shooter, granola with hemp milk and a tasty tomato, olive & herb, whole wheat scone, coffee & silk.

Mid morning: Coconut milk, pineapple, banana, vegan infusion smoothie…..delicious.

Lunch: Miso soup with buckwheat soba noodles, smoked tofu, spinach, bean sprouts,  mushrooms, green onions & nori. It was fantastic. Jackie (who NEVER has seconds) finished every drop.

Afternoon snack: snap peas

Dinner: French Lentils spiced with herbs, lemon zest, garlic and onions with Brown Rice and a crunchy salad. A very satisfying meal. Dessert: one of Bridget’s vegan peanut butter cups.

No evening snack, we were full.

Note: Both of us are feeling more energy, and are noticing many subtle changes in our bodies. Jackie finds herself to be more “alert”. Digestion is good…good and gassy. We went for a morning walk with the dog and I rode my stationary cycle for 20 minutes. I have mild eczema on my upper back and it’s gone. I’ve always suspected it was a reaction to dairy or eggs. Also realized I’ve been including fish oil with my vitamins and supplements. Nixed those. Overall  we feel GREAT!!

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Vegan Diet-Day 2

Vegan Diet Day Two Oct. 27

Again our day started with a shot of lemon juice. Breakfast was squirrelly toast with peanut butter and jam and coffee with silk.

We had a wonderful peanut butter and banana smoothie and despite the hideous colour of it (thanks to the vegan powder enhancer) it was great. Definitely a keeper.

Lunch was cauliflower soup (nicely spiced with the earthy flavours of cinnamon and nutmeg), a veggie sandwich with tomato, cucumber, pea shoots, avocado and homemade humus.

I had a snack of a carrot and a few snap peas in the afternoon.

Dinner was these Gardein (vegetable protein) patties stuffed with God knows what. Jackie didn’t mind hers, but I found mind horrible. This was something not recommended by the Vegan Project, it was something we picked up on our own while shopping for the week’s supplies. We also had brown rice with mushrooms and garlic, steamed asparagus and salad.

We were going to have a bottled oriental dressing on our salad, but our new awareness prompted us to read the label and we discovered it had egg product in it. Who would have thought animal products are hiding everywhere? Back to olive oil, balsamic & lemon juice. Dessert was soy yogurt and frozen berries. We had an evening snack of seeds and chocolate chips.

Note: The Gardein patties that I found so disgusting bother me not only for their gross taste, but on another level; I don’t think a person should pretend they eat meat when they don’t. These things were fashioned to look like chicken I suppose. To me it’s like pretending to drink alcohol or take drugs when you don’t … just to fit in.

Jackie (who is a smoker) is finding much less mucus production due to the omission of dairy. Both of us are experiencing increased efficiency in digestion.

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