Wednesday, January 30

more on the vegan thing...(now that i'm not pressed for time)

Ok, if you know me at all, then you know that I love meat, cheese, etc....so, the vegan thing is truly a radical change for me. Not that I don't eat vegetables & fruit on a daily basis, because I do. In fact, I'd wager that I eat more than most people do (considering my fave side dish is coleslaw [and not the mayo-drenched nastiness - I like mine drowned in vinegar, thanks]). And I simply cannot live w/o fruit. Going w/o fruit was the absolute worst part of trying to follow Atkins...let me tell you, I was sneaking in the berries as soon as I could on that diet. But, Atkins nearly killed me. My blood pressure went thru the roof. God only knows what happened w/my cholesterol. And yeah, when I couldn't take being on Atkins anymore, I came as close as I ever want to get to becoming diabetic.

Anyway, I've never been a veggie-lover. I've always loved fruit - in fact, I can only think of one fruit that I don't like, and that's papaya (used to be grapefruit and papaya, but I've learned to like grapefruit now). I love berries, and cherries (in fact, all stone fruit), and grapes, apples, bananas, every citrus you can name, persimmons, pomegranates, star fruit, kiwi fruit...you name it, I like it. But veggies? Not so much...I've always known they were good for me, but have never enjoyed eating the majority of them. And even though I do love cheese (it's a sickness, I swear), I didn't even like eating them smothered in cheese sauce. *sigh*

As a child, I loved salad - always preferred veggies raw, actually. But I hated the cooked stuff...greens, broccoli, spinach, blech....Of course, I finally tried spinach raw in salad and that was fantastic! I went thru an experimental stage in my mid-20's. Bought a ton of vegetarian cookbooks and started trying things. I found out that I hate eggplant, but love cauliflower. And that zucchini wasn't so bad, in fact most squashes were pretty tasty. Eventually I learned to enjoy broccoli & spinach cooked...though, for some reason, I still rather have the broccoli stems than the florets. (Spinach topped w/a nice Bearnaise sauce is divine, btw!!!) But, again, not so much the other veggies.

So, I'm still experimenting, it seems. I'm going to give eggplant another go, since it seems to be used quite heavily in vegan cooking. I've never tried cooked greens on my own (always avoided my mom's Caldo Verde - portuguese kale soup, though sometimes made w/collard greens instead), so that will be new territory. Who knows? Maybe I'll find I really love all this stuff? *shrug*

For now, however, I will stick to my salads and soups. I made some delicious cabbage soup the other night. And there is the aforementioned hummus...mmmmmm....hummus!!! I could eat that stuff all day w/raw veggies. (Although, I think I need to add a wee bit more horseradish to it next time - I loves me some horseradish!) There's another dish I love to make w/steamed spinach and broiled mushrooms that have been marinated lightly in Bragg's Liquid Aminos (tastes like soy sauce)....mmmm :D So, yeah...I'm finally learning to love my vegetables. Who would have thought??

I still can't stomach the tofu, but I figure I'm gonna hafta try that again as well. I don't know how people cope w/that funky taste. Soy milk, tofu...it all has that taste! Just awful. I'm still on the hunt for a brand that tastes good. For now, I guess I'll use fortified rice milk if I need to. I can handle the soy cheese, but I'm not eating that stuff during the 6 wks.

I don't know - DH says I have extreme willpower to do this. But, I don't think it's really willpower. I'm just as tempted by a Ding Dong as the next person. ;) So, yeah, it's not willpower...it's determination. I am determined to be healthy. I am determined to live longer. I am determined to set a good example for my children so that they grow up to be healthy. I am determined not to die before my time...that is all. ;)

vegan...seriously? yes, seriously...

Well, I finally did it...I started following the 6 wk plan from Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman. I'm going to be vegan for (at least) the next 6 wks or so.

To sum up the book, Dr. Fuhrman basically recommends the following daily diet:

UNLIMITED

Eat as much as you want

  • All raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb daily)
  • Cooked green vegetables (goal: 1 lb daily)
  • Beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (1 cup daily)
  • Fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
  • Eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes

LIMITED

Not more than one serving (1 cup) per day

  • Cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains (butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, breads, cereals)
  • Raw nuts and seeds (1 oz max per day)
  • Avocado (2 oz max per day)
  • Ground flaxseed (1 tbsp per day)

OFF-LIMITS

  • Dairy products
  • Animal products
  • Between-meal snacks
  • Fruit juice & dried fruit
When you're done w/the weight loss portion of it all, he basically recommends a 90/10 way of eating. Meaning 90% of your diet is made up of what's listed above, and 10% can be made up of everything else. ;) So, we're gonna see if I can hack it for the 6 wks and if so, I'll just continue that until I've reached my goal weight. I had already dropped a few lbs from being sick for so long, but I've dropped another 4 lbs since Monday (granted, this could partially be water weight, but I couldn't say for sure). One thing I can say w/certainty is - I LOVE hummus. I made some hummus yesterday, along w/some whole wheat pitas (yes, from scratch) and man....deeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!!! :D stuffed the pita w/some tomato, lettuce and onion, slathered on the hummus and yowza! Anyway, just thought I'd share...ttfn!