The commitment to embrace a vegan diet for Lent was difficult. When asked by friends how it has been, my standard answer is "it has been a lesson in discipline". Meat and dairy sneak their way into many prepared foods. I read every label and make conscious decisions about all that goes into my body. However, as I round third base on the adventure, I am thrilled with the whole process. I feel great. I lost four pounds. I am thinking clearly.
I have no desire to go back to the standard diet of eating anything. I believe that the reason I feel so good is the elimination of dairy. When I look at all items I have had to skip because of milk, cheese and eggs, I find that I have skipped a lot of "crap". While not all foods with dairy are bad for you, many bad foods do have dairy. The commitment to eating vegan has forced me to make good choices.
I do want to eat meat. Not all meat, just really good meat. I long for a small steak or some great brisket. The thought of cheap meat is not appealing... but a small high quality steak sounds delicious.
So what do I do next week? Not sure yet. My guess is I stay true to vegan most of the time, especially in regards to dairy.... but not 100%. Maybe I become a "Weekday Vegan". A while back I watched a TED TALK by TreeHugger.com founder Graham Hill. He is vegetarian five days a week, and eats meat on the weekend. Not a bad idea. (CLICK HERE to watch the video)
What do you think? -- "Thom Singer: The Weekday Vegan". Monday through Friday: Eat nothing with a face or a mother... and nothing that came from anything with a face or a mother. Saturday and Sunday...my choice! I think I like it!
thom singer
Thom, what an amazing journey you've been on! I think no matter what you choose to do, you will definitely be better for having done this life-altering experiment! Be good to yourself and don't worry about boxing yourself in to anything; the vegan during the week/carnivore on the weekend plan sounds like a great compromise, and no matter what you eat or when you eat it you will have a new found awareness and appreciation for all of it.
ReplyDeleteI will be curious to see how your body reacts and how your palate has changed (if at all) after being off all of this stuff for a while. Keep us posted!
We are sticking with it after Lent since it's been easier/more enjoyable than we thought it would be and we feel much healthier. (And the discipline has been very good for us; we're not so good about dairy, especially, in "moderation!") But I'm hesitant to label myself as a vegan forever, since I can't guarantee that I will *never* have another piece of cheese or meat, etc....but as things stand now we're keeping it going (to the extent possible and without being too high-maintenance, like you mention also wanting to avoid in your other post).
Congrats! Oh, and also let us know how you celebrate Easter (i.e. what you eat!). :-)
~Megan
Megan - welcome to the world of plant-based dining. I consider myself a vegan, but don't avoid honey, so techincally, I'm only vegan most of the time... labels are fun...
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned "compromise" with regard to Thom's vegan weekly-scheduling concept. I think the greater compromise is continuing to eat what research has shown is more likely to lead to disease and death.
Here are a four books that you may know of that are fantastic resources about plant-based diets. (I only read two of them, but the reviews are outstanding for all four.)
While it would be easy to feel shocked that people continue to eat animal products even with the knowledge of the risks of becoming sick, it took another 20 months after reading two of those books below for me to finally decide to go vegan. I've learned that priorities and timing sometimes outrank facts and research. Bon appetit.
The following book inspired me to give up eating meat overnight.
Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat
by Howard Lyman
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/eLy5v0
The following educated me about the realities of eating animals, but at the time of reading it, I continued to only give up meat.
Diet for a New America
by John Robbins
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/hr7BzN
The following book I've not read, but it's the latest and greatest by Robbins and from what I saw, appears less scientific than DfaNA and so much easier to read.
Food Revolution, The: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World
by John Robbins
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/genQGD
The following book is a big deal, yet given how scientific it was, I didn't get past the first seven pages.
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
by T. Colin Campbell
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/hiO4F3