Days Thirteen- Fifteen

Still going strong with the vegan diet. My tape measure and clothes are in agreement, but the scale is not. According to my measurements, I have lost about another 1/2 inch off my waist and hips, and my clothes are getting looser (choice of outfits from my closet are getting slim, too). Oddly the scale has me in the same place, but I am finding that I do not care about that number as much. I am just around ten pounds over my comfortable weight, so I really cannot complain about that. 

Although I do enjoy losing the weight I put on and carried around for five or so years, I have to say that my overall well being is so vastly improved that I am not freaking out about that three digit number. My head feels clearer and my heart feels lighter. I have also noticed the painful stiffness in my knees is magically gone. Well, not magically--it is pretty logical, actually. My body is not having to process all of the junk I used to eat and it is receiving more nutrient-wise. And as I have said before, not starving myself is a huge upside to healthy eating as well.

A delicious green smoothie that is actually green. Mine are usually purple from mixed berries.

On Day Thirteen, I was a bit rushed for time and realized I did not have the luxury of making a healthy lunch and dinner both from scratch. This dawned on me as I was grabbing a few items at the grocery store, and so I snatched a package of hickory smoked Tofurky deli slices and made a sandwich when I got home. Technically, the Tofurky is a processed food, I know, but I am a busy woman, and frankly, sometimes I need some "fast food." 

I spread a very thin layer of Vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise) on two slices of Ezekiel bread--Yes! I even added a little fat!--sliced a tomato and some cucumber, and placed them on the bread slices with some lettuce and Tofurky deli slices. Presto! Lunch in a snap. It held me over until dinner, and I felt comfortably full without that drowsy feeling people talk about after eating turkey or a heavy meal. 

For dinner the same day, I prepared my currently comfortable and somewhat quick food combination: Rice, beans, vegetables and spices. 

I also grabbed a couple of peeled carrots to chew on in case I did not bring enough of the dish I made--which I did eat as the above meal is so low in fat and calories. After work, I enjoyed a lovely, whole apple while I played with the cats (multitasking cat mama).

The next day I did something a little risky: I combined the small amount of Breakfast Scramble leftovers from Day Ten and the leftovers from the night before in a tortilla with a little hummus. I was not sure the flavors would combine well, but sure enough, it was a marriage made in heaven. Honestly, I was a little sad there would not be any leftovers of this bizarre concoction, but it could happen again someday.

For dinner that night, I changed things up a bit and threw together some rice fusilli pasta and added vegetables and red marinara sauce. I cheated with the marinara sauce and used Classico's Tomato and Basil Sauce. It was wonderful, and I got to enjoy the leftovers yesterday (Day Fifteen).

Day 15 was more of the same, except that for breakfast I kept it light as Gerald and I were going to do some yoga before he left for work. I just had a banana, a meatless breakfast patty, and a slice of Ezekiel toast with apple butter. After yoga, a delicious smoothie held me over until lunch, which was a rice, veggie, and lemony hummus combo. 

Now on with Day Sixteen...

Day 12

Giving up meat, poultry, fish? No problem! Giving up eggs and dairy products? No problem! Giving up added fats, even just the ones from vegetable sources? Starting to get tough. 

During an hour and a half massage yesterday before my break at work, I started to get hungry. I had brought a salad heavy with chickpeas and other vegetables along with a couple of Mandarin oranges, and suddenly that was not sounding heavy enough. I am going to say something men hate to hear--my period is coming. And when that is on its way, my appetite increases tenfold, and I  am not necessarily craving carrot or celery sticks. 

I started to fantasize about walking a couple doors down to get a black bean and brown rice burrito from Chipotle. I was really into to it--the beans, the rice, the salsa, the lettuce, maybe some guacamole. Wait! Guacamole is super fat. Ooo, what about the grilled vegetables? No, probably cooked in oil. I did not care, I was going to do it. I just had to decide whether it was going to be a low fat burrito or a high fat one. 

After I cleaned up from the massage and stood in the break room contemplating the burrito, guilt took over my consciousness and I stayed to eat my salad. I still had about thirty minutes left in my break after finishing my meal and started to consider that burrito again. My extreme premenstrual exhaustion saved me that time, because the idea of having to hustle out and get the burrito with two more massages ahead in my schedule, sounded about as exhausting as trying to push over a brick wall with my bare hands.

Earlier in the day, I had decided that when I got home after work, if I felt hungry, I would eat an apple and if that did not do it, some brown rice with Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I did eat the apple, but I also nibbled on some Kettle Krinkle Cut Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper Potato Chips. Gerald takes these for a snack at work. I read the label a hundred times to make sure they were vegan. On their website (which I will admit I am just now checking after eating some chips last night) in the FAQs section, when asked if their products are dairy free they say: 

"Our products are processed on equipment shared with ingredients that contain very small amounts of dairy. We thoroughly clean our lines after each flavor run, but there is a slight potential of cross contamination." 

All right, so I will not eat more Kettle chips. The salt and fat was satisfying to my taste buds though, I will admit. 

Oddly, I did not eat the brown rice as planned. Instead making crispy tortilla chips from my Ezekiel tortillas and dipping them in low fat hummus sounded better. I really wanted to dip them in salsa, but I am currently out. I believe the solution is to browse through my Forks Over Knives, The Cookbook by Del Sroufe and The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Neal Barnard, M.D. Because honestly, my own creations are all starting to essentially be the same meal with little variation. I am getting bored. 

I also follow Vegetarian Times Magazine on Facebook, and they are constantly bombarding me with pictures of gorgeous -likely fat laden- dishes. I also follow Chef Chloe's posts, and the woman loves to bake, bless her soul. I am the yin to her yang, because I love to EAT baked goodies. 

Happily, my challenge is not that I desire animal products for food, just that I seem to be craving fattier foods. OK, and sugary foods--not simply fruit, devine though fruit can be. 

Reviewing my food list for yesterday before sharing it here, I am seeing how I probably began to crave fats and sugars yesterday because I did not actually eat much in terms of quantity. It was the one day of the week when I go into work earlier, and I believe not having as much time for filling up on healthy foods may be the culprit. Quantity and new recipes will hopefully be the solution. Hoping today goes better.

Here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Breakfast Scramble leftovers, coffee with soymilk.

I have to admit, the craziness started early. The potatoes in this recipe screamed for ketchup, and I gave in. I drizzled a fairly small amount over the scramble. The sugar in the ketchup is probably what got the ball rolling down hill.  

Snack: Chocolate soymilk, single serving box (8 oz.).

Uh oh, see? So soon I was looking for more sugar.

Lunch: Bean, veggie and rice leftovers from lunch the day before.

Oddly enough, I recall not being all too hungry when I ate this. It was a small serving, maybe about a cup in size with all of the ingredients, but I ate it because I knew it would be about four hours until I could eat again. 

Dinner: Salad with Annie's Natural dressing, 2 Mandarin oranges.

Red leaf lettuce, chickpeas, cucumbers, carrots, red bell peppers, and Annie's fat free mango dressing. 

Later: Fuji apple, handful of Kettle chips, Ezekiel tortilla w/ hummus, raisins.

I mentioned the apple, chips, tortilla and hummus above, but I did not mention the raisins. I REALLY wanted some dessert, but another piece of fruit just did not seem sweet enough. I just snacked on the raisins.  

  

Days Nine- Eleven

A funny thing happened after writing my last blog about sugar and how I had once read that eating animal protein helps with sugar cravings. Later that same day I went on to read some very contradicting information in Breaking the Food Seduction, by Neal Barnard, M.D. In his chapter on meat he says, "It turns out that meat stimulates a surprisingly strong release of insulin, just as a cookie or bread does, a fact that surprised nutrition researchers." That truly surprised me, but at the same time it made sense as I recall times of eating what I thought was a healthy meal--baked, white chicken breast, salad, side of vegetables--and seconds afterward I could not wait to get my hands on some dessert. 

Barnard added, "In fact, beef and cheese cause a bigger insulin release than pasta, and fish produces a bigger insulin release than popcorn." Normally when a person eats something sweet or with a high glycemic index, their bodies compensate by releasing insulin to balance the excessive amount of sugar going quickly--too quickly--into the blood. All that insulin can then bring on another craving for a sugary or simple carbohydrate, and the poor body is up and down between overly high blood sugar and too much insulin, which if I am understanding correctly can lead to diabetes. 

Before following the low-fat vegan diet prescribed by Dr. Barnard, my blood sugar levels were all over the place. My hunger went from "am I hungry?" to "if I do not eat this instant I am going to pass out!" Now I become aware of my hunger in a much gentler way. For that, I am immensely grateful. I used to think it was just me and how eating was supposed to be. Since starting the diet, I have been on a much more even keel with my hunger and energy levels. 

So, let's talk about food!

I tried out a couple of new things as promised over the last few days. Day Nine was more of the usual fare, but I ventured out in a new direction for breakfast the next morning, on Day Ten. 

This is what Neal Barnard calls the Breakfast Scramble in his book 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart, with a couple of ingredients added by me.  

The ingredients are:

4 ounces of firm tofu, crumbled, 1 Yukon Gold potato, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Turmeric. To these I added some chopped onion and a few crimini mushrooms. (Ezekiel toast with apple butter pictured with the scramble). 

I chopped up and microwaved the potato for about 3 minutes (adding a couple tablespoons of water in the bowl so that they would not dry out). I sprayed the frying pan per the recipe directions with fat free oil spray--first time I have added anything oil-like since starting the diet. I then added the onions and mushrooms and let them cook for a few minutes before adding the crumbled tofu and 1/4 teaspoon of salt (salt--also something I have not done in over a week).

The directions said to allow the tofu to cook for up to five minutes before adding the potatoes and Turmeric. I did that, and I have to add a note here. I believe 2 entire teaspoons of this spice is WAY too much. I almost stopped after one teaspoon, but I wanted to see how it would taste. I tossed all of the ingredients in the pan, but it was difficult to get the Turmeric to fully mix in with the other ingredients. While I was eating it, I sometimes stumbled upon patches of powder in my mouth. I like the spice, but not so much that I would shake some into my hand and pop it into my mouth. 

Minus the overload of Turmeric, I think it was a tasty dish. I could not taste the salt to save my life. The firm tofu crumbled up really well, and if I didn't know any better, I might not have known it was in there. One can add other vegetables and use any leftovers in a breakfast burrito. The recipe says it serves two, but I ate a little less than one serving.

For Lunch on Day Ten, I added brown rice, cauliflower, and tomato to Trader Joe's Latin Black Bean Soup.

The rice was pre cooked, of course, but I had this weird idea that raw cauliflower and uncooked tomato might taste good in the soup as well. I was wrong, but I had to get ready for work and ate the weird concoction anyway. Oh well, not all creative attempts are successes. 

The bean soup is really tasty on its own and great with rice as it is a little thicker than a broth, but not as thick as some split pea soups. It only has 1 gram of fat per 8 ounce serving, which follows Dr. Barnard's guidelines. Plus, it is easy to prepare. Just shake, heat, and eat. Sometimes we all need convenient foods to help save time. 

For Dinner that night, I made a big salad which included edamame, carrots, cucumbers, red bell pepper slices, zucchini slices, and tomato. I topped it with Annie's Naturals Mango Vinaigrette. I also enjoyed a toasted slice of Dave's Killer Bread, Rockin' Rye with nothing on it.  

  

The next day, Day Eleven, was a little more of the same. For lunch I cooked some edamame in a pan with vegetable broth, after a few minutes I added garlic powder before incorporating some crimini mushrooms, red bell pepper strips, zucchini slices, and pre cooked sweet potato, chopped. Once the veggies were cooked through, I added some brown rice. I liked the light flavor, but my husband, Gerald, added some Bragg's Liquid Aminos to is bowl.  

For a light Snack after work, I enjoyed a couple of Mandarin oranges. 

Now on to day 12......

 

Days Seven & Eight

After one entire week of following the low fat vegan diet, I have lost 3.3 pounds. In addition to that, just from yesterday morning, I am down another half pound this morning. Weight loss is definitely a huge motivator, but as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am interested in feeling and being healthier overall.

One of my big lifelong downfalls in eating has been sugar--the processed and refined kind of sugar. Aside from one 8-ounce serving most days of Silk brand's chocolate flavored soymilk, I have not been eating sugary treats or adding sugar to any of my foods. It is a personal choice, because there are vegan sweeteners out there in which I could indulge. I have to admit that it actually has not been all that difficult to omit sweeteners since following this diet. As any sugar addict has probably read before, if one does not add sugar to her/his diet, the cravings should not be a problem. 

I would like to expand on that concept and say if you are eating foods that help maintain a healthy blood sugar level, you will not crave sugar nearly as much as when you allow it into your diet. When I followed the packaged food diets, high (animal) protein/low carb diets, and other calorie counting diets which allowed artificial sugars (eg. aspartame), I was in agony craving sugar around the clock. I would eat the foods allowed on the diet, and then within minutes, even seconds, start obsessing about sweet treats. My mind would race, my body would become restless, and nothing could stop the obsessive thoughts and desire for sugar. 

At some point in my lifelong quest to find the right way of eating for my body, I read in a few places that animal protein would stave off sugar cravings. It was recommended that a person up their protein intake and the cravings would just quiet down. For some of us, the sugar sensitives, that could not be farther from the truth. A low carb/ high animal protein meal brought out the sugar monster in me. 

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. has written a few books on the subject of sugar addiction: Potatoes Not Prozac, The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program, and Your Last Diet. She has written other books as well, but those are the ones I have read. You really only need to read the first one to get all of the good information and science behind sugar addiction--the other books basically repeat themselves. In short, some people are genetically more sensitive to sugar and it's cousin, alcohol. A sugar sensitive person eating a sugary treat or an alcoholic beverage is much more profoundly affected by the substance than the average person. Alcoholics who quit drinking often turn to sugary foods or simple carbohydrates to get nearly the same high. 

DesMaisons prescribes a diet with high protein and complex carbohydrates to balance out the chemical imbalance between the brain chemicals dopamine, tryptophan, and serotonin inherent in sugar sensitives. She promotes animal products as the best source for protein, but she acknowledges and works with vegetarians as well. It is very interesting, and I recommend reading one of her books or visiting her website if you think you might have a sensitivity (addiction) to sugar or alcohol. I have followed her seven steps with some success, but I have to say, my current diet is working for me better than anything I have ever tried. Ever. 

Fruits are a part of my diet, and I eat them in their whole form to retain the fiber which slows the rate of sugar getting into the blood. When I crave something sweet now, I do not get shaky and obsessive, and a piece of fruit really satisfies the craving. I simply cannot express how improved I feel on so many levels. Sure, after some time between meals I get hungry, but I do not become the maniac I feel I have been while following the other diets I have tried in the past.

The vegan diet is a way of eating, not a fad or painfully restrictive food plan (unless you are addicted to meat and/or dairy, I suppose--suggested reading: Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, M.D.). I am consuming a diet consisting solely of plant based foods. I do not count calories, I do not measure portion sizes, I simply eat vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains. 

Here is what I ate: 

Day Seven:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, applesauce, and coffee with soymilk.
I cooked the oatmeal with unsweetened soymilk instead of water as usual, and added dried apricots, a pinch of nutmeg, and sprinkled it with cinnamon. I also added ~1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce on the side.   

Snack: Smoothie.
I used ~1/2 cup of orange juice (not from concentrate), ~1/2 cup of soymilk, 1/5 block of silken tofu, 1-2 cups kale, ~1/4 cup each frozen mango and mixed berries.

Lunch: The last cabbage roll!!
Details on how I made a pan of ten cabbage rolls are listed under dinner on Day One. 

Dinner: Veggies, beans and rice mix, Mandarin orange.
I peeled and chopped up a small sweet potato, and then microwaved it for a couple of minutes. In a pan, I poured in enough vegetable broth to cover the bottom of the pan (~1/2 inch high), and added ~1/2 cup frozen edamame. I chopped up a carrot, a zucchini, and 1/2 of a red bell pepper while I let the edamame cook. After a few minutes, I added the remaining vegetables (including the potato) and allowed them to cook for another three or four minutes. I believe I also added in some garlic powder at this point. I had between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of red kidney beans in the refrigerator and tossed them in to use them up. Once the veggies seemed cooked through, I added ~1/2 cup of already cooked brown rice to the mixture and tossed it in the pan until warmed through. I tossed in a big handful of micro greens, ate it straight from a bowl, and loved it! (Photos are posted under lunch section for Day Eight). I ate the orange whole--did not add it to the mix. 

Snack: Fuji apple.

Day Eight:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, toast with apple butter, coffee with soymilk.

I prepared the oatmeal as on all other days, but this time I added raisins instead of apricots. The toast is Ezekiel bread with just apple butter, no fats added. 

Lunch: Veggies, beans and rice mix on tortilla, chocolate soymilk.

This was fast food at its finest. I spread plain low-fat hummus on an Ezekiel tortilla and piled on the leftovers from the previous dinner. I considered eating it cold, but then I decided to pop the entire thing in the microwave for 30 seconds just to take the chill off. It was amazing! (Sorry the photos are a little blurry. I was really excited to eat!) 

Snack: Smoothie.
Same ingredients as previous day.

Dinner: Quinoa and veggies.
I cooked the quinoa according to package instructions, substituting vegetable broth for water. In a nonstick pan, I heated some vegetable broth and added chopped carrot, chopped yellow onion, and crimini mushrooms. After three to five minutes on medium-high heat, I added ~ 1 teaspoon Spice Island's poultry seasoning, chopped zucchini, chopped red bell pepper, and whole cherry tomatoes. I was totally winging it, and so to amp up the flavor, I decided to add ~2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar, a couple of diced garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup of corn kernels. (The vinegar, tomatoes, and corn were inspired by Alicia Silverstone's fantastic Summertime Succotash recipe from her book The Kind Diet). I then added a few more tablespoons of vegetable broth and a handful of baby spinach, and placed a lid over the top to wilt the spinach. The final step was mixing in the cooked quinoa.

Now on to Day Nine....

  

  

  

Days Five & Six

The last couple of days were a little busy and hectic. One of the reasons I ever went on diets like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem is because preparing food from scratch can be time consuming. Plus there is the added chore of creating meals as opposed to browsing through some packages of premade meals and simply popping one in the microwave for a few minutes. 

Having foods prepped ahead of time saved my life this week. For example, cooked brown rice, hummus, and canned beans made for some quick meals. Like this dish.. I warmed up some brown rice and red kidney beans in the microwave, and then I added a big dollop of hummus and a handful of micro greens. The hummus has lemon powder in it, which gave the dish a bright, clean flavor. I imagine a squeeze of lemon on plain hummus would have the same effect. It was delicious and satisfying.

Or how about on Day Two when I sauteed some asparagus in vegetable broth, and then added cubed, cooked sweet potato chunks and rice with some Bragg's Amino Acids. Simple! A little sweet, a little salty, and very satisfying. 

My goal is to find ways to eat healthy, simple, easy to prepare foods. These foods do not have all the flash your taste buds are used to when you eat some processed food containing MSG. But with the right amount of herbs, spices, and interesting food combinations, you can create some tasty meals. 

And here are the vegan cabbage rolls I have been blogging about all week:

I would make more sauce for the topping of the cabbage rolls if I were to make them again. Nevertheless, having these babies in the fridge ready-to-go has also saved me a ton of time. 

Washing vegetables and peeling them to have ready to go at a moment's notice has helped keep me on track as well. 

Eating whole foods definitely plays a huge part in regaining one's health, but adding in some exercise is helpful, too. A week before starting the vegan diet, I began working out with Bob Harper's Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD. I did not lose any weight until I started this diet, but I have noticed that my muscles are not so tight upon waking in the morning. I am also feeling stronger, taller, and my posture is improving. Along with the yoga, which Gerald now does with me four times a week, I walk briskly for 20-40 minutes five days a week. 

You most likely will never hear me talk about taking any boot camp classes. I like my exercise to be challenging, but doable as well. I feel walking and yoga are very natural forms of moving the body, and I am quite content with them for now. 

It is almost time for my weekend, and I will have the opportunity to conjure up some new recipes and buy the necessary supplies. I hope you will continue with me on my journey to health and wellness. 

Here is what I ate:

Day Five:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with figs, meatless breakfast patty, coffee with soymilk.

Again, I cooked the 1/2 cup of oats in 1 cup of soymilk per manufacturer's instructions, omitting the added salt. (Note: the soymilk heats up quickly, so keep an eye on it). In the remaining minute or two of cooking, I added chopped up dried figs (six of them), and then sprinkled some cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg into the mix. I shared with Gerald, and so I ate about half of what was made. He enjoyed a toasted slice of Dave's Killer Bread with apple butter instead of a meatless breakfast patty. 

Lunch: Brown rice, red kidney beans, micro greens and hummus. (Pictured above).

I really just eyeballed the portions of each ingredient. I would guess that I used ~1/2 cup of brown rice, added ~1/4 cup of the beans, and then microwaved them for ~2 minutes. I then tossed in a small handful of the greens and a couple dollops of hummus and stirred it all together. 

Dinner: Vegan Cabbage Roll. (Pictured above)

Details on how to prepare these are listed under dinner from Day One. I find reheating them in the microwave at 50% power for 3 minutes warms them through. I like my food hot, but not so hot it scalds the inside of my mouth.

Snack: 1 Ezekiel tortilla, salsa, and peanut butter. 

Someone was eating tortilla chips at work that night, and I was tempted. I came home and cut a tortilla into four triangles and placed them in the toaster. Our toaster holds bread slices (or tortilla triangles) in place in the center of the toasting area so that nothing gets too close to the heating elements. This was truly an experiment that happened to work out. The "chips" came out crunchy and a little chewy. I then dipped them into a medium salsa I buy at Whole Foods, the 365 Brand. It is all vegetables, no added oils or sugars. It satisfied my desire for chips and salsa. The peanut butter came in an hour or so later. Having been a rushed, stressful day, I just craved one of my favorite indulgences. I get the kind of peanut butter that is just roasted peanuts and salt, so I do not feel too bad about it, but the fat content was high. I just ate it by the spoonful. (My shameful moment revealed. But still vegan!).

Day Six:

Breakfast: Cabbage Roll! Coffee with soymilk.

So, Gerald did not eat as much of the cabbage rolls as he said he would. His excuse is that they make him poop too much in the morning. I know the rule for leftovers is they should be consumed in 2-3 days, but we have Lock-N-Lock containers, and I am hoping the food is staying as fresh as the makers of the containers promise it will. I do not plan to make such a large recipe again, knowing I will probably be the only one eating it!

Snack: Smoothie.

I used ~1/2 cup of orange juice, ~1/2 cup of soymilk, 1-1 1/2 cups of raw kale, 1/5 block of silken tofu, ~1/4 cup frozen mango chunks, and 1/4-1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I use a VitaMix Blender which blends the ingredients to a substance that rivals anything they make at Jamba Juice. Perfection, really.

Lunch: Veggie Wrap

I spread hummus (a couple of dollops) on a warmed Ezekiel tortilla and topped it with vegetables I had sauteed in vegetable broth: One whole zucchini, 1/2 red bell pepper, 5-6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half, julienned basil leaves, about 5, and garlic powder. Honestly, it is a big pile o' vegetables, and so I eat some of them down before I can comfortably roll the tortilla creating a wrap. 

Snack: Silk brand chocolate almond milk, one 8-ounce serving.

I have tried their soymilk version, and I saw one of these in a cooler at the grocery store yesterday. It was good and helped to satisfy my chocolate craving, but I think the soymilk version is richer. 

Dinner: Garden salad with Annie's Naturals dressing, cabbage roll.

I am fond of red leaf lettuce, and to that I added slices of cucumber, red bell pepper, carrot, and micro greens. I usually add tomatoes to my salads, but I figured that since I ate some in the veggie wrap and there would be tomatoes in the cabbage roll, I would skip adding them this time. I am also on a kick with Annie's fat free mango dressing. It is light and not too sweet. 

Snack: Banana.

I like my sweets, and after having been on Nutrisystem for some months, I became accustomed to a little treat after work. The banana filled the void quite well. 

Now on to Day Seven.....

Day Four

You may have noticed by now that there has been a bit of repetition in my food choices so far, eg., oatmeal for breakfast every day. One reason is that I am becoming accustomed to a new way of eating--getting comfortable in my new habits. That is just how I roll. I do best when I incorporate things slowly. As for oatmeal specifically, I am simply digging it right now. A mystery even I cannot explain.

As for the cabbage rolls each day, the plain fact is that my recipe produced ten giant cabbage rolls. I have managed to engage my husband, Gerald, in eating a few of them, but as much as he enjoys them, he feels he "needs some meat." I can be content with repeatedly eating the same thing if it is tasty and satisfying, which for me, the cabbage rolls are just that. Plus, it is like fast food in that it is all ready to go and just needs to be warmed up, which is immensely convenient during the workweek. A lot of people may opt to freeze such items, but I have found foods lose a lot of flavor and vitality in the freezing-thawing-reheating process. I believe that is in part where food companies came in with all of their additives and preservatives to ensure their products would not lose any flavor or desired texture. It is a personal preference thing, perhaps. 

I also lost my mind a tad bit when I purchased a five pound bag of carrots. The fact that they were grown in California (where we live) just excited me knowing what I know about shipping produce from long distances: Older, less vital food for me, and ecological waste in the transportation methods used (planes, trucks, gasoline, pollution, and so on). The one bad thing, if you can call it that, about fresh, whole foods is that they do not have a long shelf life. One cannot buy a head of lettuce today and expect it to be edible a month from now. 

New recipe ideas are brewing in my fresh food loving mind, so do not give up on me just yet. I am a little pressed for time today and have to keep this blog entry short. In the next few days I will be blogging about sugar, exercise, and introducing some newer recipes.

So here is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, one meatless breakfast patty, coffee with soymilk.
I prepared the oatmeal as I did on Day One with apricots. 

Snack: Smoothie and raw carrots.
I used the same recipe that I used on Day One. The carrots were out on the counter as I prepared my salad for later, and I just could not resist snacking on a couple of them. 

Lunch: Brown rice, red kidney beans, micro greens, and asparagus. 
First, I sauteed the asparagus in vegetable broth. Once they turned bright green, I added about 1/4 cup canned red kidney beans to warm them. I then added about 1/4 cup brown rice and sprinkled Bragg's Amino Acids over everything. After I transferred everything into a bowl, I added between 1/4-1/2 cup organic micro greens mix (a mix of purple kohlrabi, red cabbage, red amaranth, arugula, tatsoi, mizuna, bulls blood, beet tops, dill, kale, red & green mustard). 

Dinner: Cabbage roll, garden salad with Annie's Naturals dressing.
Yep, same cabbage rolls from Day One (they're probably going to be gone by tomorrow). Garden salad contained red leaf lettuce, carrot slices, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, micro greens, red bell pepper slices, and I used Annie's fat free mango dressing. 

Snack: Carrots, a slice of Ezekiel toast with apple butter, a Mandarin orange.

Now on to Day Five...

Day Three

So let's talk poop. On this vegan diet, I absolutely cannot complain about being constipated. With such fiber-rich foods packed full of magnesium, let's just say that I feel pretty cleaned out. Completely opposite to any other diet I have followed, especially the ones with packaged foods. 

Years back when I did the Jenny Craig diet, I became somewhat constipated and gassy, and my counselor had the nerve to blame it on the vegetables! I knew then she was wrong, but years later when I got on Nutrisystem and became a constipated fart-face, I knew it definitely was not the vegetables that I added to their packaged foods causing me problems. They suggested drinking more water and even taking fiber supplements. 

Well guess what, I do drink water on the vegan diet, but not nearly as much as I did on those other diets. Why? Because most of what I eat has a high water content and my body doesn't crave it in the form of a big, full glass. Nature knows what she's doing, and humans really need to pay attention. Many people think drinking gallons of water helps to flush out the toxins, but what they fail to see it that it also flushes out the vitamins and minerals. And going by my constipated-drinking-8+glasses-of-water-a-day dieting compared to the vegan diet, I am convinced that drinking all that water does not flush out any toxins. Poop is essentially toxic waste, right? Why didn't all of that water I guzzled down flush it out? Something to consider if you are a water guzzler. 

Here's some more good news... Just three days in and I have just about lost three pounds--2.9 to be exact. And even in such a short time, my skin is clearing up. I have been using a regular facial cleanser, not one for acne prone skin, and my face is less red and feeling smooth. Normally when I would try to escape the acne cleansers, I would break out in a million little bumps and even bigger pimples. Since I have not been putting any garbage into my body, it does not need to find a way out. And as I am no longer constipated, the waste has a better way out than through my skin. 

And again, I can still say that I have not been starving or counting calories at all in the past few days. Yesterday was slightly challenging as it was the first day I followed the vegan diet while at work. Challenging, because I am a massage therapist, and so I have to be sure I eat the right amount of food before being locked away in a dark room for hours at a time. I do not have the luxury of snacking while I do my job. So, when my dinner break arrived I was definitely hungry. I did not add much in the way of protein to my lunch, and I think that is what the problem was there. I also shared some of my smoothie with my husband, but I had not used more tofu than the other days so I lost some protein there as well.

One thing I have weirdly omitted from my food log is the coffee I drink in the morning. Maybe I am ashamed of my coffee addiction..? I do not know. I drink three cups in the morning. I am not proud of this, but it is what it is. The first two days of the diet, I finished using up the fat free Coffee-Mate powdered creamer I got into using while on Nutrisystem (allegedly non-dairy). I have been using non-dairy creamers for most of my coffee drinking career. I think they actually taste richer than half-and-half, plus milk products usually irritate my sinuses. 

I have tried Silk brand's coffee creamers and SO Delicious (coconut) creamers, but I did not really care for them. They each had a strong aftertaste for me. On Day Two of this diet, I noticed at the end of the ingredient list on the Coffee-Mate container a note that it contains traces of milk. Great! But, I was okay with that because I wanted to stop using it anyway. It is full of weird chemicals and high fructose corn syrup solids. I do not know what in the world took me so long to do this, but yesterday I simply added regular soymilk to my coffee and wah-la! Success! It tastes great, and I am officially eating a 100% vegan diet.  

So here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, toast with apple butter, and coffee with soymilk.

I shared my oatmeal with my husband yesterday, and so I let him pick the dried fruit. His options were apricots, figs, or raisins, and he chose raisins. I prepared it in the same way I have been, but yesterday I added 1/2 cup of applesauce to sweeten it slightly (I used unsweetened applesauce with apples as the only ingredient). I had a slice of Ezekiel toast with apple butter on it, which is just apples and apple concentrate. 

Snack: Smoothie.

I only had about 1/4 cup of orange juice left, and so I added about 1/2 cup of water this time. I also omitted the mango and substituted it for a banana to make up for the sweetness lost by the lack of orange juice. On the whole, these smoothies are mildly sweet, which I am doing on purpose to cut back on sugar intake.

Lunch: Veggie wrap.

I got a little creative this time. In a small blender, I combined sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and hummus to make a spread. I buy the kind of sundried tomatoes that come in a bag without the oil, and I soaked them in really warm water for about ten minutes before using them. I am guessing I grabbed about 1 tablespoon worth out of the bag--I did not use a measuring spoon. I also grabbed about 7 or 8 basil leaves, and added around 1/4 cup of hummus with a few tablespoons of water. I spread the paste on an Ezekiel tortilla I had warmed in the pan, and then topped it with zucchini and red bell pepper stips I had sauteed in vegetable broth and garlic powder. I used 1/2 of a pepper and 1 entire zucchini. 

Dinner: Cabbage roll, raw carrots and Silk brand chocolate soymilk.

I would say that I brought 2-3 somewhat skinny carrots cut in half to enjoy with the cabbage roll. I had peeled and cut them up a couple days ago, and I just eyeballed the amount thinking it looked good. I thought I would be sick of the cabbage rolls by now, but it was such a wonderful meal. I gobbled it down and thought I was still hungry. After eating the carrots, I came to feel quite satisfied. The chocolate soymilk was such a treat. 

Snack: Fuji apple. 

Pretty simple. I just washed and ate this delicious apple, sweet but chalked full of fiber and nutrients. 

Now on to Day 4....

Day Two

Wow, so after one day of eating a whole foods, vegan diet I lost 1.4 pounds. That made the second day a very upbeat day, considering the fact that I thought I was eating way too much food the first day. But then, according to Dr. Barnard, if we eat too little calories, the hormone Leptin is not released, and its job is to signal the brain when we are full. He recommends taking your ideal weight and multiplying it by 100. That number is the minimum number of calories your body needs each day.  But he also advocates not having to count calories so long as one steers clear of animal products and added oils, instead choosing a diet full of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. 

After spending months, years even, counting calories and thinking I would lose more weight if I felt hungry, this approach has been mind blowing. I had the same breakfast of oatmeal yesterday, but I did not have the meatless breakfast patty. I simply was not all that hungry, but I knew better than to skip breakfast. As I dug into my bowl of oatmeal, it suddenly looked quite hefty. I could hardly believe that just one day before I ate all of the oatmeal plus the patty like a person who had not seen food in weeks. I had, after all, been on a low fat/ low calorie diet of mostly processed foods and felt hungry most of the time. 

Now, I was daunted by the amount of food before me. I even felt full just half way through the bowl. So I set it down figuring I would wrap it up and save it for the next day. (I was in the middle of play time with the cats, so I had to finish that first). But then, I kind of felt like I could eat a little more, and long story short, I snacked on the oatmeal until it was gone. Slowly.

Normally, I would devour my tiny breakfast entrees from Nutrisystem in a flash no matter how hard I tried to slow down. I believe the ingredients involved in making processed food has an addictive element, and/or is so lacking in nutrition the body doesn't recognize it as food and continues to feel unsatisfied. But the oatmeal was just rolled oats, to which I added some dried apricots, a pinch of nutmeg, and this time, a couple sprinkles of ground cinnamon.  

Hunger creeps up on me in a very gentle way with this diet. I am used to a blood sugar crash that leaves me mumbling to myself with a pained look on my face as I wander the kitchen gathering up food to make a meal. Or I am like a tasmanian devil wildly tearing open packages and growling at any person who dares get in my way. But not on this diet. 

Sure, as my body uses the calories from the food I eat, it eventually starts to run low on fuel. But now instead of rolling into the gas station completely on empty, I still have a quarter tank of gas in my tank. 

And I'll tell you what.. it ain't too shabby for the waistline. In two days of following Dr. Barnard's advice, I have lost exactly two pounds! 

Aside from weight loss though, I am looking forward to other health benefits. I am certain that at 41 years old, it is the garbage food that causes my skin to break out. I have to use those acne face washes that make my skin photosensitive, and the tiniest bit of sun reddens my face. And when I eat that processed food, I crave more things, like candy, and guess what. I continue to break out in pimples. Here's the good news so far, after just two days.. TWO DAYS.. my skin is clearing up. I am loving every part of this. 

OK, so for those who like to see a consolidated list of what I ate, here it is.

Breakfast: Oatmeal
I made it the same way as I did on Day One, except that I added some cinnamon.

Snack: Smoothie
Again, I did the same thing as I did on Day One. 

Lunch: Cabbage Roll
I feel like a broken record, but this is from the batch I made on Day One. I have to say, it was even better the next day. And my omnivore husband likes them, too. 

Snack: 2 Mandarin Oranges and Silk Chocolate Soymilk
Now, I didn't have these together. I am just listing them together as they were both snacks I had in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. 

Dinner: Brown Rice, Asparagus, Sweet Potato and a Salad
I made extra brown rice the other night when I made some for the cabbage rolls to have on hand for quick meals. I want to eat healthy, but I am a bit lazy at times, so having foods already to go is my thing. I peeled and chopped up a tiny little sweet potato--it was no bigger than my hand. I then cooked it in the microwave for a few minutes. In a non-stick pan, I poured enough vegetable broth to cover the bottom, and then added a handful of asparagus spears I had cut down into 1-2 inch pieces. Once they were bright green, I added the potatoes and about a half cup of the rice to the pan. I also dribbled some Bragg's Amino Acids in for taste. It's like healthy soy sauce. I had considered adding garlic and kale, but I was feeling kind of lazy. I just tossed the ingredients around to let the vegetables cook through.

The salad was pretty basic--red leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and carrots. I added Annie's fat free mango dressing. I had intended to just add some fresh lemon juice, but I grabbed the dressing bottle out of habit. 


Late snack: 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
I hate to admit to this one, but I think I let boredom cravings get the best of me. I also LOVE peanut butter, and I just needed to taste some. I get the kind that is just roasted peanuts and salt, so there isn't all the added garbage like extra oils and sugar. 

And now, on to Day Three....

Day One

In this blog I will be sharing my journey to health and wellness through changing to a whole foods, vegan diet (no animal products of any kind, including dairy). I gave up eating animals because my heart and spirit simply felt wrong partaking in the slavery and death of so many innocent creatures who are no less worthy of life than I am. I also believe that a plant based diet is the healthiest choice for me and the planet, and that is going to be the focus of this blog. 

Wanting desperately to lose the weight I had recently gained during some stressful years, I did what I knew from past experience--I went on a low fat/ low calorie diet. In this instance, it was through Nutrisystem, because I did not trust myself to weigh and measure my food properly. They package the food up nice and neat, and I just have to add vegetables, a little fruit, and a few extra protein sources. I had some success, but it was freaking hard! I felt hungry most of the time, and if I ate just a little bit of something that is not on the food plan, wham! Weight gain. Very frustrating. 

When I started the Nutrisystem diet, I was eating meat. I had followed a vegetarian and even a vegan diet in the past, but some health problems and other people's opinions on animal protein convinced me that maybe I needed to eat meat, poultry, and fish. The health problems did not go away, so I knew eating meat was not helping, and the guilt was getting harder to ignore. 

About a month ago, I switched to Nutrisystem's vegetarian plan. My life became riddled with packaged pastas and pizzas that were not even half as good as what I knew I could make myself. Plus, it bothered me more and more that I was eating so much refined, processed food and contributing to the waste created by all of the packaging. 

I became aware of Dr. Neal Barnard and his books on switching to a vegan diet to improve one's health a few years ago when I initially followed a vegan diet. He recommends cutting out added oils and other forms of fat while following a vegan diet, because there are simply no benefits to be had from these things, as they, too, are refined and processed. He says that there is already plenty of oil available in fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. We don't need to add any. 

So yesterday was my first day of following his guidelines, and not only did I lose 1.4 pounds (yay!), but I was comfortably full and satisfied rather than ravenous and irritable. I also had a lot more energy than usual, and I never crashed. There were points in the day when I knew I needed to refuel my body, but it was not a scene from a horror movie where I turned into some zombie looking to devour the world. On low calorie diets, I would get lightheaded, ravenous, and downright crazy. Yesterday, it was more like a calm, "Oh, I think I am hungry." I mean, hey, I went to Whole Foods Market on a Sunday afternoon and did not want to kill anyone--that is saying a lot!

Here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Oatmeal and one meatless breakfast patty.  

I have rolled oats from Trader Joe's and basically followed the package instructions. I added 1/2 cup of oat to 1 cup of boiling unsweetened soymilk (I like 365 brand from Whole Foods Market). I turned the heat to medium and let the oats cook for about 3-4 minutes before adding 6 dried apricots that I had cut up into smaller pieces. I got this idea from Dr. Barnard's book, 21- Day Weight Loss Kickstart. I also added a pinch of nutmeg as he recommends. The meatless breakfast patty is also a 365 brand product. I planned on just eating a small portion of this oatmeal, but it was so good that I ate it all! 

Snack: Smoothie.

I have never tried tofu in a smoothie, but I wanted the protein to stave off hunger. I have a VitaMix Blender, so I can put whole leaves of kale in a smoothie and watch them turn into liquid. I like it better than juicing, because I get all of the fiber this way. Here is what I put in this smoothie: 1/5 a block of silken tofu, ~1 cup unsweetened soymilk, ~1/2 cup of orange juice (not from concentrate), ~1/4 cup frozen mango chunks, ~1/4 cup frozen berry mixture (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), and 1-1/2 cups of fresh kale. This smoothie was not as sweet as smoothies I usually make, but I want to cut down on my sugar intake. It is important to choose silken tofu for smoothies. It is a lot softer and creams very easily. 

Lunch: Hot Veggie Wrap.

I had some yellow squash, zucchini, and red bell pepper strips already washed and cut into bite-size chunks from a previous meal and wanted to use them before they turned bad. I heated the non-stick skillet on medium-high and added the vegetables. Once they started to get moist, I sprinkled garlic powder all over them, and then tossed them around to cook them through. In the remaining minute or two, I threw in about one tablespoon of fresh chopped basil. I then placed this heaping mound of veggie goodness on a tortilla made by Food For Life--their Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas--on which I had spread an even layer of hummus. I bought a low fat hummus prepared by Whole Foods Market's deli, and the ingredients are simply chickpeas, lemon powder, sea salt, citric acid, and garlic. I could taste the lemon powder, which I was not sure I'd like, but it actually added a welcomed zing to the dish. It was a very messy wrap--the next time I make it, I will drain the veggies on a paper towel before heaping them onto the tortilla. The water from the veggies poured out with every bite. Nevertheless, it was delicious and comfortably filling. 

Snack: 2 small Mandarin oranges.

Not much preparation here. Just peeled the little goobers and ate them. Yummy! A healthy sweet snack. 

Dinner: Cabbage Roll (and a slice of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter, because I started making dinner too late!) 

I have never, ever made cabbage rolls, and the last time I had one it had meat in it. The idea that they could be vegan-ized just sort of came to me the other day, and I had the time to give it a shot. For the filling, I used brown rice, asparagus spears cut into small rounds, chopped zucchini, chopped red bell peppers, chopped onions, chopped carrots, garlic, Spice Island's poultry seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, cayenne powder, a can of diced roasted tomatoes, black beans, and salt. I was planning to use lentils, but as I mentioned above, I got started late in the day, and this meal turned out to be a more time consuming meal than I had planned for.

Since I did not give much forethought to a sauce, I had to use a can of roasted tomatoes with chipotle peppers I had on hand, and so the black beans kind of become the better choice after all. I cooked the rice separately, using vegetable broth instead of water. In a non-stick skillet, I cooked the vegetables, and I also added some vegetable broth to that to keep them from sticking or getting too dry. Once the vegetables were cooked through, I added the beans and then wrapped them in the cabbage leaves. Luckily I Googled that part, because I learned that one must place the entire head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water to soften the leaves and keep them from ripping apart when peeled from the head. That was an adventure, I must say.

Oh, and I must not forget the little 1 serving size carton of Silk brand chocolate soymilk I had after lunch. I have a giant sweet tooth, so when I saw this at the store, I had to pick up a four pack. I wanted a full carton, but they only carried the single serving size. That's probably a good thing, because I might have had a lot more if I had the ability to pour my own size.  

And that's it. I did not weigh or measure (except in relation to creating tasty food recipes), I did not starve or deprive myself, and I felt great and never got to the point of ravenous hunger. I am still reading through two of Dr. Barnard's books--21- Day Weight Loss Kickstart and Breaking the Food Seduction. I will be getting more recipe ideas from his other book, The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook. 

Now on to day 2....