Tofurky, Veganism & Perimenopause, And A Shrinking Appetite

I would like to start by apologizing to the makers of Tofurky, Turtle Island Foods, Inc. After reading how soy isolates can lead to cancer and that they are commonly used in meat alternatives, I publicly announced I would no longer eat Tofurky products. Unfortunately, I assumed all meat alternative products used that as an ingredient without looking into the ingredients used in Tofurky products. They do not use soy isolates, and as they say under the "our story" tab on their website: "For soy proteins we rely on products like tofu and soybeans, which we believe are more wholesome, better textured and more environmentally friendly than high tech, hexane-extracted soy powders, isolates and concentrates." 

 Tonight  I will be using Tofurky Italian Sausage in my spaghetti. I have tried this one as well as the Kielbasa, the Hickory Smoked Deli Slices, and even the Italian Sausage Pizza (which sadly I cannot find in the stores near our current residence). The sausages do cook well on the grill, which is great when attending a BBQ where cow and pig are on the menu. I have not tried a product of theirs that I did not like, and I am thrilled to learn that they take such pride in creating a quality product. 

Now to switch gears a little, I need to discuss female health. Since switching to a vegan diet a little over two months ago, I have noticed a lot of my perimenopause/ PMS symptoms lessen by a lot. No, I cannot say they are all gone, but they are improving. In February, just before I started the vegan diet, I had a little over two weeks of immensely high anxiety. I was following a vegetarian diet, but I was still eating dairy. So, in my opinion a vegetarian diet is OK, but vegan is better. And by "OK," I mean it is nice as far as intentions go, but if you want better health, vegan is the way.

Dr. Neal Barnard says in his books that a vegan diet lowers a woman's overall estrogen levels. As the normal estrogen and progesterone hormonal cycle has peaks and valleys, lowering one's estrogen levels helps to create less of a drop when estrogen levels naturally lower just before menses. My vegan diet is still in its infancy, really, and I believe that over time the perimenopause/ PMS symptoms will be further reduced. Time will tell. 

Hormonal or not, another interesting benefit I have recently noticed is that my appetite is shrinking. When I first started the vegan diet, I was coming off a low calorie (deprivation) weight loss diet, and I was ravenous. I loved how the message from doctors Barnard, McDougall, Esselstein, and Campbell was to eat until fully satisfied and to not weigh or measure my food. Done and done! I stuffed my face and either lost or maintained my weight, but now I find I am full on less food and feel hungry less often. 

Here are some baked potato fries I can barely finish (just one potato):

I washed and cut the potato, placed the pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and sprinkled with garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. I then baked them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit. The outsides come out nice and crispy, which I love! 

This is whole wheat pasta with red bell peppers, zucchini, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, sundried tomatoes, potatoes, and spinach. As usual, I just cooked the vegetables in a pan with vegetable broth. When they are cooked, I add the beans for a few minutes, and then add the mix to the pasta. It is low fat, nutritious, and delicious!

A fun dessert I recently tried while craving something sweet to enjoy on a nearly 100-degree hot day was this:

If you like ice cream, you will like this. It was very creamy, perfectly sweet, and it did not have that funky coconut flavor other products made with coconut milk tend to have. Nothing against coconut milk, but for people looking for a dairy alternative that is close in taste and texture, I believe this one is the best.

Now on with Day Sixty-five...