So, this might be hard to believe...but Nathan and I are attempting to go vegan...for a week. We vowed to eat a vegan diet for a week and then evaluate how we felt about it. I want to see if I feel healthier, more energized, not as sluggish, etc. I will have to post the results, I am a little nervous about making a big commitment, but if we feel much better eating this way, we would be silly not to!
This all started this weekend when we went to our friends house for dinner. I had been noticing that my friend Lindsay had been pinning vegan recipes on pinterest, so when we made plans for dinner, I asked her if she had "converted" and if we needed to make a vegan meal. She said that if we wanted to try to eat vegan that would work, but they were fine with eating "normal" every once in a while also. I agreed to give it a shot, I was curious to see how hard it really would be to come up with a yummy meal that was vegan-approved. When we got there, she offered us some vegan peanut butter cups and cookie dough dip that were SO yummy. It was weird though, because after we ate them, we didn't get that all-too-familiar lethargic feeling that comes after eating mass quanities of sugar...because there wasn't added sugar! The peanut butter cups were using natural peanut butter, and the cookie dough dip was made out of chickpeas (and yes, it actually was delicious). For dinner, we had macaroni and "cheese" (the cheese was made from veggies & cashews bleneded together) and sweet potato fries with pumpkin spice ice cream (made with coconut and almond milk) for dessert. I promise you that had I had the vegan macaroni and cheese side-by-side with the regular stuff, I could hardly have told a difference! Lindsay said that since eating vegan she has felt more energized, is running 6 miles (wow!), and has even lost weight! With a testimonial like that, how could I not try it?!?
When we got home, I asked Nathan how he would feel about going vegan. We both agreed that we would try it for a week - I mean really commit to following it, no cheats allowed, and then decide. Even if we do decide to eat vegan...we won't be pretentious about it, I promise. In social situations where it would be awkward to say "we don't eat animal products" we will probably cheat a little, and of course on special occassions. I suggested maybe doing one "normal" day a week...or even one "normal" meal a week...but we will make up our mind once we decide on if we want to really pursue this or not.
I have been reading The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone that Lindsay let me borrow and I have really learned a lot about nutrition and even (Nathan told me not to talk to people about this because I would seem like a nut) animal cruelty. Right now, the vegan decision is based primarily on my health, but if I can help animals in the meantime...great!
To be honest with you, the thing that is holding me back from really committing is my love of cooking and my dream of having a catering business. I think that I just need to have the attitude that if I eat 90% healthy and then sample my treats 10% of the time...I will be doing good. Did I tell you guys that I am in week two of the Gourmet Cooking & Catering Management program at Ashworth College? Well, I am, and I'm loving it!
Anyways, here is today's vegan menu - maybe this will help you realize that it really can be enjoyable and delicious!
Breakfast: Mom's Best Oat & Honey Blend Naturals Cereal with 1 cup of Silk Original Pure Almond Milk
Snack: Pear
Lunch: Boca Spicy "Chicken" Patty and 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
Snack: Banana Bread flavor Lara Bar
Dinner: Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
Snack: Peanut Butter Babies
I'll keep you posted on how the week assessment goes!
