Saturday, January 16, 2010

The Vegan Challenge

Screw New Year's resolutions. I have never been a fan, rarely bother to make them and fully-aware that I will never keep them. The vegan challenge started January 11, 2010 and not because of a resolution I made.

It all started one night while I was shopping for a cookbook at 3:00 am. Sometimes I can't sleep, and when I get bored, I tend to surf the net in hope to bored myself into a short coma. I ended up reading a blog on vegan diets and while I have been vegetarian before I had never attempted the plunge into veganism.

The more I read, the more I thought maybe it was worth a try. I bought 3 new books on vegan cooking, subscribed to a couple of podcasts, and began researching this way of life.

As soon as I started to tell people that I was going to do this; the questions began: What will you eat? How do you get protein? What about iron? Are you sure this is Healthy? One thing I was sure of is that it would likely be healthier than the junk that I had been eating the past year.

I find it really interesting how people worry so much about not eating animal products as they sit there eating greasy junk food, sugary candy, and fatty meals. Eating vegan has the same issues as a meat-based diet. You can eat fresh, healthy food, as well as processed junky food.

So to ensure I would eat healthier I plan to base meals on four components: A protein, carbs, vegetables, and something sweet for a dessert. My biggest fear is no dairy. There are easy ways to substitute meat, but in my opinion there is no equal substitute for milk, cheese, and eggs.

This is why I decided one month to try out this new diet. It gives me time to detox off the dairy, try out a lot of new food and decide if it makes me feel better, worse or whatever.

I read the books, got advice from some vegans online, made a meal plan and I am ready to see what happens!

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