Day 2: Feed Me, Seymour!

Challenge Day 2 - December 8

So far, so good. It's strange. Only one day into the vegan transformation and I already feel...lighter. I haven't felt the need to remain within 10 feet of the coffee pot all day. Many days I'm ready for a nap around 3:30 in the afternoon. I didn't nap yesterday or today. Even after laundry, I still felt energized. Undoubtedly this is a placebo effect. Either that or I was in worse shape than I thought when I started this process.

Steamed Vegetable & Rice Medley
"It's so...green!"

Regardless, I discovered it helps to plan a menu for the week when transitioning to a new diet. It helps me to not only stick to the plan but to know what to cook and when and how much will be available for leftovers. This afternoon I created a new recipe: Steamed Vegetable & Rice Medley. (See the Recipe section.) It was the result of having left over steamed broccoli when I made a salad for lunch. I tossed the remains in a bowl along with a bunch of other steamed and raw veggies, some brown and wild rice, tossed it all with Thai peanut sauce, and shoved it in the fridge to chill for dinner. It was awesome! It was great as a complete meal, and I have no doubts it would be an equally great filler for lettuce wraps. Plus, I have plenty of leftovers for both lunch and dinner tomorrow. Woot!

One discovery I've made is exactly how much I love my green vegetables. Especially broccoli. *Homer Simpson doughnut drool* Not so long ago I hated broccoli. I ridiculed it as a tree trying to pass for a vegetable in the grocery store. (I still think it looks like a tree, and cauliflower looks like braaaaaaaaaainsssss!!!) I know it's not a tree, but I avoided eating it because I didn't like it as a child.

Then I tried it.

And I liked it.

In fact, I loved it!

Now the smell of freshly steamed broccoli makes my mouth water. Add a little vegan butter and I'm good. Toss the steamed or raw florets on a salad and I'm in heaven. Stir-fried broccoli is nirvana. I can't eat enough of it. I would have it with almost every meal if I could. Broccoli for breakfast would be a bit much though.

I've also discovered a fondness for cucumbers. Granted, I prefer them pickled but fresh cucumbers are growing on me. I no longer object to their presence in my salad. It's the same with tomatoes but to a lesser degree. I'm still adjusting to the concept of non-ketchupized tomatoes. I don't mind chunks in sauces or slices on sandwiches, but biting into a ripe tomato like an apple is still beyond my vegan abilities at this point.

Another veggie that's found a new role in my diet is the humble sweet potato. I've always been a potato lover but it was the starchy white variety. I remember with great delight the "taters and white sauce" my mother made when I was a kid. We planted potatoes every year and the first crop was always honored by being the main attraction in a dinner that usually consisted of "new" red potatoes in a white milk-based gravy, fresh green beans, and corn bread. Ooooooooooooooo.....those were some of the best meals. No way would they pass for vegan despite the lack of H.A.F on the plate.

But I never really like sweet potatoes. Once again, I'd tried them as a child and it set up a lifetime of sour faces when presented with the strange orange tuber posing as a potato. My adult taste buds, however, appreciated the subtle flavors once I gave sweet potatoes another chance. Other veggies followed: acorn squash, asparagus, parsnips, beets, radishes... Whole new worlds are opening before me.

This veggie has the evil.

There are a few green veggies that still make me a little gun shy. Kale tops the list. Tried it as a kid. Hated it. Turnip greens. Blech. Brussels sprouts. I can look at them without thinking of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. Zucchini.

Ugh...

Zucchini falls into a special category. It's the devil vegetable. Mark says that one day I'll like it. I say Hell will not only freeze over but Lucifer will be selling tickets for "Demons on Ice" before I'll eat zucchini.

Demonic veggies aside, the greatest lesson I've learned today has been that you can't say you'll never like something unless you try it. I recently learned that it takes approximately 12 times of introducing a new food to a baby/small child before they accept or reject it. I'm like a small child right now. Exploring this new green world one small bite at a time.

Day 1: Yes, It's Vegan

Day 1 of The Challenge - December 7

If you're unfamiliar with veganism--as I was until just a few short months ago--you probably think it's all about salads and tofu. Yes, tofu is a part of the diet. It's a great source of protein, calcium, and vitamin E. It's low in fat and can be flavored in an infinite number of ways. Also, tofu has shown it can help to lower bad cholesterol and even play a role in reducing the risk for cancer.

Firm tofu

However, there is still one small hurdle. It looks like a white semi-gelatinous block of space goo. For the record, I haven't braved the Mysteries of Tofu. I have eaten Tofurky, and it was great. I've also tried and like many soy-based products. (I'm in love with vanilla Silk brand soy milk...and chocolate...and chocolate mint.) But, aside from the milk, I didn't have any soy on Day 1.

In researching my path to full veg-head status, I discovered a handy list issued by PETA. Surprisingly some of my favorite foods are considered "accidentally vegan*," meaning they contain no eggs, dairy or dairy by products, or other animal-based products like gelatin. (* PETA notes on their site that some products considered "accidentally vegan" may contain trace amounts of animal-derived products, such as milk. However, for someone like me who's in the initial phases of the vegan transition, these products are a great help.)

Did you know Oreo cookies and (my personal fave) Nutter Butter cookies are vegan? Yep. They are. Check out their ingredient lists:

Nabisco Oreo Cookies Ingredients: SUGAR, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), HIGH OLEIC CANOLA OIL AND/OR PALM OIL AND/OR CANOLA OIL, AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), VANILLIN - AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CHOCOLATE. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY.

Nabisco Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies Ingredients: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, PEANUT BUTTER (PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROGENATED RAPSEED AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR SOYBEAN OILS, SALT), SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR PALM OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, GRAHAM FLOUR (WHOLE GRAN WHEAT FLOUR), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CORNSTARCH, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), VANILLIN - AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. CONTAINS: WHEAT, PEANUT, SOY.

Note: Just because it's vegan--even if it's accidental--doesn't mean it's good for you. I'm posting these to show that going vegan isn't as difficult as some people, including myself, think it is. Want examples of some other popular products you probably didn't know where vegan?

Enjoy Ritz crackers with peanut butter? Yep, the crackers are vegan.

Like hot chocolate? Feel free to indulge in Ghirardelli Chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Mocha, or Double Chocolate. Just don't add marshmallows. They contain gelatin. (Unless it's a vegan marshmallow. Yes, they exist.)

My Spicy Red Beans and Rice
(Recipe coming soon!)

Wondering what to have for breakfast? Try Kellogg's Special K Red Berries cereal, Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal (Maple & Brown Sugar flavor), or even Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch if you still like to eat like a kid. These are all vegan! Simply substitute soy, almond, rice, or coconut milk for cow's milk. (By the way, the Red Berries cereal with vanilla-flavored soy milk it like eating strawberries and cream with a crunchy topping. Sooooooooooooo good--I'm addicted!)

See? It's really not a huge stretch to go vegan or at least incorporate more plant-based dishes into your menu. As for me and Day 1 of the Challenge, I enjoyed Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch cereal with vanilla soy milk in the morning, had a great lunch of hummus and veggies (raw carrots and cucumber) and whole wheat pita bread followed by a banana and some mandarin orange slices, an afternoon snack of a Luna bar and mint chocolate soy milk, and a fabulous dinner of spicy red beans and rice.

Challenge Accepted

Well, the Mayan Apocalypse was a total bust. Since it appears the world will keep turning for now, I have to get serious about changing my life. To that end I've issued a challenge to my Darling Husband, Mark

Challenge: Vegan Diet vs. USANA Reset Program

Start date: January 7, 2013

End date: April 7, 2013

Details: Mark will follow the USANA Reset Program for 12 weeks. For the same time period, I will follow a traditional vegan diet. We'll both find ways to exercise and submit to weekly weigh-ins. We'll also both be blogging about our experiences, our triumphs, and our tribulations. (Mark will spill his guts here: My Journey with USANA) The one who loses the most weight at the end of the 12 weeks will be treated -- at the loser's expense -- to a movie of her/his choice.

Oh, yeah...he's going down. I'm a super competitive person. I love to win. (Who doesn't?) But this challenge isn't about winning -- it's about losing. Specifically weight. And old habits. And being accountable not only to someone else but also to oneself. You see, I've sadly slipped from my previous commitment to eat a more vegan diet. While I've largely conformed to a vegetarian diet, I have partaken of the Heathen Animal Flesh. (If it's any consolation, I was really conflicted about it.) 

However, in partaking of the H.A.F., I also allowed myself to slip into the trap of "sampling" other forbidden fruits. Okay, they weren't fruits but cookies...and cakes...and pies. Yes, it was the holidays and there should be some leeway for such "indulgences" but let's not forget I'm also diabetic. Sampling the carb-laden delicacies of the holidays isn't the best idea. Sure I pay for it with a few spikes in blood sugar here and there but how much long-term damage am I causing my body? Plus, by eating H.A.F. and Forbidden Non-Fruits  I've added to a potential cholesterol issue, added a few extra pounds, and compounded the guilt/self-esteem issues I've struggled with my entire life. 

So...I'm spending the next 12 weeks complying to a healthy, nutritional vegan diet in the fried heart of the deep south. I'm swearing off H.A.F. and Forbidden Non-Fruits. I'm getting off my fat butt and exercising. All because I want to win -- not just the competition with Mark but I want to win back my life. 

Check back frequently. I'll try to post daily during the Challenge.