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. 

Hail Seitan: The Journey Begins (Part 3)

The third film Hubby and I watched on October 27, 2012, was the true eye-opener. Certain images I thought I could handle because of my background are forever burned into my mind.

Vegucated follows three New Yorkers as they switch--cold-turkey--from a diet of meat, cheese, and processed foods to a wholly vegan diet for six weeks. Again, I watched with interested skepticism. I'd heard the pro-vegan arguments in the past and frankly, discounted most of them. As I said in my previous posts, I grew up on a farm. I had no illusions as to where and how meat was harvested. (I'd like to take a moment here to state that I never personally took the life of any animal during my time on the farm. Yes, I witnessed it and helped with the process after the fact. For some this may be splitting hairs. At the time, it was simply a part of my life, but no longer.)

Hubby and I watched, and even laughed a bit, as the three new vegans struggled. When it came time to show some footage of how mass-market meat is gathered on big industrial farms to meet consumer demands, Hubby left the room. (He didn't grow up the way I did and is overly sensitive to graphic images.) I continued to watch. I was okay with the cows. The pigs were a little harder to watch. Then came the chickens. I started to squirm and feel a bit sick. Finally the film showed egg production...

I'll spare my readers the most graphic images. However, I can't continue sharing my journey without revealing some details of what I saw.

On my family's farm, we raised chickens. I mentioned this in my initial posting. We raised them for meat as well as eggs. However, they were free-range in the truest sense of the word. We didn't keep them cooped up, even at night. They roosted in cedar trees near our home. They roamed the yard and fields during the day. We kept no restrictions on them other than tracking where they laid their eggs so we could gather them. We fed them organic corn "chops" and made certain they had plenty of clean water. In fact, we did this for all of our animals--pets as well as livestock. We knew that if the animals were healthy, then the products they provided were healthy. It was a simple philosophy and it worked.

This is not Toughie. Unfortunately, no pictures survive of
my buddy. However, he looked very much like this little guy.

When I was about ten-years-old, one of our hens hatched a small brood when we failed to notice she'd taken to nesting. Unfortunately, most of then chicks were lost to predators along with the mother. Only one chick survived. Being a young child who'd grown up with animals, I adopted the little guy--a baby rooster I named "Toughie" because he was going to have to be tough to survive. I cared for Toughie. I fed him. Protected him. Worried about him when I climbed on the bus each morning for school. Every afternoon, I would run from the bus, calling for Toughie, and he'd come running--little feet kicking up tiny plumes of dust, chirping, and flapping his wings. I would hold my hand down for him. He'd hope into my palm and close his eyes, snuggling against the shelter of my cupped hands. Toughie and I were almost inseparable.

I still remember the day Toughie didn't meet me when I came home from school. I called for him. Searched the yard and the bushes along the fence row separating the yard from the fields. Then I found him...or what was left anyway. A predator had gotten him. It may sound stupid to cry over a chicken but Toughie was more than a farm animal destined for a table. He was a pet, a buddy. I still miss him even twenty-plus years later.

It was Toughie I thought of while watching the images of birds stuffed into small crates at industrial chicken farms. I thought of him as the film explained that male chicks are separated from the egg-laying females. Since the males are of no use to egg farmers, they are discarded--dumped into bins and left to die, or thrown  alive onto conveyor belts and "processed" for use in other products. It was this image--an image of a lost pet being callously discarded hundreds and even thousands of times a day that forced open the windows and doors of my mind. The hypocritical lunch I'd eaten no longer set well. The recently bought groceries in my kitchen screamed at me with the voices of the damned.

Hubby returned to the couch and we finished watching the film in silence. When it was over, I cried. I cried for Toughie, my long-lost pet rooster. I cried for the animals forced to live in horrible conditions to satisfy human desires. I cried for myself because I'd been blind to modern farming. It's no longer the small family operation like I knew. There is no respect for the animals. They're not living creatures. They're commodities...numbers...items to be tagged, bagged, and sold.

I knew at that point I couldn't continue as a closet carnivore. Hubby listened to me as I told him I needed to transition to vegan, not only for my health but for my sanity. I couldn't ignore the effect the film had on me. I'd been "Vegucated." Since watching these films, I've started transitioning to a plant-based diet. I'm reading labels in the store, something I didn't do much other than to scan for allergens. I'm passed the egg section with averted eyes. I avoid the meat department altogether. I spend more time in fresh produce. I scour the internet for vegan recipes.

Because I live in the South, vegan foods are hard to find and restaurants may accommodate vegetarians, to a degree, and vegans are labeled "crazy hippies." But, I'm determined to make the change. It's hard. I knew it would be from the start. That's why I started this blog. To document my efforts. To prove that if I can turn vegan in the South, then anyone can.

And thus, my journey begins and continues...

Fakin' the Bacon: The Journey Begins (Part 2)

My vegan awakening came slowly, at first, and then it slammed into me with force of a 20-pound pumpkin chunked by an oversized BB gun.

I gradually converted to an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. I simply couldn't see myself giving up eggs or my beloved cheddar cheese. My husband joined my new diet plan and everything was going well--for the first six months or so. Soon the Call of the Wild Cheddar Bacon Cheeseburger sounded throughout our home. We did our best to ignore it, but as often happens, stress and "I don't feel like cooking" and "We don't have time to cook" slipped back into our conversations. Fresh fruits and veggies were passed over for paper wrappers and fried, dyed, glued, and processed "foods." We had fallen off the turnip truck and rolled back into the world of beef, bacon, and barbecue.

And our health was starting to reflect it. Hubby's blood pressure shot up to dangerous levels. Mine rose slightly but my blood sugar levels were in wild flux. We both gained back weight we'd been so proud to lose. We felt sick. Tired. Unhealthy. To make matters even worse, during our reversion, we told friends and family we were still actively working on switching to vegetarianism. But we were closet carnivores, greedily eating animal flesh in private. We even made a joke of it: "What are we having for dinner tonight? Hypocrisy on a bun!" Our efforts to "lighten" the moment didn't work. We were hypocrites. We knew it--and we loathed ourselves for it.

I knew I needed to change my diet, not just because I hated myself for my inability to control my cravings for meat, but I needed to change to save my life. Obesity runs in my family, as do diabetes, heart attacks, and some forms of cancer. I was in deep denial about my health, and my husband wasn't far behind me regarding his own. We both needed a wake up call.

As it turns out, we got three...

On October 27, Hubby and I were sitting on the couch, bored, and flipping through the available movie options on Netflix. We came across Forks Over Knives, which "examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods." We were intrigued. Maybe this would be the kick in the ass we needed to get back on track. We watched it...and we were impressed...and a little shocked...and a little disturbed. Could we reverse our health issues by changing our diets? Were we slowing killing ourselves simply because we'd been brainwashed from an early age to believe animals were the only proper source of protein?

Being the educated people Hubby and I believed ourselves to be, we searched for other films. Next on our list was Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I wasn't convinced that I could survive 60 days--or even 7 days--on a pure juice diet. I continued watching with skepticism until Phil Staples, a 429-pound truck driver, melted in front of me on the screen. Maybe there was something to this planet-based diet, whether you incorporated juicing or not.

The wheels in my head were turning. Windows were opening. Light was returning. I was willing to accept that vegetarianism was a viable option. But I still wanted my cheese...and eggs...and maybe the occasional bacon strip.

Hubby and I took a lunch break before moving on to our third film. What did we have? Hot dogs made from Angus beef. At least that's what the label said. Yep. We'd just watched to documentaries on how processed foods could kill us, and we were bellying up to the table for some hypocrisy on a bun. (I should note that these were the last hotdogs from a single pack, and I was taught not to waste food as a child. I can happily report, however, no hotdogs have crossed our threshold--or our lips--since October 27, 2012.)

Lunch sat in our stomachs like twin ghosts of Jacob Marley dragging leaden chains and bemoaning past sins. And, like a couple of Scrooges, Hubby and I tired to ignore the guilt gnawing at us. To distract us, we switched on the third film, and like Scrooge facing the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future, our fate was sealed...

Pass the Bacon and Diet Coke: The Journey Begins (Part 1)

Like most journeys, mine has humble beginnings. I was raised on a small family farm in Mississippi. We grew most of the food we needed--vegetables, fruits, and yes, animals. At any given time, my family had cows for meat and milk. Chickens also served dual table purpose (meat and eggs) in addition to keep down the flea, tick, and insect population around the house. (Our chickens were definitely free-range in every sense of the term.) Other livestock included pigs and goats, and a well-stocked pond of catfish, bass, and brim. The yearly gardens yielded corn, peas, beans, peanuts, greens, squash, tomatoes... just about anything you can find in the grocery store. Peach and pear trees were great for fresh fruit and climbing. Wild plums made the best jelly, as did the wild blackberries and huckleberries. Blueberries were always in cobblers with freshly churned ice cream. Living in the land of beef, bacon, and lard, I didn't give much thought to what I ate beyond whether I liked the taste or not.

Even after I left home and married the love of my life, I kept my childhood eating habits. For me, hamburgers were yummy; broccoli was yucky. And, let's not even discuss Brussels sprouts and zucchini. Steak. Chicken. Fish. Pork. Eggs. For thirty-plus blissful years, this was my world.

Then my world shattered.

In March 2010, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I'm sorry to say it wasn't a great shock. By this time I was consuming more carbs and processed sugars than even my beloved animal proteins. I literally lived by the phrase "Not a veggie in sight." I wasn't blind to the damage I was doing to my body. I simply didn't think about the consequences. Diabetes was something that happened to "other people." Now I was the "other person," and I didn't like it.

I went to classes to learn to be diabetic. I learned not all carbs are bad. I learned portion control and moderation. The importance of protein--specifically lean meats--to offset the carbs were stressed. I also learned about "free" foods: vegetables with so little carb content that I could eat as many as I wanted and not feel guilty. This is when a light flickered in my brain. If these veggies are "free," why not simply eat more of them to keep my blood sugar in check?

Vegetarianism sparked my interest. I'd known some vegetarians in my life and none of them were overweight. Since I needed to lose a lot of weight (and sadly, still do) I researched the variations, and immediately discounted veganism as too extreme. Remember, I grew up on a farm. In Mississippi. Sweet tea was a religion, and bacon was a food group unto itself. Making a change wasn't going to be easy. However, I was determined and finally settled on ovo-lacto vegetarianism as the best match. (Basically, I could eat veggies, fruits, healthy carbs, and the occasional egg or dairy product.) My husband agreed to join me on this new venture, and we eagerly embraced it.

Several months later, we were sitting at Five Guys Burgers and munching barbecue bacon cheeseburgers and fries. Hey, I had a Diet Coke so I thought I was keeping in line with my new diabetic menu... sort of. I won't say our efforts were futile or a failure. I was eating more veggies and fruit than I had in the past thirty-odd years, but animal protein was still a part of my diet and it was becoming a larger and larger part. Carbs and refined sugar were also creeping back into my food. And the scale was reflecting it. My initial success with vegetarianism--dropping an amazing 53 pounds!--was reversing. I was gaining back the weight. My blood sugars were on the rise. Stress was making me overeat, and I was falling back into old habits.

Fast forward a year or so to October 2012. By this time I'd been yoyoing with my weight and had worn out the same ten pounds--lose, gain, lose, gain, gain, lose, lose, no change, gain... The cycle was endless. I was driving myself insane. Something had to give. Vegetarianism was still a viable option but I didn't know how to break the stranglehold meat had on me. I'd been raised to believe that if we weren't meant to eat animals then they wouldn't be so damn tasty when battered, buttered, fried, and grilled. Also, like most Americans, I believed that animal protein was the best source of protein. I was warring with myself and both sides were losing.

It was at this point that I had my vegan awakening...