The Kind Diet

I bought Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet after discovering her great online community The Kind Life, and am totally on board. I've been "flirting" with going vegan for a few years now, but am ready to take the plunge for real. Today I'm starting 4 weeks of plant-only eating. The things that I usually succumb to are butter, cheese, chocolate, and bread. I'm going to simply seek out vegan alternatives instead of totally depriving myself, because that's not what this "diet" is about. It's about embracing all the wonderful gifts nature provides, celebrating life's blessings, being happy, taking care of myself and doing my part to make the world better for everyone and everything in it by making informed decisions.

After four weeks, I'll see where I'm at and throw myself a little party! I don't rely on too many processed foods, so hopefully the jump to full on "superhero" will be easy and gradual after that. I have no problem eating lots of whole grains and beans, but I need to try to eat more veggies than I already do, and keep fruits as occasional snacks rather than a big basis for my diet. What will be new for me is all the sea vegetables and exotic-sounding foods that are commonly used in eastern cuisine. I'm an adventurous eater, though, so this should be fun!

I plan to post what I eat for breakfast everyday with pictures so that I can 1) remind myself of my commitment daily, 2) start each day off on the right foot, 3) share that healthy, "kind" eating can be easy and delicious, and 4) track my progress! I hope this will be beneficial to others as well, since making small changes, even if only at breakfast, is a great way for us all to make a positive impact. I will of course use the same principles that inform my breakfast choices for the rest of my meals, but I don't want food to completely take over my blog!