Week 3: The Importance of Being Prepared

So, although I didn't keep track of week 2's breakfasts with blog posts, I did have a great week of eating interesting and delicious vegan foods. I think I started detoxing and was pretty tired last week, and my mind was really foggy, which is probably the reason why I didn't manage to blog every morning! Anyway, I will be better this week, because I really thinking the blog has helped me to stay on track. All of that aside, I ended up having a bunch of foods yesterday that normally would have been treats to me - hot chocolate (nonvegan), tea sandwiches with cream cheese, maracoons and pizza with cheese and sausage. I felt a little like indulging in what I thought would be yummy stuff (even though I knew they were not "kind" foods), but I ended up feeling so sick by the end of the night... bloated (I never used to feel like this!), heartburn-y, and head-achey. Ugh! So, that sure showed me - after nearly 2 weeks of eating great yummy healthy foods, my body totally rejected this gross stuff I put into it, and I won't soon do that again.

Next time, I think it would be helpful to keep sweets somewhat on hand to indulge without totally giving in to the crap, and also to bring food to parties to share and to make sure I eat how I want to eat. (Yesterday, at a Lost viewing party, I brought Malibu Monkey lemonade and macaroons from Chocolate Box Cafe.... sooo good, but I should have brought something more substantive for myself).

I think I also have to be wary of eating anything with white or cane sugar.... I'm such a sugar addict! I need to try out some of the brown rice syrup recipes so I can have some sweets without totally going on a sugar meltdown.

Week 1: Saturday Breakfast

Okay, so I woke up really hungry and craving something sort of indulgent. Unfortunately I didn't really prepare anything in advance, so I cut some corners. I made myself a quick bowl of oatmeal while I attempted to create a modified waffle recipe. We had Bisquik, but I decided I didn't want to mess around with bleached white flour, so I followed the Biskquik baking instructions using organic unrefined flour, some almond milk, some orange marmalade and, mistaking it for olive oil, some white truffle oil! (Ooops). The truffle oil made it pretty savory, but the consistency of the waffles was tough and chewy, and I think I can definitely improve up this. It tasted okay, but it was too sweet of a meal overall, and I should have balanced it with more veggies and maybe some veggie bacon or something along the lines of protein. Anyway, it wasn't terrible, but it did remind me to stay on track while I was eating and drinking at a wedding later that afternoon.

Week 1: Friday Breakfast

Today was a sort of dismal breakfast - in a rush, and all I could grab was some toasted cinnamon raisin bread with orange marmalade. It tasted good, but not very filling or balanced. I also had some baby carrots in the car. Still, I've been on track so far this week; I think writing about my breakfast really helps me stay in tune to my eating habits. I've been eating vegan now for 6 days, and pretty healthy at that! (Not like a gummy bear-only diet).

I made a really excellent ginger tofu dish and a bok choy salad one night this week...check out the photos below. It took a while for the tofu to marinate and for the rice to cook, but overall, it was delicious! Really, I will make this again. I think the key to eating according to "the kind diet" is preparing in advance (so you don't have to wait an hour before your food is ready to eat) and taking the time to cook flavorful, interesting meals. If all I ate was rice and beans every night, I would hate eating! (Even though I love both rice and beans). Eating is supposed to be enjoyable, and I have to say, so far the times I've made one of Alicia Silverstone's recipes, I've been really happy with the results. (Check out her book The Kind Diet for the recipe). I'm ready for the weekend for some more food experimenting!

Week 1: Thursday Breakfast

I missed posting about this yesterday, but I had a nice modified "oatmeal" breakfast. I had a lot of leftover rice, and just added my usual maple syrup, apples, cinnamon, walnuts & flaxseed oil... very good! It was cold, though, so not ideal.

Bobs, Poodle Skirts, Acid Wash Jeans, and Peas

Today for lunch I brought some leftover brown rice and black beans, and a handful of English peas. Growing up, we grew peas on the vine in my backyard. I don't know if they were specifically "English" or not, but I always used to eat them pod and all. When I bit into one of these English pea pods that I brought, it was so tough and not at all chewable! So of course I googled the proper way to eat these. What I found, in addition to learning that the pods are best eaten when steamed, was delightful! Peas have an under-publicized pop history, according to Leah A. Zeldes of Dining Chicago. She writes:

They were mainly used dried until the 17th century, when green peas became all the rage in the French court as Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, wrote in 1696: “This subject of peas continues to absorb all others, the anxiety to eat them, the pleasure of having eaten them and the desire to eat them again, are the three great matters which have been discussed by our princes for four days past. Some ladies, even after having supped at the Royal table and well supped too, returning to their own homes at the risk of suffering from indigestion, will again eat peas before going to bed. It is both a fashion and a madness.”

When was the last time a vegetable was all the rage! Too funny.

Week 1: Wednesday Breakfast

This morning I got up a little earlier and made the totally delicious oatmeal that I tested out on Sunday. It is SO filling, and SO sweet! I made it the same way I did Sunday, but I'm thinking I can start lessening my use of maple syrup as I don't normally use that anyway. (Are there health benefits to maple syrup?) I accidentally doused my bowl of steaming oats a bit too much with flaxseed oil, but I think I'll live. Flaxseed oil is apparently good to have daily, so since I don't think I had any yesterday or the day before, I should be nicely provided for! Here's what the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says about flaxseed oil as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids:

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important in the normal functioning of all tissues of the body. Deficiencies are responsible for a host of symptoms and disorders including abnormalities in the liver and kidney, changes in the blood, reduced growth rates, decreased immune function, depression, and skin changes, including dryness and scaliness. Adequate intake of the essential fatty acids results in numerous health benefits. Prevention of atherosclerosis, reduced incidence of heart disease and stroke, and relief from the symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis, menstrual pain, and joint pain have also been documented.^{2,3, 4}

It is important for vegetarians to include foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids on a daily basis. Alpha-linolenic acid, a common omega-3 fatty acid, is found in many vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruits. The best source of alpha-linolenic acid is flaxseeds or flaxseed oil.

While supplements and added oils are not typically necessary in the vegetarian diet, good sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fats should be included daily. It is important to take these two fats in the proper ratio as well. Omega-6 fatty acids compete with omega-3 fatty acids for use in the body, and therefore excessive intake of omega-6 fatty acids can be a problem. The U.S. diet has become heavy in omega-6 fats and low in omega-3 fats, secondary to a reliance on processed foods and oils. It is necessary to balance this by eating a low-fat diet that is low in processed foods and with fat mainly coming from omega-3 fatty acids.

I used Spectrum's Organic Flaxseed Oil, and it added a barely perceptible nutty flavor, which was nice!

New Start!

Lately I've been drinking peppermint tea and it is so refreshing! It's cooling and apparently good for digestion. I don't have any digestive problems, but it's supposed to support natural detox.

Detox is definitely a big trend right now in the health and wellness industry, but I haven't found a definitive system yet - some companies hawk their pills and teas, some are all about dry skin brushing and saunas, some are about foot baths and massage - still others about colonics, natural diets and fasting.

The idea of the body healing itself is an interesting one - one that I've come across recently both as it relates to detoxing and in the book Skinny Bitch...

I liked that book b/c they really opened my eyes about a lot of problems in the American food system. I have always been aware of the poorly treated animals and things, and have considered going vegetarian, but I never really realized that the poor cows that give us milk and the chickens that give us eggs also endure terrific agonies as well. I sort of just figured that if the product wasn't at one point sentient, it was okay. Well, I wasn't looking far enough into the situation.

Anyways, I would like to come up with a health and socially conscious way of eating that is actually doable. It's hard to sustain a vegan diet on a low budget and it's even harder when I don't plan in advance where, what and how I'm going to eat.