| MVE: My Experiment, My Rules |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 11 June 2009 21:34 |
|
Since beginning my vegan experiment many people have asked "Why?" Obviously for many, being a vegan or following a vegan style of eating is no big deal. There are people that have been eating this way their entire lives with no second thought about it. Unfortunately, at least here in the United States, there is a large portion of the population that has difficulty eating properly for whatever reason, and some of those wouldn't even consider trying a vegan style of eating. I don't fall into either of these categories. I normally eat a healthy diet, getting all of my nutrients from whole foods. At least I think I do, I don't have any symptoms of malnutrition or show signs of any particular vitamin or mineral deficiencies. I will admit that I don't always get my five to seven servings of vegetables a day, and when I do it's probably from eating four or more servings at dinnertime. So I decided a few months ago that I would give this experiment a try, just for 30 days to see how I could handle it and how my body would react, if at all. I'm basically doing it because I can, and to satisfy my curiosity. I picked June because it is prime produce season, compared to, lets say, January. Going into this I figured my biggest challenges would be giving up meat, and not being able to eat enough to stay satisfied. So far neither of these has been an issue.Of course the topic of protein always comes up, followed by "You're eating lots of tofu and soy, right?" Practically everyone is baffled when I tell them that I am having no soy products other than edamame (which I haven't had yet, need to go buy some). No soy milk, no imitation meat substitutes, tempeh, or tofu. This leads to the next "WHY??" My response is that if I consume soy products there will be no challenge to the whole experiment. I would easily be able to reach my protein goals daily if I was drinking soy milk, eating soy and texturized vegetable protein patties and tofu. I want this to be challenging to see how well I can handle the somewhat limited choices compared to a modern day omnivore that is not fully aware of, or concerned with the impact that eating has on health and fitness. So I've established the following rules: 1. No soy products other than edamame. 2. No nut butters- peanut, almond, cashew, etc. 3. No bread, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal, tortillas, corn chips, oatmeal or other grains. 4. No beer or any other alcohol. 5. Limited processed foods, so no prepared pasta sauce, salsa or frozen or prepackaged vegan meals, no bars of any sort, including Lara Bars. I am having roasted nuts, and roasted seeds, my orange juice has been pasteurized, and the beans (legumes) that I am eating are canned. I have also added canned coconut milk. So basically I'm eating a bird diet, minus the bugs. Only fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes. I have not once felt deprived of anything. On about the third day or so I was thinking this is going to be too unpleasant and I was wishing I had not told anyone of my intentions so I could go back to my normal eating patterns. So far only once have I had to catch myself before putting a "Banned" substance in my mouth. As I was pouring a bowl of cereal for my son, Anthony, a piece fell from the box onto the table. Normally I would have picked the piece up and eaten it, which I almost did, out of habit, but I caught myself, so I didn't. It's all about discipline.
|
