Vegan Thanksgiving 2008

Last year  around this time I read the following article, Vegetarians and the Challenge of Thanksgiving, on Newsweek.com. It was one of the site’s top reads that week. The article was irritating and the comments infuriating. The first comment begins and I quote directly (typos included):

Factory farming….you find one or two cases of abuse and point your fingers and say that is how it is everywhere, Its all like that…

…Most animals are farm raised, at least around here. raised in pastures, coops and large pens. You can go there and talk to them and see how there feeling today. Since you feel they can talk or you can tell by looking at them how they “feel”.

Much misunderstanding and misinformation about vegetarianism. Mix this with family and the fun begins. Ha.

I have had my own difficult moments at family holidays. Who hasn’t? The first Christmas I was vegan, I spent it at my brother’s house. Because I didn’t want to put anyone out, I whipped up a pasta dish and vegan dip to contribute. I thought I was being thoughtful and in my heart I know I was. But that was not how it was perceived.

Upon arrival, I entered the kitchen with my vegan food and said to my brother, “I brought a pasta dish to share. And some dip too.”

“Why? Isn’t my food good enough for you?,” he asked.

Why the attitude? I was miffed. What did I do wrong, I asked myself. I did what every vegan book and article suggested. Bring a tasty vegan dish to share. I didn’t even include tofu. Didn’t want to scare anyone. Yet no one touched it except my mom.

It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago (almost four years later) that I understand the real issue. One of my sisters mentioned my brother was offended that year when I brought my own food. “Why,” I asked. He was offended not because I was vegan, but they (my sister-in-law and him) had worked so hard on preparing a big meal for everyone. They took pride in this effort. Yet I was so wrapped up in “being vegan” and holding on to assumptions (because my brother is a hunter and avid meat eater) that it was a day destined for disaster.

I am almost certain he would have preferred I had called to let them know I had special dietary requirements. My sister-in-law always and so generously prepared special food for me when I was a vegetarian. By assuming they wouldn’t want to accommodate my vegan needs (which I interpreted to be too difficult and I didn’t speak up and ask — ironic that I now write a blog claiming being vegan is easy!), I hurt their feelings. I should have never assumed anything. I should have called and asked if I could bring something to help out. Now I am certain they would have been happy to accommodate my needs.

Needless to say, this isn’t my favorite Christmas memory. The day was tension-filled from the get-go. Looking back, I know I could have prevented it.

Being vegan does have its challenges. It’s a balancing act — getting along peacefully with others and at the same time standing grounded in our beliefs. Communication is the key. At the very least,  it can prevent incorrect assumptions.

I write this in hopes that everyone enjoys the holidays this year and that if there are challenges to be had, they will at least be unrelated to food. Happy holidays!

P.S. For Thanksgiving recipe ideas, check out A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving, and this healthy version of Pumpkin Pie from the Disease Proof blog is what I’m bringing to the table this Thanksgiving.

Silk brand yogurt at Whole Foods

January 1, 2010 will mark my five year anniversary as a vegan. Becoming vegan wasn’t a new year’s resolution for me but January 1 is an excellent time to make a fresh start. So over the next few weeks (or months), I want to focus on vegan substitutions. Experimenting with these foods makes becoming veg much easier. You just have to know the products available and find the ones you like.

Let’s start with yogurt because a friend recently asked me if there was a vegan yogurt. Of course, there is! Vegan yogurt is readily available at Whole Foods and other natural food stores. Several brands are available. Ask your local supermarket to carry vegan yogurt. As I have mentioned before, I found soy ice cream at my local Dominick’s. If they are willing to carry vegan ice cream, it’s likely they would consider selling non-dairy yogurt as well.

Soy yogurt tastes very much like milk-made yogurt. You can cook with it just like dairy products. Last night I used vanilla-flavored in a cupcake recipe. There is also a newer coconut milk yogurt available by So Delicious.

A word of caution: Watch out for soy products containing non-vegan probiotics. If you want to include probiotics in your diet, vegan options are available.

Are we getting close to the tipping point? It seems everywhere I turn I hear or read the word vegan. This is a wonderful thing. Recently in the media:

Dr. Oz Show: Cowboy Rocco on a 28 day vegan diet. Real life example of how a vegan diet can dramatically improve one’s health!

The Ellen Show: Her “Life” website including video of her vegan chef appearing on her show. Also, Pamela Anderson appeared on Friday and gave Ellen a pair of boots from her new vegan line.

Vegan Chef Tal Ronnen recently appeared on Oprah to promote his new cookbook, The Conscious Cook.

Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, appeared on Ellen and Larry King Live to discuss his new book. He will also be speaking at the Harold Washington Library in Downtown Chicago on November 18, 2009 at 6pm.

Former Vegetarian and now vegan, Natalie Portman, challenged Top Chef chefs to create a vegan meal.

Alanis Morissette appeared in a recent issue of People magazine to discuss her weight loss using the Eat to Live plan.

And last but not least, Vegan Alicia Silverstone has been talking up her new book, The Kind Diet.

Fun stuff!

Good news! Loving Hut in Edgewater offers the same menu as the old Alice & Friends Vegetarian Cafe. Its all vegan menu will be expanding in the near future and so will the hours. In the meantime, you can enjoy the same tasty food as before in a completely remodeled and modern space. Bonus: No religious programming was being broadcast this night but I did spy a flat screen TV on the wall. I’m crossing my fingers it stays turned off, so we can all just enjoy the delicious food in the new and improved dining rooms!

Loving Hut is located at 5812 N. Broadway.

From junk food junkie to health nut?

When people learn I’m vegan, most assume I have always been a healthy eater. Not true. For the record, being vegan does not equal being healthy. Although it’s a step in the right direction, vegan junk food abounds at natural food stores as well as your local supermarket. Fritos are technically vegan. Nevertheless, I’m a perfect example of how an average person can change over time and become healthier. I can’t figure out why people resist it so much. Myself included. If we know we can improve our health and well being by eating better, why don’t we? Don’t we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to take better care of ourselves?

For instance, I have been on Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live plan for five weeks now and I feel much better. And yet, recently after listening to Dr. Greger speak on nutrition, I went to dinner at Handlebar and chose the Buffalo “Chicken” Wrap when healthier options were available. The wrap contained loads of salt and white flour, which I know are not good. They may not kill me instantly but still, I know better. A lot of food that doesn’t kill me instantly may kill me over time. In my own defense, I chose collard greens over french fries as a side dish — this is a big win for me. I love french fries even though fried food produces cancer-causing chemicals. (See Dr. Gregers’ 2008 Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD.) But yeah for me for choosing well this time. Healthy eating has been and still is a struggle for me. Imagine playing tug-o-war with yourself. “I want ice cream. No, I need to eat greens!” Back and forth it goes.

As a child, I pretty much only liked food that came from a box or was fried. My middle name should have been “Picky.” My Mom was annoyed with me at most meals and rightly so. My favorite foods as a child were:

• Kraft Mac & Cheese. The best kind was the skinny blue box made with powdered cheese. Just add milk. Forget about mom’s homemade version.
• The skin of fried chicken. I liked the crispy skin (sick!) way more than the meat itself. Don’t even ask if I ate the mashed potatoes served with it.
• Frozen fish sticks or fish sandwiches with tartar sauce. French fries were a great side. Oh, and tater tots!
• Roast beef sandwiches with barbeque sauce and onion rings from The Country School — a local fast food joint.
• Barbeque pork pit sandwiches from Wolf’s BBQ — an Evansville institution.
• Mint chocolate chip ice cream from anywhere. This was my favorite green food.
• Golden Grahams cereal. I also loved Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks.
• Barbeque Grippo’s potato chips. Another local favorite.
• Ranch-flavored Doritos.
• More Kraft Mac & Cheese.
• Fried eggs sunny side up (Oh, the bright side of the standard American diet). I was particularly fond of dipping toast in the yoke.

Almost anything barbeque- and ranch-flavored were big hits with me. I found salty and fried foods delicious. And, if a dish contained green vegetables or any vegetable really, I avoided it unless it was broccoli. I have liked broccoli most of my life. I don’t recall eating a lot of fruit either. I started eating tomatoes when I was about 16 when I added a slice to my Dairy Queen burger smothered in mayonnaise. If I ate a salad it would need to be drenched in ranch dressing. My beverage of choice was Tab until Diet Coke came along. It’s like water didn’t even exist except for bathing and swimming.

This was my diet from birth to about age 17. To be fair, my mom made me eat other foods too. It’s just that I didn’t like them. Sometimes she would make me sit at the table alone after dinner was over until I choked the vegetables down. Corn was the worst. By my early teens I started cooking for myself. I was done with her nonsense. By high school I started experimenting with other foods and ways of eating, but I hung on to Diet Coke until just three years ago.

Over the years, I have played around with various eating styles. Most for weight loss but some purely to improve my physical and mental well-being. Here’s a brief synopsis:

• 1985: At age 17, I declared I was a vegetarian even though I continued to eat fish for years. So I may not have been a vegetarian, but I thought I was. This was the first step that significantly changed my relationship with food and people.
• 1987: Senior year in high school, I began starving myself after I wrote my term paper on the eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. I did not say all my experiments were healthy, but I was fascinated by this disorder. My lunch hour would consist of cigarettes and a diet coke, and an after school snack of M&Ms before I went to tennis practice. Luckily, this experiment only lasted a few months.
• 1990-1991: Later in college when I moved off campus and was no longer eating in the dorm cafeteria, I experimented with eating more whole foods like whole wheat pasta but it just didn’t stick.
• 1989- 1991: Speaking of college, and let’s pretend I didn’t start drinking until I was of legal age, I spent many nights drinking my way through school. (Go Hoosiers!)  To put it bluntly, college was more of a social experience for me then academic. My love of alcohol continued through my twenties where I spent many Sundays recovering from my Saturday night outings with friends. One day I realized how much time I was wasting every Sunday on the couch, but it wasn’t until I decided to quit smoking that I also had to quit drinking so much. To me, beer and cigarettes went hand-in-hand. Nowadays and many years later, I indulge in a glass of wine occasionally. Much improved plus I have my Sundays back.
• 2000: For reasons far to complicated to explain here today, I went back to eating meat. My Dad was so happy. Although I wish I hadn’t eaten the animals I did during this time, I also believe it was this step back that has made me the committed vegan I am today.
• 2002: As a full grown adult well over 30, I gained five pounds on Atkins. This was before I went vegan and during the three year hiatus from being vegetarian. Maybe the worst diet ever. At least my most unsuccessful.

At this point you might be scratching your head and wondering why the obsession with food? Note to all adults: Watch what you say to children. I remember two experiences, which lasted only a matter of seconds, that stung for years.

1. My childhood physician once said I needed to lose five pounds as he leaned back in his chair with his big belly hanging over his belt. “Excuse me, Sir, I think YOU do to.” I was never a skinny kid like many of my friends, but I wouldn’t say I was chubby either. And yet, this one statement has stayed with me for over 30 years. I think I’ve been trying to lose five pounds ever since.

2. In third grade, an unnamed family member suggested I watch the pooch on my belly. “You don’t want that to get big,” she said. I have never had a flat stomach. Never. And I have obsessed about it since third grade. I think about food as much as men think about sex. Okay, maybe not quite that much!

Perhaps I should look on the bright side. Maybe I would have become obese had I not been warned. Damn rose colored glasses. After talking to a friend about this recently, I’m certain that most women today could share similar experiences equally as devastating to their own body image.

• 2003: Vegetarian again. Progress.
• January 1, 2005, I made a new declaration to the world. I’m going vegan, which I had secretly wanted to do since I went vegetarian some 19 years ago. See how resistent I am to change? This was the single best decision I have ever made. It significantly improved my life in more ways than I can count.
• 2006: I lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers after an “episode” of overeating (several years worth) and no exercise. Weight Watchers does work for weight loss, but I was often hungry, which is why I don’t believe WW can be maintained over the long haul. (By the way, is it a coincidence that this significant weight gain began when I was eating meat again?)
• Winter 2008: I ate raw food for a month. I noticed my jeans getting tighter. Perhaps from eating too many nuts. But I loved having all my meals prepared by Cousin’s Incredible Vitality. It would be so cool to have a personal chef.
• Summer 2008: I gave Kathy Freston’s 21 day vegan cleanse a go. Oprah did. No alcohol, wheat, animal products, sugar, or caffeine are allowed. I only made it 14 days before I broke down and ate seitan (wheat-meat) and drank red wine at The Chicago Diner.
• Spring 2009: I gave up wheat and ate gluten-free for three weeks last Spring. Good news! I’m not allergic to gluten. I totally feel for anyone who is because it’s in just about everything.
• And, most recently… I’m currently on the Eat to Live six-week plan which I hope becomes a habit. I’m enjoying eating whole foods. I feel super healthy and my focus has changed. It’s more important to me how I feel rather than how much I weigh. Big progress. (See previous post.)

These are the major milestones on my path to healthy eating. But what happened to me between each of these experiments or diets? This tells more of the real story. Over time my style of eating evolved — mostly for the better but not always. For example in 2007 I set a goal to eat all whole foods (nothing processed) one day a week. This seemed like an enormous challenge at the time. Now, less than two years later, I am eating all whole foods every day. It’s rare that I eat anything processed now that I’m on the Eat to Live plan. Will it last? Only time will tell. Mostly I have moved towards healthier eating over the years but I have experienced set backs. This is life. Sometimes it goes like that — three steps forward, two steps back, and so on. It’s not like I changed overnight nor should anyone else expect to do so. When I got off track, I got back on the path as soon as I was ready. Patience is required on this journey.

I didn’t get to this point in my life — being vegan and focusing on good nutrition – without a lot of effort and focus as well as reading a lot of books. An important point I need to make is that your DNA, nor mine, does not entirely dictate your level of health. Of course it plays a role, but for the average person behavior is a much bigger determinant to good health from my experience.

My DNA suggests potential heart disease at some point in my life. My paternal grandfather died of a heart-attack in his early 40’s. I never met him. My maternal grandmother died of a sudden heart attack in her early 70’s while I was away for the weekend. I was in sixth grade. My dad experienced a heart attack in his early 40’s (just like his Dad) but luckily survived. I vividly recall being a freshman in high school wearing a denim mini-skirt, argyle vest, and brown pumps when my counselor pulled me out of English class. I knew something was wrong. Scary for a kid (in pumps!).

Obviously these experiences nudged me to take better care of myself. The results of my recent cholesterol and blood pressure tests defy my heritage. My doctor said my results were excellent. My blood work indicates my kidneys and liver are working well. (What! You mean my kidneys might not work well someday? If that idea doesn’t make me take good care of myself, what will!?) Food can be medicine and eating well is key to feeling well.

Recently I watched the first disc in Dr. Greger’s 2009 Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD. One of the best foods to fight heart disease are dark leafy greens. I’m eating a lot of them these days.

This seems to be the perfect time to state the obvious. While the U.S. is in the midst of a major healthcare debate and I agree EVERYONE should have access to affordable healthcare, I would also like to point out that there are a lot of intelligent folks out there not taking good care of themselves. If everyone started taking better care of themselves — okay, let’s at least start with those of us who know better, have access to good food and can afford it — then perhaps their would be less strain on the healthcare system. At the very minimum, less people would need to visit their doctors as often and less medication would be required.

In Eat to Live, Dr. Fuhrman mentions that although medication helps fight some diseases, we don’t really know if medication is harmful over the long term. This was an interesting point I hadn’t thought of before. Despite all the science, there’s a lot we just don’t know.

The way I see it, I can feel good or not. I get to choose based on my behaviors and eating plays an important role. Obviously I don’t have total control over my destiny, but this is one area where I do have a lot of control. There are also many ways we can take better care of ourselves beyond eating, but eating is a critical piece. As my eating habits continue to evolve, I hope I find more people on this journey. It’s not as scary as I once imagined. In fact it’s quite rewarding. If I can change, I know others can too. Small steps. That’s all. Choose greens instead of fries. Who knows, one day I might be able to say I don’t like fried food. Imagine that.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Fuhrman or Dr. Greger.

Several people have also asked for the vegan ranch dressing recipe I have been using on the Eat to Live plan. This is my adaptation of the Tofu Ranch Dressing/Dip recipe found in Eat for Health (Book 2, page 163). I switched up the spices in favor of my taste buds. If you keep the base of tofu, dates, and water, you can change up the spices to your liking too.

Vegan Ranch Dressing
Serves 4 (supposedly but it only make 3 servings for me. Apparently, I like a lot of dressing on my salads.)

6 oz. silken tofu
3 dates, pitted
1 clove garlic
1/4 c. chopped green onions
3 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. fresh squeeze lemon juice
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1-2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. dill
2 tbsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (found at Whole Foods and other natural food stores)
1 tsp. cayenne or other hot pepper spice (This may be too spicy for some. A pinch may be better.)

Add all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. This dressing only has about 2 grams of fat per serving.

About fat and salads – Yesterday I stopped by VeganMania to hear Dr. Greger speak. (Dr. Greger reads about 5,000 nutritional studies a year. He knows his stuff when it comes to nutrition.) He mentioned that you need fat in your salad to help with digestion, so low-fat or fat-free dressings are not always a good idea unless you add nuts, seeds, or avocados to your salad. I typically have nuts on my salad, so using a low-fat dressing is fine. What ’s important to remember is fat is good if it’s in moderation and the good kind of fat  nuts, i.e. from nuts, seeds, or avocados.

Almost every morning I drink a smoothie for breakfast. When I deviate, it is normally a concoction of brown rice over a spoonful of almond butter topped with raw nuts and maple syrup — a wonderfully-rich comfort-food. But today I will have a smoothie. Since I’m still on the Eat to Live six-week plan, smoothies are the perfect breakfast. Several people have asked for my smoothie recipe, so here it is:

Breakfast Smoothie
Serves 2

Raw greens like kale or spinach (fill
     canister about 1/3 full)
Banana
Apple
2 handfuls of frozen blueberries
5-6 frozen strawberries (or handful of your favorite berries)
5-6 slices of frozen peaches (or a handful of pineapple shown here or mango)
2 scoops berry-flavored Vega meal replacement powder (or another protein powder)
Approximately 5 cups of cold, filtered water (use less water if you want it thicker)

If the greens scare you like they did me initially, just start with a handful and add more as you feel ready. You can switch the fruit up to find your favorite mixture too. I always use a banana and apple as the base.

Blend all ingredients in a blender. I drink half immediately and save half for the next morning. It keeps well in the fridge. Just re-blend for a minute the next day and you’ll be good to go.

I finally splurged and upgraded my blender to a Vita-Mix. Now I feel like I have a monster truck sitting on my kitchen counter. The base is huge, but it is an awesome high-powered blender. Now I can blend smoothies in about 2-3 minutes where my old blender took about 10 minutes. Saves time in the morning, but I still find myself running late every. single. day.

One of the big benefits of blended meals is that more of the nutrients are readily available for digestion. I learned in Eat to Live that it pays big-time nutritionally speaking to chew your food well. The cells in the food need to be broken open in order for the nutrients to be easily digested. So blended foods do the work of chewing for you. I’m already a slow eater, so when I started focusing on chewing my food better, it seemed like every meal was taking forever to finish. I normally have a big salad for lunch and it takes me a good 45-60 minutes to eat. Smoothies work well for me — another time saver!

Cheers and enjoy!

So I’m three weeks in to the Eat to Live program and should only have three weeks to go. I mean I just signed up for six weeks. But, yesterday I was reading how long it really takes to make a habit. Normally experts suggest it takes 21 days. Some studies have found it likely takes 60 days. 

This makes sense to me, since I have failed quite a few times in making positive changes. (I have also succeeded quite a few times!) Who out there hasn’t failed now and again? A prime example would be when I quit smoking many years ago. (Yes, I know. I too can’t believe I used to smoke. I blame it on my mom (not really) but out of four kids, she only smoked when pregnant with me, and I’m the only one who took up the habit–interesting, don’t you think!) When I “first” quit, I used the nicotine patch. That program only lasts like 4-6 weeks. I can’t remember exactly how long, but perhaps I would have been successful the first time or sooner if I focused on it for 9 weeks (or 63 days). Anyway, I’m going to give this Eat to Live plan nine weeks to see if it becomes more of a habit for me to eat this way.

What I’m going for is that when I’m hungry my first inclination is to choose whole, unprocessed foods rather than something quick and easy from a package. I also need to be in the habit of planning my meals. Or, when I’m agitated–say someone pisses me off–I choose to practice my yoga or some other positive behavior rather than eat emotionally. Of course, eating emotionally never results in eating healthfully.

With that said, I got off to a shaky start on day one, but overall have been doing pretty good. On the first day, I woke with a headache and popped an ibuprofen by 9am. It was my first day back to work after a week off. Work can do that to me. According to the book, I should have suffered through the pain as it would eventually go away as my body rid itself of toxins through this process. I’m not much into suffering though. I have taken a total of four over-the-counter pain relievers which is a huge improvement for me. I have only had a few headaches over the last three weeks. I’m not certain if it’s the Eat to Live program, the fact that work has calmed down a lot, my new yoga practice, or if it’s a combination. No matter why, I am feeling better! So I’m doing something right.

By the third week, I actually started to wake up with a clear head rather than all the stuffiness I typically feel. This in itself is a big payoff. I have also lost about five pounds which is great, but honestly feeling better when I wake up is more important to me. I would say I have followed the eating plan about 95%, which I feel good about because it is not easy. I have veered off the path a few times. Here are some of my transgressions:

• Salad dressings with oil. I finally started making my own using the vegan ranch recipe from Eat for Health. It’s pretty good after switched up the spices a bit.
• Cans of beans with salt although I do rinse them before cooking. I didn’t know until a couple of days ago that Whole Foods sells cans of unsalted beans. How did I overlook that? I know I could buy bags of beans but too much trouble for me at this point.
• Dinner has consisted of air popped popcorn a few times. Sometimes I just don’t feel like cooking when I get home from work. I’m not a huge fan of air popped popcorn by the way, but I’m a HUGE fan of movie popcorn. I’m adapting.

The first time I popped the corn was an experience in itself. I bought a popper at Target made by ChefMate. Do not buy this product.The first time I used it I had popcorn and kernels flying all over my kitchen. Wow. This was the most poorly made product ever. I wish I had taken pictures to post. It was actually quite funny but obviously I had to return the popper. I imagine the ChefMate product folks testing the product and laughing their asses off thinking how this would be such a fun product to sell. I found a better-made popper at Macy’s by the way.

• I have eaten dinner out a few times. I have made good choices for the entree but then had dessert (and it was not for my birthday!).  I did choose raw desserts both times, which at least do not have straight up table sugar but are not part of the six week plan either.
• Some days I’ve eaten too much fat, i.e. more nuts and avocados then allowed in one day.
• Birthday weekend: Started on Thursday with two vegan cupcakes even though my birthday wasn’t until Saturday. A co-worker who is not vegan made me vegan cupcakes for my big day. How could I refuse a cupcake?! I guess the bigger question is why I needed two! What I noticed, since this was the first time I had white sugar in three weeks, is that I had a headache by the evening and it was still hanging around when I woke up. Another pain killer taken. Friday night I had vegan cheesecake. Didn’t like that so much. Saturday on my birthday, I skipped cake and just had vegan chocolate mousse from Whole Foods.
• Yesterday, days after my birthday was over, I’m still craving sugar. I gave in by 3:30 in the afternoon and had four squares of dark chocolate. Sugar is a tough one to crack but here’s the worst…
• The most blatant transgression of all occurred on the 21st day. After a frustrating Sunday of phone call after phone call–not a big fan of talking on the phone–I broke down and went in search of potato chips. I was craving something salty which I always knew was my first love over sugar.

The most difficult thing about this diet for me is eating out. I love to eat out and this is when I see my friends. It’s been challenging for me to practice the necessary discipline to eat at home most of the time. The only way to completely manage that I eat what is allowed on the plan is to eat at home. Ughhh. Friends, I’ll see you soon I hope! Nonetheless, accepting these transgressions, I trudge forward. Like Dr. Fuhrman says in his books, just because you get off track at one meal or snack doesn’t mean you can’t get right back on track the next time you eat.

Lately I have been eating a lot. Basically I have been living to eat. I have been over indulging in soy ice cream, vegan lasagna, and chips on a regular basis. Fortunately I haven’t seemed to gain any weight (probably due to regular exercise), but I have been feeling crappy. I wake up with headaches and stiff muscles a lot. What I should be doing is nourishing myself with fresh fruits and vegetables. Surely I would feel better then.

I am always trying to eat healthier but I definitely go through phases where I fall off the wagon — vacation time especially. The past two weeks are a prime example. I have eaten just about every vegan processed food on the market. For example, I’ve thought, I’m in the mood for some chips. I’ll just walk over to CVS and pick some up. Or, hey, after I pick up some cat food, I’ll stop by the grocery to buy some spinach and peanut butter zigzag soy ice cream (only because they’ve been out of Chocolate Obsession). Gee, that’s smart. Spinach and ice cream. What have I been thinking! I blame this partly on being on vacation this week but my vacation-style eating began a week prior to my actual time off. Go figure. 

Some might wonder why I care so much about healthy eating and it may seem like I am obsessed with my weight. Admittedly I am a little obsessed — more so for practical reasons then vanity. Here’s how I see it. I weigh about 10 pounds more than I did 10 years ago, so how much will I weigh in 2019 when I’m 50? If I keep gaining 10 pounds then I’m in trouble. Hence, my desire to maintain my weight. It’s not easy for most adults in this culture, but it just makes sense for long-term health to pay attention to my weight and overall well-being.

Also, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I strived for anything less. When I know better — which I do because I read about maintaining good health regularly — I feel intense guilt when I don’t do better. Over the years my diet has improved tremendously. Fifteen years ago I use to eat french fries at least 3-4 times a week for lunch and drink at least five Diet Cokes a day. I thought water was for showering and swimming — not a beverage! Although I have somewhat enjoyed over indulging these past couple of weeks, I really haven’t. It feels like living under a heavy, cloudy sky. So you see at this point in my life, it’s just better for me to eat healthy. I have often wished I was one of those people who just didn’t care, but I’m not.

A guy I dated years ago once said, “You wish you were perfect, don’t you?” OMG. He was right, I thought. So I do tend to lean toward perfectionism, but I also realize that’s never going to happen. It doesn’t mean I should eat like crap either. Indulging now and then is fine. I take personal responsibility for my health. Just because heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s runs in my family, does not mean I am destined for any of them. I believe if I take good care of myself, then I will be less likely to meet with any of those fates.

You may be wondering where I am going with all this. Recently I read two books by Dr. Joel Fuhrman: 

1. Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss
2. Eat for Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, Live Longer

Dr. Fuhrman is a practicing physician and gives many examples of how people have saved their own lives by healthy eating. He writes from practical experience, not just research. He has treated successfully thousands of patients over the years for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and so on.

Eat to Live is not a new book. It was written in 2003. I heard about it a few years ago and finally got around to reading it this Summer after my personal trainer recommended it. (How cool is it that my PT has gone vegan!) Both books are about weight loss but also about healthy eating in general. I don’t mean healthy eating like having a salad now and then or eating a few veggies with dinner. Eat to Live is not for the faint of heart. It’s hardcore. I mean radically healthy eating — consuming pounds of vegetables and fruits daily. An extreme change from the standard American diet (SAD). (Personally I would recommend anyone interested in reading either of these books, go with Eat for Health, a more moderate, phased-in approach to healthy eating then Eat to Live.)

Most people eating the SAD way would give up on this plan before they even got started, unfortunately. For example, Dr. Fuhrman recommends no salt, no caffeine, no sugar, and no white flour. He suggests eating an entirely plant-based, whole foods diet — no processed foods whatsoever and no animal products. If the food comes in a package and has more than one ingredient on the label, forget about it! He does allow for limited amounts of fish on his Life Plan (but not his six week plan as described below), but I didn’t get the feeling he encouraged it. Dr. Fuhrman promotes a nutritionally-dense diet. He calls himself a “nutritarian.”

Since reading his books (but minus the past two weeks), my diet has improved. I have started adding kale or spinach to my breakfast smoothies which used to be made with just fruit. I don’t mean adding just a couple of green leaves but stuffing the bottom 1/3 of the blender’s canister with fresh greens. Amazingly, it tastes good. For many years I have eaten salads for lunch Monday-Friday, but now I find myself eating them on the weekends too. My dinners during the week have also changed. I eat more cooked veggies with beans or tofu, or I buy a SoulVeg kale salad from New Leaf Natural Foods on my way home from work. I doctor the kale salad up with tomatoes, white beans, pine nuts, and more nutritional yeast and gobble it up for dinner. Prepared well, raw kale is delicious and one of the most nutritious foods on th planet according to Dr. Fuhrman and many other nutritional experts.

As you can see, I have already made some positive dietary changes. I would like to lose those 10 pounds and end these headaches, so I have decided to experiment with Dr. Fuhrman’s six week eating plan. Dr. Fuhrman’s says:

“Get ready for the most exciting six weeks of your adult life.”

Hmmm. Really. I have a feeling it won’t be the most exciting six weeks of my adult life, but it could be the most healthy. Consider his six week plan a cleanse. After the six weeks, you can move to the Life Plan which allows for indulgences now and then. The six week plan is very strict. So what will I be eating?

• Unlimited amounts daily of raw vegetables, including raw carrots; cooked green vegetables; fresh fruit; beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu; eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and tomatoes
• Limited amounts daily of starchy vegetables or whole grains (1 cup); avocado (2 oz.); nuts and seeds (1 oz.); ground flax seed (1 tablespoon)
• No animal products (easy for me!)
• No between meal snacks (excellent! I’m not a snacker.)
• No fruit juice or dried fruit

I want to test this out because he claims this will work for everyone (which is quite a big claim!), and by eating this way, you automatically find your naturally perfect weight. As anyone who needs to lose 5 or 10 pounds know, these are the hardest pounds to lose. The last few. In my opinion, it’s easy to lose the first 5 pounds when you have a lot to lose — I know, I lost 25 pounds once — but the last 5-10 are ridiculously difficult. I’m willing to give this a try.

More important to me then the possible weight loss is Dr. Fuhrman’s suggestion that this eating plan could rid me of allergies and headaches. Lately I have been getting frequent headaches — almost to the point where I need to check the “chronic headaches” box on medical forms. I also wake up every morning feeling stiff, stuffy in the head, groggy, and lethargic after 8 hours of sound sleep. I have been living to eat so maybe food is the problem. I have been blaming my headaches on my stressful job. But, I’m on vacation this week, so my stress level is low yet I woke up with a headache and stuffy head each morning until finally I turned on the a/c. Must be allergies and allergy medicine doesn’t work for me anymore. Apparently, this eating plan can change all that. Ultimately the purpose of this experiment is to feel better. Weight loss would be a secondary benefit.

Monday is the big day. A couple of days left to indulge. Yep, today I stopped by New Leaf after my personal training session and picked up kale salad (good!) and tortilla chips (bad!). This morning I had my PT do my measurements and there was a tad bit of improvement since we started about five months ago. I was pleased since I haven’t really put much focus on my diet and have been over indulging lately. My weight was about the same too.  Plus I have developed more muscle over the past five months from strength training, and muscle weighs more than fat. I’ll be curious to see my measurements in six weeks after I complete this project.

Two caveats to the plan: I will not give up coffee yet although I’m not completely opposed to it if I start waking up feeling more energetic and clear-headed. Also, if I want cake and/or ice cream on my birthday, I will have it. It only comes around once a year! Otherwise, I will adhere to the plan to the best of my ability.

With a glass of green smoothie in hand, here’s to eating to live. Cheers!