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Experimenting with a Vegan diet

posted by Russ, March 10 in health & diet with tags , , , ,

3 comments

I wrote about a year ago about my adventures with a raw diet. It lasted about a month, which was just fine with me since it was experimental. But in the process I did learn a lot about food, especially about how you can find plenty of food that is raw, not meat, and IS NOT SALAD. I point that out because this comes as quite a shock to some people. Yes, there is plenty out there to eat that is vegan and raw.

I won’t go into the benefits of eating raw, that is a topic for another day. Today’s post is to say that I’m at the diet experiments again, though not raw this time. This time it’s more of a wholesome, sustainable and mostly vegan. I say mostly because I still believe that eating meat is ok. Certainly not every day like some people, but if it has been sustainably raised as a free range animal, I think that small amounts of meat are then ok. That said, I certainly respect those who will not eat meat for moral and ethical reasons.

So this diet is basically a whole food diet that, and I say it’s sustainable because most of what I am eating is organically grown. Being that I’m focusing on whole foods, I am obviously eliminating processed foods and sugars. So what am I eating? Both raw and cooked vegetables, a moderate amount of fruits, whole grain breads and other grains, plenty of different types of legumes, and maybe weekly or biweekly a small amount of organic free range chicken or beef. I am lucky in that my girlfriend is very interested in this as well, and has taken on the role of master chef, devouring vegan cookbooks and coming up with all sorts of great meal ideas.

During this time I am also significantly cutting down on my dairy intake. Even though I love cheese, I think that if I had to choose one over the other, I’d probably choose meat before dairy. I do enjoy good cheese and have eaten it most of my life, but truth be told, I don’t think it’s a natural part of an adult diet. I won’t go into reasons why during this post. We are currently experimenting with nut and soy cheeses.

This diet probably started about two months ago, though lately it’s been getting a bit more intense. During the beginning there were still old foods and supplies around which needed to get used up, but as they get used we are replacing them with better (and vegan when applicable) alternatives.

In addition to the diet, we are also experimenting with making bread. Or I should say my girlfriend is experimenting with making it, and I experimenting with eating it. And since we both have a sweet tooth that’s hard to kick, she is perfecting her vegan desert recipes. The latest one is a vegan peanut butter cup, and she already has raw vegan cheesecake recipe perfected. (made with nuts, not dairy.) For my part, I’m currently planning our garden for the summer so we can hopefully get a good harvest of some frequently used vegetables.

What is the point eating like this? Well, the biggest thing is the obvious benefit to our health and the earth. I have always been pretty healthy, but over time I am seeing little changes here and there, so I know that the diet is cooperating with me. We are both learning that cooking with locally grown organic puts you in greater connection with the world around you, and gives you a great appreciation about where your food comes from. It sounds silly, but when you know how and where your food is grown it just changes things. Same goes for meat, when you know where and how that animal lived, you have a greater awareness for not only that animal, but your surroundings and also yourself. I truly believe that as you move towards a more wholesome diet, it not only benefits your health, but your spirit. You become more aware and more connected with your world.


Originally posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 1:28 PM .

3 Responses to “Experimenting with a Vegan diet”

  1. […] I’ve written recently, I’ve been eating mostly vegan, and have even experimented with a raw diet in the past. But I […]

  2. […] I’ve written recently, I have been dabbling with vegetarian, vegan, and raw diets. I have also been honest in saying that […]

  3. Shaun Coppa says:

    I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. thanks

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