Going Vegan

10/3/11 - What's wrong with a vegetarian diet? Let me tell you . . . about 70 extra pounds that I shouldn't have to carry with me day after day. It isn't good for my body in general. My knees especially have suffered. I've fought the weight for many years and now am convinced that the only way I'll get rid of it is to commit myself to a plant-only diet.

It is kind of scary to embark on this process as I'm used to eating a few processed foods which contain eggs. This also means that when I go into a restaurant I'll have to say "no" to cheese sandwiches and omletes and quiche and lattés. What's left? Baked potatoes, veggies and salads. Did you ever notice that most restaurants don't list vegetable side dishes on their menus?

I will have to be strong. I will prevail. The restaurant issue is a big one for me right now as at the end of the month I'm going to my brother's wedding about 400 miles from home and will be on vacation for a week, eating primarily in restaurants or out of stores.

I'll chronicle my transformation from vegetarian to vegan on this page.

10/03/11 - My first step was to do a cleansing fast. I chose the master cleanse lemonade diet. I'm currently on day 10 of the fast. The fast can last anywhere from 10 to 40 days. Right now I have no desire to eat food. This fast kicks toxins out of the body and pushes the re-set button so when done I can embark on a new way of life. I've already broken addictions to caffeine and wheat. Whatever I do from here on in is my decision, not the result of unconscious urgings brought on by food addictions.

While I've been fasting I've been watching or re-watching some important documentaries about food, and the Standard American Diet (SAD). I'm not new to examinations of the SAD as you can see from my blog article: Why I No Longer Consume the Standard American Diet. The bottom line is that tragically, the American public can no longer trust the food industry to care about our health or what's really good for us.

That said, I recommend these movies....

That's it for now. I'll update this lens as I progress with my vegan diet aspirations. For now, it is a start. Before I can write more about the vegan diet I'll need to get past being on the master cleanse lemonade diet. Only a few more days... I should be ready to go vegan by the end of this month. (October 2011).

I broke my fast on October 9, with fresh-squeezed orange juice. Today I'll be eating that vegetable soup I made yesterday. This is intended as an easy way for my system to start digestion again. After the soup is gone, I'll probably be aiming more toward raw foods, for the increased phytonutrient content.

Yesterday I toured my local very-small-town supermarket with new eyes, looking for vegan and gluten-free foods. I came home with an expensive frozen gluten-free bread, and frozen tempeh. I was happy to see my favorite salad dressing, Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing, qualifies for my new diet.