So about a month ago I decided that I would try going Vegan again. There has been three points in my life when I have tried being vegan. The first was when I was a teenager. Back then Vegan was not a term I was familiar with but vegetarian was. I was trying to loose some weight and thought that if I gave up everything except veges I would melt away all that excess weight. I did loose weight but I had the worst pain from gas spasms and probably starvation known to man. At one point I even made a trip to the hospital I thought for sure I was dying...It was gas :) So that lasted a few months and when I went back to eating regular food the weight piled back on again.
The second time I decided to go Vegan it was for weight reasons as well. I had watched the documentary sick, fat, and nearly dead and thought I would give it a shot. It did work, I lost 60 pounds in 60 days. I had lots of energy but I was so restricted that it just was not something a mom and wife who does all the family cooking could sustain.
This time around I decided to eat a vegan style diet for different reasons. My blood pressure was up and my arthritis was killing me. On top of that I've just been feeling tired all the time. I remembered how good I felt when I was eating all those fruits and veges and how my arthritis was under control. I also read that a vegan based diet lowers blood pressure and your chances for cancer and heart disease. So I decided to try again. I looked back at my previous attempts and realized that for it to work I have to be realistic. I have to cook for my family so my meals have to be kid and husband friendly. It`s been a month now and this is what I have discovered:
1. Vegans and Vegetarians eat so much more than chia pets and rabbit food :) You can cook anything, ANYTHING, vegan if you want. Today it`s so easy to eat meat and dairy free. The pic above includes just some of the options now available that I serve my family on a weekly basis. With vegan ground beef and vegan chicken breasts you can convert so many regular family recipes to vegan and they will not notice. I have been cooking 100% vegan meals for a month and have had not one complaint. Believe me if it tasted bad they would tell me.
2. It costs LESS to eat Vegan or Vegetarian compared to eating a regular meat based diet. For example the box above of vegetarian scallopine (which is awesome shout out to Dominion for carrying them) costs 12$ and you get 12 portions. That`s about two meals in my home with two adults, a teen, and a toddler. To purchase regular meat it would cost about the same price for one meal. You can get tons of fruits and veges for low prices. If you add chickpeas and beans to your meals your price drops so much more. I can make a Sheppard`s pie substituting mixed black eyed beans for the meat and save 3$ and it tastes amazing (The family likes the bean version better).
3. Cooking is so much easier and faster. No more taking meat out in the morning, or like me forgetting to take meat out. No more having to cook for hours to make sure the meat it safe to eat. I can pretty much cook any vegan based meal in 15-20 minutes. This is awesome for someone who does all the cooking and hates to cook :)
4. You can eat out. Pretty much all restaurants now have vegan options. So you can go out with friends and family and still maintain your diet choices.
5. You feel better. My energy level has tripled My arthritis is under control again, even my mood has improved from cutting the meat and dairy out of my meals.
6. Finally, yes, vegans can be fat. It`s been a month and while I feel great I have not really lost any weight. But that`s ok I FEEL better so really that`s the main thing..............Might have to do with the box of golden Oreo cookies I ate yesterday.......... They ARE vegan :)
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