Going for a healthier diet.

[Scott MacComb]

I have decided to try aspects of a Vegan diet and want to share my experiences here to help keep me on the path. It has been one week and I think I am getting the hang of it.

So here's my parameters -- this isn't necessarily a "by-the-book" vegan diet -- I'm making up some of my own rules to fit the lifestyle I am trying to achieve.

- Minimal to no meat products or meat bi-products.
- Minimal to no processed foods, within reason.
- Minimal caffeine (just because).
- Organic when available (trying to stay away from pesticides and support sustainable agriculture).
- Minimal simple carbohydrates (pretty much took care of this with no processed foods, but listed again for effect).
- Minimal sweeteners (trying to train my taste buds to not crave sugars as much as possible)
- Use raw ingredients versus cooked wherever practical.
- No pre-prepared, packaged materials (including soy-based meat replacement items--I just don't like all the waste of packaged products)

O.K., so that's a pretty restrictive list. My goal is to follow these rules as much as is practical. I'm not going to be the guy that nobody wants to invite to a restaurant or a happy hour event. I don't mind deviating from these rules on a rare social occasion, as long as I'm following most of the principals most of the time.

The part of this challenge that is most appealing is discovering new ways to cook with the foods I love. Cooking is a huge hobby of mine and I have always tried to prepare my own meals from scratch by using the most basic, raw materials available. My oatmeal is made from rough-cut oats (not the packaged type), my vegetable stir fry's are always made from raw vegetables (never frozen or canned), etc.

So, here are a few observations from week #1:

1. After the first couple days, I was feeling a bit light-headed and tired very early at night. I started craving beans and added garbanzo beans and lentil soup to my diet. What I learned here is that if you listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs (unless you're craving sugar I suppose). Once I increased the amount of beans in my diet, I feel perfect.

2. My favorite meat-replacement items thus far are Portobello mushrooms and eggplant. Seasoned correctly, these items can fill the shoes of traditional meat products in stir fry dishes.

3. You can create creative replacements for every-day favorites. By example, this morning I was cooking pancakes for the kids and was craving pancakes myself. Traditional pancakes break several of my rules, so I had to get creative. Failing to find a suitable recipe on the internet, I started experimenting. Here's what I came up with. I mixed oats with flax bran and water to make thick oatmeal. Then I finely diced half of a granny smith apple and mixed it in. Lastly, I added some white flour (didn't have wheat flour on hand -- will remedy that situation later today) and some water to get a dough-like consistency. A pinch of cinnamon and a squirt of honey were added for flavor. The pancake had to cook longer than a traditional cake so the apple could soften and mix with other ingredients. The result was awesome. As odd as it sounds, the texture and flavor turned out amazing. I will try this again and keep better track of measurements so I can post a recipe. In fact, posting recopies that I discover will be a central component of this blog.

That's all for now. Off to Sprouts to pick up some more fun ingredients. Feel free to post any ideas to help me out with this experiment -- I am open to any suggestions.

[Treasa Birchett]

Have you tried Buckwheat Pancakes Or replacing part of your wheat flour with mesquite flour

[Kristi]

Things that are in my fridge and pantry at all times are almond milk, almond butter, pasta, dates, flours, canned beans, agave nectar, various frozen fruits for smoothies, tofu, tempeh and bunches of fresh fruits and veges, etc, etc..... I'm a nut for kitchen appliances and love, love, LOVE my vita-mix blender.
Mornings are super easy with lots of choices and might include any of the following: Apples, toast with peanut butter, frozen banana and whatever fruit I have in almond milk smoothies.
Easy dinners may include a veggie burger topped with whatever you like. Sunflower Market, Sprouts and Trader Joes all have wonderful and easy stuff in their frozen food section including sweet potato fries, burritos, etc.
I hope this helps.

[Liz & Dan]

I've done a pretty healthy version of pancakes using sprouted lentils. I'll put a blog post together on my site with photos and the recipes for you later today. :) You should get on the Vegan Culinary Experience mailing list, Jason Wyrick is a local vegan chef who creates the only vegan online magazine that I know of. He has great recipes to try out and it's free! http://www.veganculinaryexperience.com/

Ditto on Kristi's comment on the VitaMix blender - it is by far the MOST used appliance in my kitchen, stove, and toaster included! One of my favorite desserts is a little sparkling juice blended with any frozen fruit into an instant sorbet and almost every breakfast is a smoothie made with the VitaMix.

Happy eating!

[Alice Panza]

Adding saturated fat helps with hunger and sugar cravings. If you're avoiding animal products, coconut oil is your best option.
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html
there's an article about it if you haven't read about it before.

[Chris Byers]

Yes, coconut oil and flakes are very good for the body. Shame it received such a bad rap for so long.