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Am I Becoming a Vegan?

Dawn is reading The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. In it, the authors proffer that dairy and meat are bad for our health and should be omitted from our diets, and support their opinions with science. Now, those of you that know Dawn know that she’s already a quasi-vegetarian — she eats no beef, pork or lamb — but now she’s leaning toward following the authors’ recommendations and becoming “fully fledged”. That means no more chicken or turkey. What does it mean for me? Well, unless we want to be preparing separate meals, it looks like I’ll be joining her.

It doesn’t really bother me. I mean, I’m all for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. In fact, we’ve already begun eating brown rice — processed foods, like white rice, are taboo — and an assortment of whole grains and organic fruits and vegetables. Most fish are “good” foods, too. And the vegetarian meals we’ve enjoyed so far have been great. However, the authors warn that some of the foods will take some getting used to since we’re not used to digesting them. The aforementioned brown rice comes immediately to mind. But we’re told that, after a couple of weeks, our bodies will be on track.

We’ve been grocery shopping at El Dorado Hills’ new Nugget Market and found their fresh veggies and fruits to be wonderful. And Randall Munroe came up with this funny yet handy Fruit Chart I’m using to help with fruit selection, so we’re off and running. I’ve reserved the right to enjoy an occasional steak or a good buffalo burger from time to time, but I’m giving this the old college try. I’ll keep you posted!

fruitchart.jpg

Posted on Mar 6, 2008 at 09:00AM by Registered CommenterDoug in , | Comments12 Comments

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Reader Comments (12)

I love the chart. Becoming Vegan is a huge life choice, but a good one. I was Vegan for about 3 months about 6 years ago. It was in that period of time I found out about my intolerance to Soy. That quickly ended the Vegan lifestyle. Without soy it becomes very hard to get enough complete proteins. The fun part about being Vegan is you get through the supermarket so much faster because about 75% of the things in there are off limits :)

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterJamie P

Soy isn't a problem for me. In fact, except for the last year or so, I've skipped dairy milk in favor of soy milk, and I've had soy in some of the dishes Dawn makes. It's kind of nondescript in terms of texture, but it does pick up the flavor of whatever it's cooked with.

It's the brown rice (so far) and perhaps some of the whole grains for which my system will require time to develop a tolerance. Not looking forward to that.

But like I said, I'll give it a go.

Doug

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterDoug

Love the chart!! I copied it and am going to put it on my fridge.

Good luck with the brown rice and the whole vegan thing. Brown rice doesn't like me either :(

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterTina

I take it you are in the "easy-tasty" section of the chart?

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterTeddy

Me, yes, but Dawn is all over the chart.

Doug

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterDoug

Good luck. I tried it once (back in my hippy days) but couldn't hack it. Guess it isn't for everyone.

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterFrank B.

Uh oh....

March 6 | Unregistered CommenterMichael

Good luck with the wheat, flax seed and multi-fibers. Didn't agree with me. Thought I was going to explode. I gave it up after a week for the benefit of my family and friends.

March 13 | Unregistered CommenterGreg

I feel sorry for your wife and friends :) Good luck!

March 13 | Unregistered CommenterSteve O.

Congratulations! You are making a wise choice.

You will find that your body becomes accustomed to vegan foods in just a few weeks. More difficult is learning what to buy and prepare. There are many cookbooks available in book stores and Amazon. Be adventurous and try new things.

The biggest benefit will be how well you feel once you have been eating healthier for a while. Stick with it.

March 13 | Unregistered CommenterDillon

How is it going so far?

March 20 | Unregistered CommenterFrank B.

Well, pretty well, I suppose, although I accidentally forgot and put a tablespoon of butter in the black rice I cooked last night, a definite faux pas. It's taking some getting used to, and I haven't gotten up the nerve to try brown rice again. I think my system still needs "adjustment." Imagine having to become tolerant of healthy foods!

But we're determined to forge ahead...

Doug

March 20 | Unregistered CommenterDoug

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