It’s been about 2 weeks since we ended our lacto-ovo transition to a completely vegan diet and I’ve spent much of it feeling as if I just fell off the turnip truck. The adjustment has gone surprisingly smoothly as we’ve figured out what ingredients we have at our disposal and, from that, what we like – which is pretty much everything. What we’ve also been figuring out is how this new way of eating measures up nutritionally.
Before I get into that, however, let me take a moment to note that we have not once craved animal proteins. The vegetable protein we’re getting from legumes, vegetables, and a few nuts leaves us feeling full and satisfied. The food is tasty. Probably more tasty than our old diet because I’m forced to be creative and try new things. I, personally, have felt a small urge (far less than could be called a craving) for a little more fat in our diets, which is a complete no no, for reasons that I will explain shortly. I am assured that this urge will be gone within another week or so, once my body and taste buds adjust to the lower fat level in our diets.
Now here's where the turnip truck comes into play. Am I the only person on the planet who had not heard about the book "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell Ph.D. and the documentary "Forks Over Knives," which is based on the book. I'm sure we're not, but it surely does feel like it, as I've learned since beginning the book and watching the documentary (Thanks, Paula, for suggesting them!!) that although this information is new to us it's actually been around for a few years. As I write this post, I am on the final chapters of “The China Study” and have to recommend it to anyone who is curious about a diet that does not include animal products and has any reservations about the healthfulness of it.
From further reading, we have also learned that a number of highly respected doctors have been successfully using a vegan diet to treat patients who are plagued with a host of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. (That thump, thump, thump you're hearing is me taking another tumble...) While there are minor differences in how they apply the nutritional principles detailed in “The China Study” and other research, they are all plant-based diets structured on whole foods, rather than processed ones, and tight controls on fat content.
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Center, advocates this type of diet with absolutely no added fats. That’s the one we have chosen to follow, partly because he has had excellent results using it to reverse heart disease in his patients and because his dietary rules are clear and unambiguous – something we felt would make it easier to follow in spite of its restrictiveness.
For clarify, we’re not talking about a weight loss diet that will be replaced by the typical American diet when we shed a certain number of pounds. This is a permanent change in the manner in which we meet our nutritional needs and enjoy the pleasure of eating. So the fat is gone and gone for good, right along with almost all processed foods. As far as I am aware, we don’t have to start making our own mustard and tomato sauce, but just about everything else will arrive straight from the garden to our fridge.
A challenge? For sure. Difficult? Not at all… aside from needing to round up a few more basic ingredients.
Now that I think about it, the hardest part just might be finding enough room in our tummies for the daily recommended amount of fruits and veggies. I mean think about it. Here’s the MINIMUM amount of food we eat every single day.
2 cups of greens
1 cup of various other veggies
1 cup of legumes
2 cups of grains
2 cups of fruit
¼ cup of nuts or seeds (or 2 tablespoons of nut butter)
8 glasses of water
That’s a whole lot of food and it’s only the start, as the diet does not require calorie counting, carb counting, or portion controls (except for nuts, avocado, & olives, which are high fat). One thing we won’t be doing is going to bed hungry.
Eating all those greens can be problematic, however, without a nice oily salad dressing. Here's how I solved the problem. Bear in mind that I was creating on the fly without measuring, so the proportions are estimates.
Not Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
4 tablespoons deli mustard
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons soft tofu
1 tablespoon cane sugar syrup (probably not available where you are. Try agave nectar or maple syrup.)
pepper to taste
Combine ingredients in a narrow bowl and mix with a stick blender.
You don't need to be vegan to enjoy this one on your salad.
Pura Vida
