Act 1: To Eat or Not to Eat... the Meat

For my first new experience I chose to eat a completely vegan diet (no dairy or animal products) for 3 days.  Talk about jumping in with both feet!  I did have my reasons though…

I have a few friends/acquaintances that have moved to vegetarian and vegan diets recently and I was curious.  Over the last couple of months I’ve read a lot of articles, half a book, and lots of first person accounts on the benefits of a plant-based diet.  Most talk about going off medications for blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma, and allergies.  Clearer skin.  Losing Weight.  Living longer.  Reducing your risk of disease.  There was one study by Dr Dean Ornish that showed that you can reverse the effects of heart disease, even reduce artery blockages, through a vegan diet.  His findings were so conclusive that most major health insurance companies cover the cost of his program.  It’s impressive stuff from a health standpoint.

Then, a few weeks ago, my Uncle Joe passed away from a sudden heart attack.  He seemed so healthy.  He was so dedicated to his daily morning swims!  How do these things happen??  His death hit me hard.  It was two weeks later that I made it my first full day without crying.  And along with the grief and sadness came another emotion.  Fear.  I’m terrified of losing more people I care about!  No one I know is necessary on their deathbed, but neither was Uncle Joe.  My mom has had heart attacks in the past.  My Dad has had health problems too.  And suddenly everything I read about plant-based diets came back to me.  Reducing risk of disease.  Reversing heart disease.  Living longer.  Maybe there’s something to this. 

I know there are plenty of healthy people who eat meat and dairy.  I know there are other ways to reduce your risk of disease.  I know it’s a major lifestyle change and I don’t realistically expect my parents or anyone else I know to convert but in my mind, if it really meant I could have more time with the people I love, it would be worth it!

My experiment went from Friday through Sunday with no slip-ups.  The foods I ate were very common.  In addition to fruits and veggies I had PB&J, salad and dressing, pasta and sauce, veggies pizza (no cheese), a veggie wrap, hummus and pita, chips and salsa, french fries, cereal, toast, etc.  Not too bad!  Actually a much less scary menu than I had anticipated.  I felt like I was eating all the time too!  No deprivation there.  Apparently veggies aren’t very filling. 

I was surprised by how little I missed the meat and cheese.  You probably think that sounds crazy… how could you not miss it??  I thought the same thing, but it’s wasn't that bad.  Now, I knew I only had to do it for three days so that probably made it easier.  If I thought about giving up fried cheese curds from the fair forever and ever, I might have a panic attack.  The only craving I experienced was about 11 PM on Sunday night after watching my friends devour 48 chocolate chip cookies.  I wonder if the craving was just because I knew I was so close to being done, but either way I didn’t give in.  Willpower of steel, right here! 

A few things I learned:

-Read labels.  Apple crisp flavored instant oatmeal contains milk, but cinnamon roll and banana bread don’t.  Strange. 

-Plan ahead.  Meat and cheese are easy and convenient.  What do we always have in the house?  Canned tuna, deli meat, and frozen ground beef.  What if nothing looks good in the cafeteria at work?  Pizza is always a safe bet.  How can they screw that up?  So pack a lunch, go shopping, look at restaurant menus ahead of time, and be creative.  Or you’ll end up eating a lot of carrot sticks!

-Try the alternatives.  I tried non-dairy ice cream, butter, and almond milk.  The butter is basically margarine… no major taste difference.  The ice cream (Rice Dream brand) isn't as creamy but is passable as a frozen treat.  I got the mint chocolate chip and the only complaint I had was that the mint was peppermint as opposed to… well, whatever mint is in normal mint chip ice cream!  I don’t like peppermint, so that part was a bust.  Almond milk raised two big questions.  1) How do you get milk from an almond?  2) Why is it vanilla?  Why isn’t it just milk flavored??  Regardless, it’s surprisingly good!  It’s not quite the bright white color of regular milk, so that’s a little disconcerting.  And it doesn’t taste exactly the same, but it’s good in its own right and has a very similar consistency.  Spectacular on Cheerios I might add!

It’s Monday now and while I can have meat and dairy, I’m not starving for it.  Two months ago I would have told you that vegans are crazy and that I could never do it.  This experience showed me that I can.  And while I don’t plan to adopt a vegan diet fulltime, I’m much more open to trying meatless and vegan dishes and new alternatives.  I think that makes my first adventure a success :)

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” -Albert Einstein