September 5, 2010

Opening Day!

Well, this is my new blog.  About two weeks ago I created a blog designed to track my progress on the Eat to Live program developed by Joel Fuhrman.  Well, that just did not work for me for a variety of reasons.  For starters it was too stringent; I was pouring apple sauce on my salad because Fuhrman didn't allow for vinegar, let alone traditional dressings.  Also, it was not really conducive to my life.  I couldn't go out to eat with my friends or eat on the go.  One day I had to eat on the run and I grabbed a lean cuisine and then felt guilty about it.  But that's real life!  All of his meals, aside from breakfasts, seemed to require more time then I had a lot of days not to mention lugging them around and storing them while at school.

I guess all of this means is that I want to be able to eat with my friends and in social situations and also that Fuhrman's plan was just more involved in time and preparation that I wanted to deal with.  That doesn't make me a quitter; that plan was just not for me. 

So here's the new plan:
1) Limit Dairy: it makes me feel gross and I think it plays with my complexion.  That means avoiding milk, butter, and other straight dairy in my diet.  Dairy that sometimes comes in vegetarian foods shouldn't be considered that big a deal.  I'm not allergic or lactose intolerant.  Also, dairy at restaurants shouldn't be feared, meaning that if a meal has butter or cheese or whatever that isn't enough of a reason to not order it if I really want it.
2) Meet my meat: meat is not environmentally friendly nor is it very healthy.  I feel better when I eat less of it and save meat for special occasions. 
3) When it comes to fruits and veggies, more is more: one part of the Fuhrman plan is that it had me eating a lot more produce and I liked that.  I did not like meals entirely made out of fruit or greens but crafting my lunches and dinners around them is healthy and a smart way to eat.
4) Grains not in part but the whole: grains should be consumed as whole grains as much as possible.

So essentially this is a vegan based diet with flexibility for real life.

I once knew a vegan who ate burgers and pizza at restaurants.  Funny, right?  Well, I asked him once about this and he pointed out that he could eat however he wanted at home but if he would rather eat cheese pizza with his friends then a veggie burger all alone seven nights a week.  He also ate traditional foods at holidays or family meals because he didn't like people asking him about his special foods or noting his self-chosen difference.  He was conscience of not 'othering' himself.  I think he had a pretty good sense of balance.   

So here's what I ate today:
breakfast was 2 slices whole grain bread, 2 T earth balance vegan spread, 1/4 c homemade peach jam, coffee with soy creamer
lunch: caramel popcorn, 1 T peanut butter
snack: fruit wrap, apple
dinner: kidney beans, salad mix, pilau rice, 1 T hummus, cranberry juice.

So you can see that there is room for more produce but calorically it wasn't a bad deal.  The caramel corn was an impulse and partially because I waited way too long to eat and the popcorn was closest.  I also got in 30 minutes of walking.

3 comments:

Deb Sews Quilts said...

Sounds like you have come up with a great plan that will work for you!

Unknown said...

Limiting meat is not only environmentally sound but also helps out the wallet! We typically only have meat when we have company, when it is just us - we eat everything but meat! Let me know how this works for you.

Elizabeth Dean said...

Thanks to my two great aunts for their awesome support! I cannot wait to see you guys next month in Orlando!