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.