The Vegan Diet Results

Ok, so the results of the Vegan diet challenge.

For the most part I felt pretty good with the exception of a couple of days.  I often hear the term vegan cleanse and for me it seemed like the cleansing tool was a wire brush to my intestines.  I had a tender tummy for a couple of days.  I will probably have to try this again because it was the week of my period, which I believe is a major confounder to the results except the weight.  I am usually heavier during my period and I did not retain water at all on this diet.

I am foregoing the Likert scale since some of the questions are more qualitative in nature and after all This is a pilot study on only one person, me.

Could I finish the diet? Nope, I ate a burger on Saturday night for Fiestas.  See previous blog.

Did I like the diet? Yes, I loved it.  The food was delicious and I felt that I could eat larger portions and eat more often.  Who doesn’t like eating?  I think it helps that I am accustomed to cooking this way. I did really miss yogurt and cheese.

Would I do it again? Of course, after the diet I made a beet veggie burger and have been craving one ever since.  I will have to share the recipe soon.  I don’t think I could ever become a strict vegan because I love cheese and yogurt.  Vegan cheese= sweaty lump of soy nasty. Totally processed.

How do I feel? Not a big change here. I still felt tired and I did feel hungrier.

Did I lose weight? (I will use my digital scale) I went from 154 to 150 in the seven days during my period which says a lot.

Did I lose inches? (I will use a sewing tape measure) no

Where do I notice the difference? In my poor gut L

How does my skin look? This is where the menses confounder was obvious.  I tend to break out during my period and I did get a few blemishes on chin and jawline.

Digestion system discomfort? Oh yeah, my 4 year old even told me to leave because I had some smelly bubble guts.  Lots of intestinal discomfort on heavy bean days.

Diet Challenge

Ok...I will keep this short, but after doing a little research and lots of conversations with people and their diet choices, I have decided to try them out.  Keep in mind that all of us are different and I have no intention of bashing anyone's diet choice unless it is termed a food product, which is not food but a highly refined mess of calories. I do however want to see how my body reacts to certain dietary choices.  I will have a scale that will most likely be updated every week because a new question will come up. This week I am going to try a vegan diet for all my meals.

What is my current diet?  Whole foods, not a ton of wheat because my husband is gluten free, full fats, grass fed beef, some organic chicken and eggs, very little pork unless it is non nitrate/nitrite cured meats. Beans galore and whole grains.  I also enjoy fish and seafood, cane sugar, baked goods, wine, beer, coffee and tea. All in moderation of course.  I do need to lose weight. I exercise 5-6 days a week and have been known to have cake for dinner.  I eat seasonally for the most part.  That is just a nutshell.  I stay away from fast food except the occasional blakes lotaburger.

This week will be vegan and you can find the menu here.

Here are some quick guides.
For eggs...I will use two tablespoons of a flaxmeal slurry made with 2 tablespoons of flaxmeal and 1/3 cup of water.  Let sit for 10 minutes and good for up to 2 weeks in fridge.
For milk...almond or coconut milk
for butter...olive, grapeseed or coconut oil
for cheese or butter flavor...nutritional yeast and pureed soaked nuts such as cashews and pinon

Now for the scale: (I will format it into a likert scale next week)
Could I finish the diet?
Did I like the diet?
Would I do it again?
How do I feel?
Did I lose weight? (I will use my digital scale)
Did I lose inches? (I will use a sewing tape measure)
Where do I notice the difference?
How does my skin look?
Digestion system discomfort?

I also got to indulge in some Powdrells BBQ, chocolate cake and chips and dip at a birthday party last night and so I am ready to get started.  See results next week as I will be ending on Saturday.  Right on time before another party.

My breakfasts...I eat this normally so there shouldn't be too much trouble.

Sarah's favorite breakfast thanks to her friend, Elise. This is totally adaptable and I usually eat with whole milk. Not everyone will like the oat texture, but hey I am trying a full on vegan diet so you can try this.

Farm Oats adapted from Elise and Emerson

1/2 cup raw oats
1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 banana
2 tablespoons of shredded coconut
1/2 cup mixed berries
a sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp flax meal
1 tbl toasted or raw nuts of choice