Went to a business dinner last night. Avoided shellfish, steak, etc and yet I end up with some food reaction/poison. Brutal!
Not sure what it was but I'm thinking it was a large piece of tofu. No way to know for sure, but I do know I feel like shit!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Day 14
Oatmeal, middle eastern and Indian oh my!
Amazing what happens when you start paying attention. I have noticed more and more vegan classifications on menus, use of vegan in marketing collateral and flat out more options than I ever previously thought.
All this makes eating vegan feel easier and normalized.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Day 13 cont'd
Greatest vegan eating day yet!
Noodles and Company has a vegan menu upon request and Native Foods Cafe is a 'regular food menu' all done vegan! Amazing all around!
Noodles and Company has a vegan menu upon request and Native Foods Cafe is a 'regular food menu' all done vegan! Amazing all around!
Day 13
In Chicago...
Told that Native Foods (www.nativefoods.com) is a great vegan restaurant that opened recently. Hoping to make it there for dinner tonight. If not there then I am thinking Dawali middle eastern on Halsted.
Good eats!
Day 12
More travel.
More fruit and veggies.
More fruit and veggies.
Also making sure broccoli and kale are being worked in as a dietary staple to help digestion.
Not sure if any more weight is coming off. Would be a nice byproduct, but it's not necessary. The way I'm feeling throughout the day is good enough.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day 11
Football Sunday!
Snack list:
Peanut butter (check ingredients) & veggies
Chips and guac
Pits & hummus
Main course reco:
Portabello burgers!
Day 10
Food preparation...
It's amazing how I'm finding non vegan items like butter and cheese to be excessive. Meaning, after eating certain items that would normally be paired with butter or cheese (bread, cooked beans, etc.) the flavor is not missed. I think it's just habitual as opposed to culinary necessity.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Day 9
Eating to live not living to eat.
So tonight was one of the previously mentioned 'off vegan duty nights'. It's Cathy's 50th!
That said, I do need to add a meal at the end of the 40 days.
However, most of the dinner was vegetables. I had very little craving or anything else, but didn't want to make the evening problematic.
This is beginning to move away from something that I'm doing to just something that is.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Day 8 cont'd
So I get why 40 days is necessary.
I feel great now and the novelty is still there. However, I know myself well enough to know that if the 40 day constraint were not there, and it was only a week or two, old habits would come back fast...real fast.
Day 8...
Woke up way too early for a flight to San Antonio. I planned ahead with some Naked Juices for breakfast. However, there weren't many airplane snacking options besides fruit and dried fruit in La Guardia Airport's D Terminal (worst terminal in the worst airport eeeeever!). And, all the on-plane snack items are either off limits or unappealing.
I'm hungry.
I'm hungry.
Day 7...
One week down and certain realizations are setting in.
Cravings for heavy foods are not present.
I am seeing very slight physical differences from shedding a few pounds.
Eating vegan on the go can be very difficult and thus planning ahead is critical.
New York is a sensational place for a vegan.
My love for middle eastern food has been strongly reiterated.
I wake up easier, sleep better and have more energy throughout the day (as long ad I continue to intake calories and vitamins).
Cravings for heavy foods are not present.
I am seeing very slight physical differences from shedding a few pounds.
Eating vegan on the go can be very difficult and thus planning ahead is critical.
New York is a sensational place for a vegan.
My love for middle eastern food has been strongly reiterated.
I wake up easier, sleep better and have more energy throughout the day (as long ad I continue to intake calories and vitamins).
Curious how week two will play out.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day 6
Two main realizations today...
1. Vitamin B12 and D are tough to come by on a vegan diet. As a result, I bought fortified coconut milk and vitamin supplements to help.
2. On-the-go in Chicago is tough!
However...
I stumbled into Subway hoping for a salad and found out that the particular Subway I was in served falafel! However, after a quick search I realized their cucumber sauce was off limits. Spicy mustard it was. Go internet!
Energy levels are high.
No food/meat hangovers is great.
Eating education has been extremely enlightening.
Looking forward to more.
1. Vitamin B12 and D are tough to come by on a vegan diet. As a result, I bought fortified coconut milk and vitamin supplements to help.
2. On-the-go in Chicago is tough!
However...
I stumbled into Subway hoping for a salad and found out that the particular Subway I was in served falafel! However, after a quick search I realized their cucumber sauce was off limits. Spicy mustard it was. Go internet!
Energy levels are high.
No food/meat hangovers is great.
Eating education has been extremely enlightening.
Looking forward to more.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 5 cont'd...
Concludes with a fantastic middle eastern dinner with the 'rents!
Falafel, hummus, and 'ganoush oh my!
Falafel, hummus, and 'ganoush oh my!
Day 5...
Traveling today and will basically be on the road for just over a week straight.
This will be a tough test due to meetings, airport time, etc.
Therefore, if folks have good foods to eat while on the run I can use some suggestions...
This will be a tough test due to meetings, airport time, etc.
Therefore, if folks have good foods to eat while on the run I can use some suggestions...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Day 4...
Whole Foods is my friend.
I was never that big of a fan of Whole Food's salad bar.
I appreciated it, but really never thought of it as a top option. Since heading down this path there is an entirely new level of appreciation for what they do. The fact that they have so many options AND label all ingredients helps tremendously. I've been twice in 3 days and plan on going again and again.
I was never that big of a fan of Whole Food's salad bar.
I appreciated it, but really never thought of it as a top option. Since heading down this path there is an entirely new level of appreciation for what they do. The fact that they have so many options AND label all ingredients helps tremendously. I've been twice in 3 days and plan on going again and again.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Zero Cravings
I'm sitting here on the eve of Day 3 completely satisfied from a meal of beans, avocado, rice, and a vegan/gluten-free tortilla. Cheese and meat were not even missed. And the best part - I have zero cravings for dessert. I am dessert QUEEN. I'll take it!
Chipotle:
We also found out that the only non-vegan items on the menu are the meats (of course), cheese and sour cream and the refried beans. Everything else (including the tortillas and black beans) are good to go.
Day 3...
Weekends are a bit tougher, but we found a Vegan Bistro and Wine Bar in the Upper East Side and we may just have to venture on up.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 2...
Fruit plates are going to become my friend, especially in business breakfast meetings.
That said, anyone have alternative vegan breakfast ideas beyond fruit and some select oatmeals?
That said, anyone have alternative vegan breakfast ideas beyond fruit and some select oatmeals?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Day 1...
So we are well into Day 1.
Talk to me people...
How are we feeling?
What did we eat?
Where did we eat?
What's for dinner?
I had a great lunch at an all vegan restaurant called Bonobos.
(Side note...download the app Aroundme. I simply searched for vegan and found a number of vegan restaurants around where I work. Super helpful.)
Not exactly sure all the items I ate, because I ordered a lunch plate which came with a sampling of 7 dishes including curried cauliflower, cale, nutmeat (a meat-like substance made with nuts and a ton of flavoring), and to drink I had a coconut chai (made from all coconut and spices). Regardless, it was tasty and satisfying.
I also never hit the after-lunch wall! Pretty cool side effect.
Thinking brown rice bowl with Kimchi, tofu and other veggies for dinner.
Not exactly what I would typically eat for the NFL season kickoff, but I am excited!
Feeling good...
Talk to me people...
How are we feeling?
What did we eat?
Where did we eat?
What's for dinner?
I had a great lunch at an all vegan restaurant called Bonobos.
(Side note...download the app Aroundme. I simply searched for vegan and found a number of vegan restaurants around where I work. Super helpful.)
Not exactly sure all the items I ate, because I ordered a lunch plate which came with a sampling of 7 dishes including curried cauliflower, cale, nutmeat (a meat-like substance made with nuts and a ton of flavoring), and to drink I had a coconut chai (made from all coconut and spices). Regardless, it was tasty and satisfying.
I also never hit the after-lunch wall! Pretty cool side effect.
Thinking brown rice bowl with Kimchi, tofu and other veggies for dinner.
Not exactly what I would typically eat for the NFL season kickoff, but I am excited!
Feeling good...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
40 Days and 40 Nights
In support of a great friend and his father...
A group of us have taken a health pledge. The pledge is based on the premise that the highest causation factor for illnesses like cancer, diabetes, IBS, and heart disease is, to no surprise, diet! But more specifically, it's the eating of animal proteins. Therefore, we have vowed to eliminate the ingestion of animal proteins for 40 days.
Why 40 days? The hypothesis here is that is takes 40 days to truly break old habits and create new ones.
With the exception of a previously planned birthday celebration and the Jewish High holidays (where there are specific traditions to be upheld), all meals will indeed be completely animal protein free. And, for every meal that has an exception an additional vegan meal will be tacked on to the 40 days.
The starting date is tomorrow September 8th and the projected 40 day completion point is ~October 18th.
This blog will be our way to track progress, share our stories, express our challenges, demonstrate our excitement, swap recipes and more, but most importantly it's a way to show our support.
With that I say good luck, to good health, and l'chaim (to life)!
A group of us have taken a health pledge. The pledge is based on the premise that the highest causation factor for illnesses like cancer, diabetes, IBS, and heart disease is, to no surprise, diet! But more specifically, it's the eating of animal proteins. Therefore, we have vowed to eliminate the ingestion of animal proteins for 40 days.
Why 40 days? The hypothesis here is that is takes 40 days to truly break old habits and create new ones.
With the exception of a previously planned birthday celebration and the Jewish High holidays (where there are specific traditions to be upheld), all meals will indeed be completely animal protein free. And, for every meal that has an exception an additional vegan meal will be tacked on to the 40 days.
The starting date is tomorrow September 8th and the projected 40 day completion point is ~October 18th.
This blog will be our way to track progress, share our stories, express our challenges, demonstrate our excitement, swap recipes and more, but most importantly it's a way to show our support.
With that I say good luck, to good health, and l'chaim (to life)!
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