Food for LifeTag Archives

Still figuring this out

I’ve been reading Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life by Neal Barnard, M.D. The four food groups are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes. His book includes 21 days of menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a menu for holidays and another for barbeques. There are also plans for seven convenience dinners that can be used when time is tight.

From reading Food for Life, I think I’ve at least figured out why I am gaining weight so far. I am probably using too much fat. Nuts are not recommended in Dr. Barnard’s plan, and he also recommends against added fat. Going forward, I want to try Dr. Barnard’s plans and see if that helps with the weight issue.

[Edit: This post was recovered from my old Exploring Veganism blog. Veganism ultimately proved to be an inappropriate approach for me.]

Weight up, measurements same

I was a bit concerned the first few days of practicing vegetarianism when my weight was going up. My weight seems to have stabilized now and may even be starting to go down. Yesterday, I noticed as I was getting dressed that my pants seemed a bit looser. I took a set of measurements and found that overall they had remained the same in spite of the recent climb in weight. My abdomen measurement was down by 1″.

My portions were rather large the first few days. I have begun experimenting with smaller portions to see if I can be satisfied with less. So far, that is going well.

I have had some difficulty eating in a vegan way when going to restaurants. There really aren’t that many choices. Soups may have a meat broth or there may be egg and dairy in baked goods. Grains in restaurants tend not to be whole as well. Since I have taken up veganism for health more than philosophy, I have decided to choose my foods in restaurants according to what I perceive to be the most healthful with minimal animal products even if they may not be perfectly vegan. At home, though, I am choosing and preparing vegan foods for myself.

One thing I have discovered is that I do not have very many vegan options in my current recipe database. Since having a good cookbook was so instrumental when I did the HCG Diet, I decided to buy a couple of vegan cookbooks for myself. I ordered these: 500 Vegan Recipes: An Amazing Variety of Delicious Recipes, From Chilis and Casseroles to Crumbles, Crisps, and Cookies by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman and 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson. I also ordered a book held at the library: Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life by Neal Barnard, M.D. My local branch should receive it today.

One of the reasons I chose to try veganism was because I felt sluggish when I was eating a diet high in animal foods. Already, I have seen improvements. I am beginning to wake up earlier, and I feel better generally.

[Edit: This post was recovered from my old Exploring Veganism blog. Veganism ultimately proved to be an inappropriate approach for me.]