A bubble probably went to my brain as I "suddenly" decided to become a (ovo-lacto) vegetarian.
It is actually Dan's fault ;) As requested (by me after I went to a vegan conference at our local library), he got me for Christmas the book Eating Animal by Jonathan Safran Foer. There is enough well documented information in that book to make you gag in the meat (eggs and dairy) alley at the grocery store.
Plus, to be honest, I needed a culinary challenge as my interest in the kitchen became pretty absent after I got pregnant.
So I researched, and I researched and I researched some more. And one week ago (January 5th), I took a note book and I started to write every portion that I ate during the day to make sure that I was doing this important transition properly.
I'm very (very) skinny...and I eat like a pig. As a joke, my coworkers think that I have tapeworms. In reality, I have a very (very) fast metabolism. If done correctly, a vegetarian diet can bring so much health benefits and since I don't particularly appreciate meat it is really not a big deal for me. The only problem is that I can't lose weight. So I have to be extra careful as I don't want to end up at the hospital.
After a week, so far so good. Actually, so far so I love it!
1) My cooking mojo is back (even if it is a bit overwhelming)
2) Cutting meat is not difficult - cutting cow dairy last year was a bitch
3) Vegetarian food tastes super good (well, if you are into beans/nut/seeds/etc.)
4) I still eat like a pig but it is now part of a balanced diet
5) No headache, no tiredness, no dizziness (so probably no weight lost)
6) Dan and Alice are totally on board (Alice still eat meat at daycare)
7) Alice has a nasty cold and I didn't get it (yet)...immune system booster!?!
8) And I almost don't fart anymore - this was actually very upsetting!
So, maybe I will write about my new journey on my blog...or maybe not. However, if any of you have blogs - cookbooks - tips - recipes suggestions, you are more than welcome to leave a little comment.
Go tofu go ;)
5 comments:
It sounds like a good start....I want to change my eating habits but require more willpower....must develop more willpower...
Here's a great veggie recipe that I made before Christmas - very tasty.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2835667/jerk-sweet-potato-and-black-bean-curry
One of my favourite blogs and a great cookbook to boot
http://www.101cookbooks.com/
I'm interesting in seeing how you get on. My husband went vegan last year, and I cut meat down but not out, and I still have dairy. Are you eating a lot of tofu for protein or using other foods? I'm keen to reduce my meant and dairy intake but am reluctant to rely on soy.
Way to go! I read the same book at the end of 2009 and immediately became a vegetarian for about a year and a half. Then I had my daughter, and due to pressure from mine and my husband's well-meaning families ("will the baby get enough nutrients from breast milk if you don't eat any meat?") and general lack of time for cooking, I went back to eating meat. I still can't eat chicken (thanks to that book) and only eat organic/grass fed beef and pork occasionally. Lamb is my meat of choice because, allegedly, sheep can not be profitably factory farmed (thank goodness).
So, from experience, here are a couple thoughts on being a vegetarian.
-- it's not difficult, but you do have to be more creative in the kitchen. For some reason, when I make a piece of meat and serve it with a steamed or roasted vegetable, it's a meal. At least for me, vegetarian cooking takes much longer, because each dish requires multiple ingredients that need to be chopped and spiced and balanced for taste and nutrition. Vegetarian cooking is more complex, because you have so many more options than you do with meat.
-- there are a lot of recipes that are either vegetarian already (I second the 101cookbooks site) or that can be made vegetarian easily (Smitten Kitchen blog is my absolute favorite, and i've been cooking from it the entire time I was a vegetarian and continue to do so now. Other good ones are Naturally Ella and Sprouted Kitchen. Also, check out a cookbook called "Plenty" for inspired vegetable dishes.
-- if you are still nursing Alice, the conventional view is that you still need a lot of protein (77 grams?), so make sure you eat legumes/egg/quinoa with every meal, and (non-cow?) dairy.
-- don't worry about getting thinner. I am a naturally thin person also, and I did not loose any weight during the time I was a vegetarian. As a matter of fact, most modern weight-loss diets suggest that you eat lean meat and vegetables and that grains make you fatter (because they naturally contain sugar). So, if anything, you might gain some weight from becoming a vegetarian (especially if you replace meat with dairy and bread).
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