As of weighing yesterday morning, I have lost 8 pounds.
Crazy!

I think I should post a bit more about how I have been eating since I decided to go flexitarian.  Here are the basic principles guiding my eating:

#1  Eat vegan as much as possible.

This is the number one rule I am most concerned with.  If I try to eat vegan when I can, then for those times I can't, it is okay because then it is a small part of my overall diet.  For instance, our neighbors had us over for dinner last week.  I was able to sit down to a big bowl of chili and even sprinkled shredded cheese on top without guilt.  I could socialize without concern because I knew that I was eating vegan at home the majority of the time.

#2  Avoid partially hydrogenated oils.

One of the big changes I made was purchasing a vegan, non-hydrogenated margarine to replace butter in our house.  I am checking any packaged food that we buy and avoiding hydrogenated oils.  They are insidious and in so many foods that you wouldn't imagine.  My girls were wanting cookies and I checked the ingredients.  Sure enough - partially hydrogenated oil.  (btw...they do this to increase shelf life on food products)  So, I purchased a bag of chocolate chips instead and we made our own cookies.... which also netted us the benefit of using a cup of whole wheat flour in the recipe as well.

#3  Eat more whole foods.

I am trying to avoid packaged foods as much as possible and stick to cooking from scratch.  This is something that we have mostly done, but one area that I am getting tough on is the snack foods.  I have a junk food loving husband who likes to keep bags of (Aldi's cheap versions) Dorito's and potato chips constantly stocked in the pantry.  I am happy to report, they are not in our pantry any more!  Fortunately, he is willing to compensate with munching on raw almonds instead. (though we are out and it is time for a trip to Costco!)  Another aspect of whole foods is eating "non-white" foods.  This means cut back or out, white bread, white rice, and white potatoes.  We have always been into whole wheat or whole grain pastas and wheat bread, so no biggie there for us.  Harder will be eliminating mashed potatoes.  For one, they are cheap!  For two, our kids love them. (as do we)  But again, once in awhile isn't a problem.  They just can't be a staple of our diet.

#4  Eat less.

This is a biggie.  I think we just get in the habit of eating a certain amount of food.  But the Healthy at 100 book clearly indicates that overeating is just not something that the long lived people groups do.  So I am paying attention to how much I am eating.  I make sure that I am stopping before I feel full, (my usual stopping point) and I am packaging up my kids leftovers and popping them in the fridge instead of cleaning up their plates for them.

#5  Cut back on refined sugar.

Huge step for me.  This isn't easy to admit, but I have become a sugar fiend.  Notice though, I said "cut back" not "eliminate."  I have still had some sugar treats (i.e. birthday cake, cookies, etc) but I am making them specific treats and avoiding excess. (specifically, I am finding more natural ways to sweeten foods, like maple syrup on my oatmeal, not purchasing sugary cereals, and avoiding constant sugary snacking)

#6  Keep motivated.

For me, I do this in a couple ways.  One is that I checked out a bunch of vegetarian/vegan cookbooks.  I enjoy looking through them to get ideas of how to incorporate vegan eating in my normal eating and copying down recipes that look too good to miss out on.  Another thing I am doing is watching shows that are motivating.  One is The Dr. Oz show in the mornings, and the other is The Biggest Loser.  Both of these help me maintain my motivation in getting healthy.  And, of course, I am always on the lookout for good internet articles or sites that will keep me focused on good health.

My next step will be to incorporate exercise into my daily life.  I have been sick this week, having caught the cold that Angelina and hubby had last week.  But I am very excited to initiate this into my routine.  Can't wait!  I brought our TotalGym into the living room where it can not be avoided. *grin*

Speaking of the TotalGym, I think I will sign off now and go peruse the exercise manual that came with it and start formulating a workout routine.

(for the "why" I went flexitarian, read this post)

Posted in: Flexitarian, Raw_Vegan Lane on Friday, November 27, 2009 at at 10:13 AM 0 comments    

Well, after the gentle verbal spanking from the WIC counselor, I was given my coupons for 

loads of milk, cheese, and eggs. (among other things) I decided to do some research about 

milk again before I started pumping my children full of cows milk. What I found were a couple of 

books that confirmed my feelings about milk.  

The first was "The China Study, Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term 

Health" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD.  

"The vast majority of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative 

illness can be prevented simply by adopting a plant-based diet." - Campbell  

This book essentially lays out very carefully how Campbell went from being a farmers kid and 

writing his dissertation on how animal proteins could be more efficiently produced, to an 

advocate of a plant based diet.  

He found that there was a direct correlation between animal protein and cancer. You can 

almost hear the food industry giants' heart palpitations even as you read those words. Gee, is 
there any wonder that this information is not being widely spread?!  

His initial study injected rats with a deadly carcinogen, then gave one group a diet with 5% 

protein and one with 20%. The rats fed a 20% protein diet all developed cancer. The rats fed 

5% protein all did not. It also didn't matter how much of the carcinogen was introduced. He 

gave one group a very high dosage of the carcinogen and fed them a 5% protein diet, and a low
carcinogen dosage to the other group but fed them a 20% protein diet. Anyone care to guess 

how that came out? The group on the 20% protein diet produced substantially more cancer than
the high carcinogen group. He found he could literally turn on the growth by switching them from 

the low protein diet to the high protein diet, then turn it back off by putting them back on 5%. In 

fact, the growth was shrunk by the low protein diet.

All this initial research was done with casein, which makes up 87% of cow's milk protein.

(making my children drink lots of milk, low-fat or otherwise, is not looking good!)

The next step was to test plant based proteins and see if they had the same results. What they 

found was that cancer growth was NOT promoted, even at the higher levels of protein intake.

All this information is in just the first 60 pages of the book. He goes on to tell of all the 

supporting research that is out there and of course, as the book is titled, the China study where 

he was able to see how his findings held up when humans were involved. He also delves into 

why this information isn't disseminated widely when you would think that it would be a huge step 

in resolving the cancer crisis in our country.

Good reading. I highly recommend the book. If you need motivation to eat healthy, this book 

should do it.

The next book I came across is "Healthy at 100, How You Can - At Any Age - Dramatically 

Increase Your Life Span and Your Health Span," by John Robbins. Another highly motivating 

book. This one looks at four people groups that are known for producing centarians. (def: those 
who live to the age 100+) Not only do they live long, but they are healthy and vital and maintain 

their cognitive abilities. This book is fascinating because it shows that becoming a senior 

doesn't mean you have to face the health issues that are common here in America.

Overall, the long-lived groups had very similar diets. (and they couldn't be more different than the
standard American diet!) These are the four people groups studied and the percentage of 

animal food in their diets compared with the typical American diet:

Abkhasia 10%

Okinawan Elders 5% (this group has the highest rate of centarians)

Vilcabamba 1%

Honza 1%

Americans 52%

Overall, these people ate far fewer calories than we do here in America, at 1800-1900 calories 
a day. Not only are they eating fewer calories, but they are eating nutritionally dense, whole 

foods.  (perspective: a quarter pounder with cheese and a large fry at McDonalds will run you 
900 calories. Add a chocolate shake and you are 1280 calories for one meal.)  

Robbins book covers the other aspects that play a role in the health and longevity of these 
people groups with lots of great chapters like: Born to Move - why your cells and your bones 

crave a challenge, The Strength of the Heart - why loneliness will kill you faster than cigarettes, 

and Keeping Your Marbles - simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer's.  

But I will let you read all about for yourselves. Back to the issue of vegan eating.

After reading all this information, I am committed to becoming a flexitarian. Never heard of that?
Yeah, me either. A flexitarian is a fairly new term and still being defined. Vegans and 

vegetarians apparently have an issue with the term, which is why I have an issue defining myself 
as a vegan or vegetarian. For most vegetarians, the motivation is animal rights. Obviously, 

having butchered my own chickens this summer, I am not motivated by my concern for animals.  
My motivation is strictly health. And, based on the information at hand, a mostly plant based 

diet of whole foods is the key to optimal health. So, am I going to have issue with the occasional
meat, cheese or egg that crosses my lips? No. There are definitely nutritive values that can be 
obtained from them (B12 is the first thing that comes to my mind) and as a small part of my diet,
should not be a stumbling block to good health.

Plus, I have to wean the family off our animal centered diet and move towards this flexitarian 

eating. We are currently loaded up with milk, cheese, eggs, and chicken. These will be eaten, 

but I will try to make them less and less the centerpiece of a meal.

So there you have it. And just for fun, here's a You Tube video that I found about a meat eating 

cowboy that went vegan. (for health reasons) And since the weight results aren't in this clip, he 

lost 30 pounds! (I knew you'd be curious ;)

(note: you will need to pause the music on the player at the bottom of the page to listen to the video)

Posted in: Flexitarian, Raw_Vegan Lane, videos on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at at 4:06 PM 0 comments