In our home, my husband and I try to keep a healthy, balanced diet. We base our meals around a plant-based, whole foods diet and try to keep too much processed food out as well. I can't say that we are technically vegan, but that's how we eat about 90% of the time.
I'd say we've come a long way though considering that my husband used to be known as one of the most carnivorous people that our friends and I knew. When we started dating I did not cook. A lot of our friends laugh at this because now I'm a cooking machine! At first i just made whatever recipes sounded good, whether they contained meat and dairy or not. Then after a few years I started taking more interest in my health. With a lot of help from my dear friend Grace, I became interested in the vegan diet. I set out to eat healthfully for one month. At first I was doing great, but after about 1 1/2 weeks in i started to feel light-headed and not very energized. I talked to Grace about getting the right nutrients, etc in my diet. After a bit more research and a little planning I got into a healthy vegan diet. Of course, many people believe that being vegan automatically means you're healthy.....Wrong. There is tons of unhealthy, over-processed vegan foods out there that can be not so good for you.
So over then next year or so, I began experimenting with more vegan recipes. I got some very helpful information from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet book and her website TheKindLife.com. Also I've accumulated many of Isa Chandra Moskowitz vegan cookbooks such as Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Brunch and my favorite so far Appetite for Reduction. All are GREAT books. Not to mention there are a ton of great websites out there.
After a while it became so easy to put together entire meals! My hubby still like meat but we eat lots of brown rice, a variety of delicious beans and tons of veggies. With the rounded out meals I make, he doesn't miss meat too much. And since doing research I no longer feel light-headed or weak. I feel clean and energized and my body, as a whole, feels great. And I definitely feel that go away if I decide I want something cheesy or meaty. I pretty much always regret it after wards. So I try to stick to a healthful diet as often as possible.
I know this isn't for everyone. I know so many people judge a book by it's cover: "What do you even eat? Salad??" And I admit, I used to be one of those people. I thought following a vegan diet was ridiculous. But now, I'm in love with it! There are SO many wonderful dishes to make, new things to try, and creative ideas that I never would have thought of. And eating healthy definitely doesn't mean sacrificing flavor. I'm so thankful I opened my eyes. My body is thankful as well!
I really hope that this blog encourages my friends and family to be brave and experiment with all the delicious, healthy recipes out there. Of course I will be sharing some of the yummy dishes we make and create to help push them along. Complete with photos that will make them drool.
I'd say we've come a long way though considering that my husband used to be known as one of the most carnivorous people that our friends and I knew. When we started dating I did not cook. A lot of our friends laugh at this because now I'm a cooking machine! At first i just made whatever recipes sounded good, whether they contained meat and dairy or not. Then after a few years I started taking more interest in my health. With a lot of help from my dear friend Grace, I became interested in the vegan diet. I set out to eat healthfully for one month. At first I was doing great, but after about 1 1/2 weeks in i started to feel light-headed and not very energized. I talked to Grace about getting the right nutrients, etc in my diet. After a bit more research and a little planning I got into a healthy vegan diet. Of course, many people believe that being vegan automatically means you're healthy.....Wrong. There is tons of unhealthy, over-processed vegan foods out there that can be not so good for you.
So over then next year or so, I began experimenting with more vegan recipes. I got some very helpful information from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet book and her website TheKindLife.com. Also I've accumulated many of Isa Chandra Moskowitz vegan cookbooks such as Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Brunch and my favorite so far Appetite for Reduction. All are GREAT books. Not to mention there are a ton of great websites out there.
After a while it became so easy to put together entire meals! My hubby still like meat but we eat lots of brown rice, a variety of delicious beans and tons of veggies. With the rounded out meals I make, he doesn't miss meat too much. And since doing research I no longer feel light-headed or weak. I feel clean and energized and my body, as a whole, feels great. And I definitely feel that go away if I decide I want something cheesy or meaty. I pretty much always regret it after wards. So I try to stick to a healthful diet as often as possible.
I know this isn't for everyone. I know so many people judge a book by it's cover: "What do you even eat? Salad??" And I admit, I used to be one of those people. I thought following a vegan diet was ridiculous. But now, I'm in love with it! There are SO many wonderful dishes to make, new things to try, and creative ideas that I never would have thought of. And eating healthy definitely doesn't mean sacrificing flavor. I'm so thankful I opened my eyes. My body is thankful as well!
I really hope that this blog encourages my friends and family to be brave and experiment with all the delicious, healthy recipes out there. Of course I will be sharing some of the yummy dishes we make and create to help push them along. Complete with photos that will make them drool.
This is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteHmmph! Yea, I remember all the shit you used to give me about my vegetarian-tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that "I knew you would come around" or anything like that, but that's ok.
I'm glad that you did.
I love you.
♥
Yes, yes. I know i judged. It was very silly of me. I just had to experience how it made the body feel myself!
ReplyDelete