I have a love hate relationship with food in most circumstances. I love a good cheese, some french bread, and wine just like the next person, but my hips and tummy probably would disagree most times. I want to get through my day knowing that I ate the best that I could, nourished my body with the fuel that it needs (which probably shouldn't include drinking quite as much coffee. Maybe green tea!), and being nice to my self and the misconceptions I may have about my body and health.
It's a constant journey. I cannot eat like an angel for a few days and then completely sabotage myself on the weekend just because I kept it up for a few days. I think I make it far more difficult than it needs to be at times.
January was a good month. I ate mostly vegan. I would be lying to you if I said I didn't allow myself a cheat day every once in a while, but I can say that I only consumed meat maybe 3 or so times. That in itself is a triumph. Whenever I could eat vegan I would. When we would go out or I wanted to have a nice date with my man, sometimes that's harder to do. Those times would be when I would eat vegetarian at least.
Don't get me wrong, eating vegan is wonderful. I feel better. My stomach loves me so much more. I enjoy planning meals and actually cooking something. But, a girl has to have some cheese every once in a while. Let's not get all crazy.
My journey for February......
I plan on still eating as close to vegan as possible but I will allow some dairy every once in a while. I miss my greek yogurt and the occasional veggie pizza. But, meat? I don't really desire it as much as I used to. I'm alright with that.
I like the challenge. It's good for me to plan my meals out before hand. I enjoy cooking and baking with a vegan bent in mind. I plan on continuing on this journey for the months to come. One thing I would like to add to this journey is more exercise. Sitting at a desk all day isn't helping anyone. I also would like to embrace using my juicer more often.
Hello, February.
like this so much. i'm inspired by your desire to pay attention to how things make your body feel-glad its working!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're embracing veganism very well! I like that you're understanding the transitional aspect and accepting that you won't be perfect. The more you give your body what it really wants, the more it will crave those things. I personally started out just giving up meat for a month assuming it would be nothing more than a month without meat. I quickly discovered that I experienced absolutely no void in my diet. It's the shopping, cooking, and social habits you've grown accustom to, not the dietary needs. I hope you will continue to try new recipes and discover new foods! Veganism is not a dietary restriction... I eat a much larger variety of food than I ever did before.
ReplyDeleteI would love to provide you with whatever insight you need to continue your journey. I've been doing it for about 9 months and I'm constantly learning more about new food options, recipes, eating out, and eating at social gatherings. That last one's tough...Even when you feel like you're being ridiculed or looked down upon for your choices, just "being the vegan in the room" has a powerful impact.
this is an excellent resource for all things vegan, especially the podcasts:
www.compassionatecook.com
Good luck! It's a journey. I would love to help if I can.
p.s. Daiya cheese is the best vegan option out there