Tag Archives: Vegan

A Daily Choice…

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Each day we get to choose how we want to live our life.
Many of you know that several years ago Tina and I quit eating meat, dairy, eggs. We have stepped on and off the path several times.
The one consistency has been no meat.
I personally have struggled with keeping cheese out of my diet.
 
Before I go any further…I’d like to explain…for me this has mostly stemmed from the treatment of animals. And even though milk, cheese and other dairy products seem pretty passive…they truly aren’t. But my job here is to share my thoughts, struggles and epiphanies….not to preach about animal rights. However, if you would like to know more about the treatment of dairy cows…go to a site not sponsored by the dairy industry and study up on the issue.
 
Back to my epiphany!
As I was saying I struggled to keep cheese out of my mouth. If cheese was on a sandwich I would pretend like it didn’t count because I didn’t ask for it.
 
Then….a few weeks ago I was talking to a friend’s step son who happens to know a lot about plant based diets. I was telling him about my frustration with cheese and how it felt like an addiction.
He confirmed that it truly is an addiction (he explained with a lot of scientific terms that I couldn’t begin to repeat).
 
Suddenly a light went on in my brain. As a smoker (I quit 11 years ago) I was never able to be a social smoker. I either had to totally quit or smoke 2 packs a day.
If I went 2 weeks without a cigarette (of which only happened twice in 30+ years) and tried to smoke just one cigarette…I would be back smoking 2 packs a day…within 24 hours.
 
So why isn’t cheese the same? If I want to eliminate cheese from my diet….I need to eliminate cheese. I can’t eat a slice of pizza without the overwhelming desire (aka addiction) kicking back in.
 
So I quit eating cheese. That day of my conversation with Barry…I quit eating cheese. Each day I take responsibility for what I am putting in my mouth…I make sure I say no to anything with cheese on it.
 
Guess what has happened as a result…my diet is improving. I am eating more vegetables, I’m avoiding oils, extra salt, etc. I’m eating at home more and avoiding the traps I have fallen into in the past.
 
There will always be peaks and valleys ahead….but each time I make a conscience decision to skip the cheese, say no to the sugar and pass by the processed food…I feel I’m stepping in the right direction.

A Healthier Life – part 3

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Last night I mentioned becoming an unhealthy vegetarian…Its really amazing how easy that was to do.

Two and a half years ago Tina and I decided we would eat vegan, avoid processed foods and not eat sugar. We agreed to do it for 6 weeks. We ended up following this diet for 4 months. We both felt great, healthy, energetic and of course lost weight. At no point did we plan to remain vegan. we thought it would be a good kick start to healthy living.

During that 4 month period I was able to give up my multiple pots a day coffee habit and Tina quit drinking sodas. We convinced ourselves we had the bad habits of unhealthy eating conquered.

I did know I wanted to remain vegetarian and Tina (with the exception of Thanksgiving turkey) agreed she would remain vegetarian too. We slowly started adding foods back into our diet. We intended to keep it under control…we really did. We started justifying foods we had done so well without for 4 months.

Needless to say we did not keep it under control. Fried foods snuck back into our diet, sugars took control of our taste buds and the convenience of processed foods made it hard to say no.

We realized we had made a mistake and both agreed we wanted to return to the diet we were on for those 4 months.
It had been so easy to give all the unhealthy stuff up…doing it again should be a piece of cake (I really couldn’t resist throwing the cake reference in!)
But it wasn’t…no matter how much we talked about it. No matter how determined we were…we couldn’t seem to find our way back.

Finally…the stars aligned, and on May 25, 2017 (2 years and 4 months after we started adding foods back into our diet) we returned to a vega diet. Once again we stopped eating sugar and processed foods. We both realize the mistakes we made 2 years ago and we are policing ourselves to make sure we avoid the same mistakes this time.

American Thanksgiving

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Someone asked me earlier this week how it is possible to celebrate Thanksgiving without turkey.

I gave up eating meat nearly two years ago…so not eating a turkey on Thanksgiving is not a problem for me…but the question itself made me stop and think.

Why do we (Americans) celebrate Thanksgiving?

Do we celebrate Thanksgiving so we can over eat, nap and watch football? Maybe.
Do we celebrate Thanksgiving so we can wrestle our fellow americans for a TV that is marked 50% off? Maybe.
Do we celebrate Thanksgiving so we can enjoy a 4 day weekend? Maybe.

Without digressing into a story about Europeans landing on foreign soil that they would infest with disease and eventually dominate and destroy…I would like to consider what Thanksgiving could be…if we as americans could turn a few of our priorities around and focus on the good in ourselves and each other rather than the external things that we surround ourselves with.

Maybe if more people looked across the table at their family member and sought the things that make that person good and kind…instead of focusing on our disagreements.

Maybe each of us could take a minute to think of those who don’t have family members to share a meal with. And realize how fortunate we are to be in a house full of love and goodness.

Maybe we could extend an olive branch to the individuals that we have shut out of our lives.

Maybe we could spend time talking about the Grace our God freely gives and the forgiveness we are granted…even when we don’t deserve it.

Gratitude is an easy thing to forget…We often take our lives, our family and our friends for granted…

Lets all take a minute to say thank you…
to our family,
to our friends,
to a total stranger,
to our God

for our family,
for our friends
for the strangers that surround us,
for our God

Happy (American) Thanksgiving everyone…may we all find a reason to be grateful everyday.

When will I learn?

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When will I learn?

For several years I was exercising and not losing weight. In January Tina and I chose to go completely vegan for 6 weeks. This included, the exclusion of processed foods. I lost a total of 17 pounds.

We ended up eating this way for 4 months. We both felt better and enjoyed the diet. Food tasted better and we were both healthier.

The slippery slope started when we decided we could add a few things back into the diet. Recently I’ve been struggling. I’ve gained weight and it seems impossible to stop eating sweets. I’ve been very frustrated.

I’ve upped my exercise and continue to gain or at least not lose. A few days ago the epiphany hit me….it doesn’t matter how much I exercise if I keep putting crap in my mouth.

So I’ve chosen to restart the vegan diet tomorrow. I’ve chosen to eat the foods that will help me lose weight and be healthier….wish me luck!

J = Juice

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Juice, juicing….something I never thought I would do!

Since we started eating a plant based diet, juice has turned into a nice treat. We invested in a Vitamix and we enjoy trying new places that specialize in vegetarian or vegan foods and juices. Juice Junkies was one of the first places we tried…and has remained at the top of our list of favorites.

Juice

The A – Z Challenge will run through April. Each day is a different letter and a different photo…I hope you all enjoy!

365 Days of Photos – Day 31

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My partner (Tina) and I are on day 13 of following a plant based diet. Our intention is to avoid all animal products, oils, and processed foods for at least 6 weeks. After the 6 week period we will likely add some items back to our diets….but for now we are both feeling energetic and quite happy with our choice to make these changes in our lives.

Today, for a treat, we went to the Spiral Diner for lunch. It is one of the few places in Fort Worth that serves only vegan. It was nice eating at a place where we did not have to ask “is the bread vegan?” “Do you make that with milk?” We simply relaxed and enjoyed our meals!

Spiral Diner

Spiral Diner 2