I think the Vegan part threw a lot of friends and maybe some family. No, we are not "tried and true" Vegan's (Ben would never go for that). We are Vegan-ish. It would be more correct to say we're Nutritarian at home. What in the world is a Nutritarian?
Nutritarian is a word coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is a nutrional way of eating. I read a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, which was referred to me by a friend whom suddenly looked healthy thin and great after having a baby the same time as me, 2 1/2 years ago. The book was Eat to Live. I tried the plan for a day and nearly passed out and was horribly sick. I tried again 2 years later after having Braddock and it has mostly stuck.
Basic idea:
*Eat all the veggies you want (especially greens with limited sweet potatoes and white potatoes)at least up to one lb of raw veggies a day- wow that's a lot.
*Eat at LEAST 3-4 fruits a day
*Beans at least 1-2 cups per day
*Limited grains about one cup per day (I only do this when I'm on the diet part. I don't limit whole grains regularly, just breads or processed grains. On top of that, the scriptures tell us "Grain is the staff of life".)
*Next to no oil (your veins need oil though, so we sub with ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and nuts).
*No added sugar or processed foods (I have not succeeded with this one yet, sugar is my...there aren't even words to describe it)
*Little to no animal products about 1-2 servings per week (the book says eggs are okay because they're the least polluted but poultry if you must)
This is basically a nutritarian way of eating, yet very similar to vegan-ism.
Sorry, I'm not the vegan that is changing the way I eat to save the animals. Good for those that are, but for me and mine, I see things a little differently. Anatomically, we have canine teeth not meant for plants. Physiologically, we need a B12 vitamin that plants are lacking, but animal products are not. Religiously, Heavenly Father asked that the best ram be sacrificed, that lamb's blood be smeared on the door posts, and that man have dominion over the beasts. I don't think He has a problem with animals being killed but EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. I'm not a big fan of how most butchered animals are raised but I am not about to raise my own cow and I don't want to deal with chickens. :)
So, at home, we try to avoid bringing home sweets, processed foods, meat, and dairy.
When we go to a friend or family's home, we enjoy the beef tacos or pepperoni pizza. I'll enjoy the 3 different small slices of cake at the Relief Society event (church), and practice self control all day with other sugary temptations.
Has it actually done anything positive for our family or do we feel wanting of cheesy goodness?
I'll be the first to admit cheese and sugar have been the hardest to let go of at home.
I wish we were more strict, honestly.
Ben and I lost 10 lbs the first 3 weeks and haven't gained it back several months later (that was back when we were being more strict with the plan above, we need to do that again). I have more energy and I don't need a nap in the middle of the day. I was barely able to go 3 hours with out eating. I was shaking, cranky, and would eat the first easiest thing I saw a.k.a. a candy bar while in line at the grocery store. Now I have 3 meals a day and one green smoothie between lunch and dinner.
Entegra has been a pretty good eater since she kindergarten. She loves broccoli, oranges, strawberries, and blackberries and just about any smoothie we put in front of her.
Inara, whom was previously eating mainly bread, milk, cheese, and chicken, now eats apples, carrots, bread, and oatmeal. Previously, she hated PB&J sandwiches, now she'll eat it but only wants the PB on her sandwich. Also, she'll drink water a lot more often then before when she only wanted milk. She's like me and has a major sugar tooth that we're working on together. A few medical things are much better for her, too.
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| Inara drinking a fruit smoothie and eating a Peanut butter sandwich on whole white wheat bread (is that bread actually healthy?) |
Bracken wanted milk all the time. He still would love to drink tons of Almond or Soy milk but is content with water. He's more willing to try other foods and recently has decided to like grapes, raisins and broccoli.
I'm hoping to feed Braddock right. I would love to be able to convice at least one of my children to eat salads. I'm feeding him fruits and veggies as often as I can once he's old enough. He, so far, is the first to actually enjoy learning to eat solid foods. He's tried and liked, oatmeal, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes.
Back to Benjamin. He is NOT thrilled with the lack of cheese or red meats in the house. I'm able to make up for it with different kinds of meals, the more spicy and flavorful the better- however, that makes it harder for the kids to like. There's no winning.
So, we still eat meat on occasion. Eggs are the main animal product in the home but still not consumed more than 2-3 times per week. We love cheese on our pizza, but soy milk is so tasty. We try to avoid red 32 or yellow 98 (made up but you get the idea), and have found turmeric turns food SUPER yellow if you need that color. Basically, we went Vegan-ish to add more veggies to our plates and live a healthier lifestyle.
The more veggies I can get into my kids, the better I feel about doing my mommy job.
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