"So what exactly do you eat?"

If you are looking to win a popularity contest, being a gluten-free vegan is not for you. People look at you weird, sneer, laugh and roll their eyes. I even had someone say last night that I was that annoying person that servers hate. I totally get it.  I don't blame them. Maybe I am just doing it to be unique. I have so many different answers to why: optimal health (cancer/heart plaque fighting machine), lose weight, generally feel better, for #veganmofo, for shits and giggles...but not exactly for the animals as most Vegans. I love animals. I have a dog that I adore. I think kittens and bunnies are cute, however I have always been able to compartmentalize the treatment of animals and its affect on the environment to the tasty slab of meat on my plate. I used to advertise for the National Cattleman's Beef Association and have seen my fair share of slaughter houses without being fazed (except for maybe the part at the end of the line w/ the gun). I wish I could come up with a really good reason for this silly adventure but it just is what it is.

Leading to the title of this post, what exactly do I eat?...well here goes (by default everything listed is gluten-free):

Breakfast:

Homemade Oatmeal/Fruit Bars
Oatmeal/Fruit
Smoothies
Granola/Almond yogurt
Rice/Corn Flake/Granola Cereal combo w/ Almond Milk
Larabar
MacroBar






Lunch:

Salad (Lettuce, cucumber, oil/vinegar)
Nature's Path Vegan Bread w/ Almond Butter

Fruit: grapes, pears, apples










Dinner:

Roasted Veggies (Peppers, Eggplant, Squash)
Brown Rice (seasoned w/ Tamari)
Roasted Red/Sweet Potatoes
Hilary's Veggie Burger







Dessert:
Almond Milk Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate

Drink:
Wine, wine, wine

Restaurants:

Chicago Diner
Bombay Spice
Native Foods
Protein Bar
Urban Vegan
Rose's Bakery







RE my last post, I've balanced my food quantity intake. With workouts 6 days a week and a reduction of my drinking to 2-3 days a week I'm feeling pretty darn good. Hunger has subsided.

V Week 3

This week marks the third week that I have given up all animal products. Turns out that it's not that hard. I don't miss meat or crave it. The only time that I have faltered (twice) is that I literally would have skipped a meal if I didn't eat meat. I attended a fashion & food event with a friend and a work lunch that would have proved too difficult to satisfy my hunger without ordering a dish with fish.

A major lesson that I have learned in the past few weeks is how much better your body feels when you control your own food. Now as a gluten-free person this is typically my reality, but with truly embracing my new Veganism I had decided to eat out a few too many times. In the middle of my Vegan journey I felt terrible. I struggle with managing portion control when things are tasty.

Overall when you eat too much, it doesn't matter what it is, it will make you feel like crap. Classic lesson of slow down when you are eating and listen to your body. If only restaurant served 100% vegan friendly food at the exact right portion. A girl can dream.

Last side note. After reading "My Beef with Meat," I'm not sure I can ever truly consider an animal based diet every again. More to come on that.

Bird vs Bird Seed

If you are a current reader of my blog, you know that I've been on a food journey for quite some time. I'll try just about anything to feel as healthy as possible while still maintaining an entertaining and delicious experience.

In be past 2 months I've been dabbling in all things above and beyond just "gluten-free." Now, being gluten-free is nothing to balk at but at this point it's easy for me. The more you know how to be gluten-free, the more ways you know how to cheat being healthy (chips, snickers bars, candy in general...). It was time to up the anty.

I started with giving up cow dairy. That means no milk, no cow cheese (goat cheese still in the game), no ice cream, etc. I found it pretty easy as there are so many almond milk and coconut alternatives that are either just as tasty or better.

That gets me to the past two weeks. I have entered into a realm that I swore up and down I would never do as a gluten-free devotee. I went gluten-free vegan. Madness.

As a fairly savvy social media 30 something, I have become addicted to Instagram. Often I would post the gluten free food or restaurants that I have been to and tagged them with the proper monikers. And in return I would get likes or followers that are also interested in gluten-free living. One day as I was tooling around the "discovery" page I started seeing a new hashtag #veganmofo. 

Other than its apparent inappropriateness of the name, it seemed like a movement of some sort. And in fact it was. September is "Vegan month of food." There are people all over the world (literally) snapping pics and blogging about Veganism. And as I kept digging I realized there are thousands of people posting recipes daily. I was completely consumed by all the content and pretty pictures. I was in. Like all in. I've already made 3 plus recipes, have visited 5 vegan restaurants and posted 5 plus pics.

Now getting to the title of this post. In the midst of week 1 of Veganism, my cubemate/work partner in crime started a new diet as well. She is trying to reach the pure state of ketosis by giving up sugar 100%. As a recovering candy/sugar addict I see that as impossible. I'd liken the diet to the Atkins diet. She eats meat/salad/eggs/bacon/cheese. Pretty much the exact opposite of my diet.

Within our almost 2 weeks I have gained weight and she has lost weight. But this isn't about weight. This is about reaching optimal heath. I fear she is building up plaque in her arteries and she feels I'm consuming foods that are turing all to sugar (and then in turn fat). I feel like I'm a cancer fighting machine!

The diet wars begin. Stay tuned for updates in our challenge.