Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ten Observations from the First Month of this Vegan Journey

(For the record, next week will have absolutely nothing to do with diet. Thanks for reading!)

1. No matter how I slice it, dice it, or coat it in sauce, my husband is never going to willingly touch tofu.
2. Tofu comes in a variety of forms - and a variety of strange names: bean curd, tempeh, seitan (yeah, I think it’s pronounced like that evil dude.)
3. I now have proof our frufru dog has a horrible sense of smell. He comes running and begging by the stove whenever I’m sautéing slabs of…tofu. (I’m not kidding.) My daughter, however, runs in the other direction.
4. Some of my favorite foods are actually vegan, like my favorite chocolate cake, and a pecan streusel pumpkin cake. That was a shocker. I figured I’d be relegated to the produce bin for the rest of my life.
5. It’s been, oh, about a month? And I don’t miss meat, even chicken. Not one bit. I wasn’t expecting that.
6. It’s not that hard to cook “normal” meals for my family alongside “my” new diet. Most of our side dishes never contained butter, milk or cream in the first place.
7. I am not yet comfortable saying, “I’m following a Vegan diet” in public. Even though I really do feel better, I also feel rather self-conscience about it. I think some people believe all vegans/vegetarians walk around with a sermon in their pocket. Not me. This is a personal decision. What works for me may not be the answer for you.
8. Yes, you do get tired of eating beans.
9. Coffee isn’t the same without real, honest to goodness cream in it.
10. All things being considered, I feel better, am less hungry throughout the day, and have more energy. I can truthfully say (except for my morning coffee), for the first time in my life I’ve found a way of eating that finally feels like the “right” fit. And, honestly, wish I had started this journey years earlier.

We’ll see how long it lasts, but, for now, it’s working. Thanks for following along. I’d love to hear your story, too. I am always open to suggestions for what you would like to see here.

2 comments:

  1. Jule, I'm tuning in a bit late. Is it too private, or may I ask what made you decide to start to follow a vegan diet?

    I smiled when I imagined "my husband never willingly touching tofu," and "my daughter runs in the other direction." From what I know of these two characters, I can SO see both of those images... I definitely want to continue to follow your blog!

    I don't know if I could hack the coffee without cream, though... would the nondairy creamer count?

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  2. Hi Deb, I don't mind, at all. In short, I don't really like meat *gasp*, and finally came to the conclusion that dairy is never going to like me. All that leaves is eggs, which I don't use much, anyway. So an "accidental vegan", I suppose.

    I'll be honest, though, coffee is still a struggle without cream...

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