Sunday, November 25, 2012

Vegetarian in Name Only

I'm experimenting.  No, not in that way, or in the mad scientist way.  More in the trying new foods, delving into health way.

I've gone Vegan!  With yogurt!  No...Vegetarian!  Wait, no! ovo-lacto vegetarian, that sometimes eats chicken and bacon..

Okay, so I'm not a vegan.  Nor, am I downplaying being one..power in choice.  However, I am incorporating a lot more veggies into my diet and a lot less animal protein.  After reading The China Study, it just gently pushed me in that direction.  Read it!

The thing is, I don't want to live by such an extreme, I enjoy foods in many forms, and I want them all in my diet.  I've just added more of my favorite vegetables, legumes and fruits to my diet without having to live by a book, or a title.  I'm comfortable that way.  Also, a lunch time given it's the holidays, my co-workers hate me!  Fun!

It's definitely a large commitment.  I've taken to preparing my foods, and trying new dishes at home, but I've had some practice.  I like a lot of fresh fruit and Middle Eastern dishes, so I'm familiar with certain things and I keep many items in my pantry.  But, I haven't gone much further than that...it'd be a whole other thing to go find specialty shops, or coupons, or restaurants.  That will come later.

Right now, I've got a great menu for the week, baked pancake, kale chips, pineapple chutney with whole grain tortillas, lentils and brownies. It just took a lot of time.  It saves me $$, I think I'm averaging somewhere between $7-9/daily for 3 meals and 2 snacks.

So, even if I'm whatever in name only, I'm aiming to be healthy for life.