I am now almost done with my 2nd complete month living as a vegan eater and my partner has almost completely cut out meat and a great deal of dairy from his diet as well. What I've learned: eat life (plants) not death (meat), treat your body like a temple, listen to it, do what is best for both yourself and others.
We've learned how to get more than 1/4 of my Daily Dozen checks with my green smoothie breakfast... if you don't know about the Daily Dozen, look into Dr. Michael Greger and his book, How Not To Die. We brainstorm ways to get beans or veg into our bellies before bedtime if we feel like we are dragging or just know we're short on calories or nutrients. I have learned how to listen to my body and when it wants to run (7/9 weeks of my first complete Couch to 5K on my way to my first Sprint Triathlon) versus some free-on-Youtube Yoga with Adriene.
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| Excited to get 2.8 miles in during a 41 minute workout. My body has never been so open to running or working out. Now I crave it! |
Zero waste. Still important. Still trying. But especially with kids, it's so hard! But I'm carrying a Fjallraven Kanken backpack with my gear, wherever I go, including but not limited to: cloth napkin, reusable utensils, hankie, metal to-go container, Diva Cup, an etee wrap, a stainless steel straw (mine are from Amazon, but I'm no longer doing business with them for any number of reasons!), diy lip moisturizer in a reused lip balm container, and a reusable shopping bag. I also always have a drink cup, this one's a Kleen Kanteen, with me so there's no need for any disposable cups. There might also be snacks, like this Chico Bag Snack Time pack of trail mix leftover from the movies yesterday.
My final thoughts today... I am doing well and can always do better.
*** Below- I just ran across this post I drafted 1/17/17***
I love meat. I love bacon. I love hamburgers so much. I hate the way I feel after eating them. I hate the crap food I eat along with them. I hate the environmental ramifications of my carnivorous eating.
I started a plant-based yesterday. At least I tried.
A green smoothie for breakfast.
A plate of vegetarian Thali for lunch.
2 chocolate banana muffins made with leftover almond milk pulp.
I know, not the most well-rounded diet for the day, but it was a start. We met my mom downtown for lunch and there was so much meat and cheese all around me, so for me to order the Thali from Blue Diamond, I was very proud of myself! I did not have sustainable silverware or a cup with me, so a plastic fork and cup were sacrificed. But my bamboo silverware is now in my purse for such occasions!
Changing my diet so drastically as well as really focusing on less waste all starting in the same month is overwhelming, but as I've created less clutter in my home, this is the next step and I feel ready.
It's all about intentions. I had an after pole snack with my friend Rachel a couple weeks ago and as we discussed how we approach the new year, she talked about changes she plans on making as Intentions instead of Goals. I like this and am adopting it as my own. It takes away the pressure of meeting goals as well as the guilt when we 'fail' at meeting our goals all the time. This is the same mindset I am focused on when moving to a plant-based diet as well as my zero-waste and minimalist ventures.
Yesterday I also made almond milk and coconut butter. I won't be making coconut butter again. It is delicious, but tedious food processing that includes scraping the sides repeatedly makes it a non-essential activity that I am not willing to spend my time on.
So far 2017 has turned out to be quite successful as I create a more healthy lifestyle for myself, my community, and the greater good.
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