Full Up on Plant-Based Foods

None of us are sure exactly how it started - we were running stairs at Harvard stadium so I could track how many calories I was burning for my metabolic armband post. Someone mentioned that several people he knew were doing cleanses recently, I shared my opinion about the danger of cutting macronutrients out of your diet, and the next thing you know, the three of us were on a two-week long vegan cleanse*.

This was a lot easier for me than it was for either of them. I had already cut red meat and pork out of my diet and was a huge fan of tofu, legumes, and other vegan-friendly food products. Dan has a meat-share (like a CSA but with locally-raised meat) and Chris's breakfast routine every day includes two eggs. We sat at brunch that day after running the stairs eating eggs (me) and plenty of breakfast meat (them) going over what could and could not be eaten during these two weeks. Chris asked about bread (normally OK but check the package just in case) and we went over easy options for cooking at home (make sure to plan ahead) and eating out (Mexican and almost any type of Asian cuisine are the most likely to have options).

We all came out of it with mixed results, Dan making it the full two weeks despite his co-workers tempting him with copious amounts of Valentine's Day chocolate. Chris stopped early in order to get back to eating meat prior to joining Cross Fit (huge proponents of the Paleo Diet) and I did fine except for accidentally eating a handful of Cheetos halfway through the second week.

People often assume that you'll lose weight if you stop eating animal products, and I'm sure that a lot of people do (in fact, Dan did lose weight during the two weeks). For me though, I still ate just as many calories as I normally do, maybe even more because I constantly had a bag full of snacks with me in case I couldn't find any while out. It seems that many think of a vegan diet as being sparse, and in fact I've had people tell me that you "can't get full" on vegan food. True, there were times during the two weeks that I would've felt more full if I had been able to melt cheese on top of whatever I was eating, and I did get tired of the taste of soy milk, but besides that I ate some of the most delicious food I've had in a while. So for those who think of vegan food as nothing but bland tofu, mushy brown rice, and rubbery meat-replacement products, here were some of my favorite meals from the past two weeks....

Breakfast
Frozen hashbrowns sauteed in olive oil with wilted spinach, chipotle salsa, and lentils.
Whole-wheat tortilla with peanut butter and banana.
Steel-cut oats with maple syrup and walnuts.

Lunch
Whole-wheat tortilla filled with: brown rice, fire-roasted corn (comes frozen from Trader Joe's), avocado, cilantro, lentils, chipotle salsa.
Spinach salad with garbanzo beans, roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, tomato, cucumber, and tabouli.
Whole-wheat tortilla filled with: white-bean hummus, chopped tomatoes, baby spinach, and falafel (frozen, again from Trader Joe's).

Snacks
I love Meatless Primal Strips and also ate plenty of my usual snacks (almonds, Luna bars, bananas, veggies and hummus).

Dinner
We had some great meals out including Grasshopper, an all-vegan Asian restaurant nearby, and True Bistro, an upscale vegan restaurant in Somerville.

As I mentioned earlier, Valentine's Day happened to fall during this two-week period and lucky for me I have a very understanding boyfriend who didn't mind helping me cook this delicious recipe for Polenta Lasagna with Portabellas and Kale that night. I was also helping out with data-collection in a school cafeteria on one of the days and after smelling lasagna all day had an intense craving. Fortunately, I was able to find this recipe which substitutes tofu for ricotta in a traditional lasagna and it really hit the spot!

Vegan lasagna: healthy, filling, and delicious!

All-in-all it was really interesting to go vegan for two weeks in order to see all of the challenges that people can face. It made me value clearly-stated food labels and I did end up planning ahead more often in order to cook at home. Dan has said that the two weeks made him appreciate vegetables in a way that he never has before and while he's not about to give up his meat share, he's going to make an effort to eat a more plant-based diet, perhaps going vegan every other day. The vegan diet made Chris appreciate what vegans go through, especially when eating out and he was excited to find some new recipes (like a vegan chili) to work into his normal routine. As for me, this morning I was back at my old habits eating cheese on my english muffin. What can I say, despite loving the concept of better health through a plant-based diet, I'm a Wisconsin girl through and through.

*I completely understand that people stop eating animal products for many different reasons and don't mean to imply that eating a vegan diet for two weeks is a trendy "cleanse" like an all-juice diet; we just called it a vegan cleanse because we were cutting out a normal part of our diet. I also don't mean to imply that animal products are toxins. This was just for fun.

To Go Vegan or Not to Go Vegan

Someone recently mentioned that they are thinking of going vegan and asked for my thoughts. As I came up with some questions to ask her to help consider the decision from a dietary prospective, I thought I'd post them here in case others are also thinking of going vegan in the new year, or just curious what changes they might need to make to their diet if they ever make the switch to a plant-based diet.

• Are you considering becoming vegan for purely ethical reasons, purely health reasons, or a combination of the two? 

This is important for several reasons; it tells me whether or not you'll be willing to make exceptions if need be. For example, if I'm doing a diet analysis with someone who has recently gone vegan purely for health reasons and realize that they have a soy allergy and hate all beans, I might see if they'd be willing to consider some alternative lean protein sources like yogurt or fish. It can also be more challenging to eat at restaurants or go to family or work functions if you're not willing to be flexible on occasion.

• What are the current sources of calcium, protein, and iron in your diet? Calcium sources include dairy products, fortified juices and soy milk, green leafy vegetables, and some nuts and beans. Protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, beans, nuts, soy, and tofu. Iron sources include beans, fortified cereals, whole grains, fish, meat, eggs, some nuts, and some green vegetables.

If a person currently gets the majority of their calcium, protein, and iron from animal-based sources I would suggest that they make a slower transition to veganism in order to make sure that they are willing to eat the right types of foods to get all of these important nutrients. For someone who already eats a lot of nuts, legumes, and veggies, it might not be as hard to make the full transition. Most people think that protein is the hardest nutrient to get enough of when becoming vegan, but as I mentioned last year in this post about vegetarian protein, there is protein in a lot of places that you might not expect it (like grains and vegetables). While protein is certainly a concern, I'd say it's probably more important to pay attention to calcium and iron since these can be easier to forget about.

• Are you willing to take supplements if your diet doesn't provide the necessary vitamins and minerals?

There is no arguing that when going vegan, at least at first, it can be a challenge to get the necessary vitamins and minerals. Technically B12 is the only nutrient that is not naturally available in non-animal foods. In order to get the recommended 2.4 mcg/day of B12, a vegan needs to either eat fortified foods or take a supplement (don't worry, the B12 found in these forms is not taken from animals, it is derived from bacteria). Foods fortified with B12 include soy milk and various cereals. It is important to check in either with a Registered Dietician or by doing an online food analysis to make sure that you're getting enough nutrients in your diet.

A vegan diet can be healthy and can prevent a host of diseases and health problems, but remember, there are plenty of the bad guys like sodium and fat in vegan foods as well. Just because that cupcake is vegan doesn't make it healthy! In fact, vegan products that are attempting to imitate meat have a lot of sodium in them in order to mimic the flavor. Some vegan baked goods make use of cashew butter and coconut oil - both things that are ok to consume in moderation, but aren't exactly what you'd call healthy either. As long as you learn to make smart choices and check often to make sure that you're getting all of the nutrients you need, going vegan can be fun - not to mention delicious!

If you have more questions about going vegan or advice (and recipes) for those looking to make the leap leave it in the comments section...