My Vegan Pantry

So, I told you I've started trying to eat vegan-style, no meat, no dairy, no chemicals.

I am partially fluent in "ingredients" languages, and know that whatever I don't recognize, I probably shouldn't be eating it.

I have done some major kitchen overhauling to switch out my bad foods for my super foods.

What does Josh think? He's proud of me, and he eats vegan with me, only he "substitutes" every once in awhile. :)

I cheat sometimes too, but not often. I feel tired and yucky when I do though.

I went vegetarian three weeks ago, then read Skinny *itch and went vegan about 1.5 weeks ago. I'm really enjoying it. It's QUITE an adventure!

So, in case you'd like to eat healthier, I'll give you a few ideas:

Freezer Foods

Here we have a few items I've tried and a few I haven't tried.

Love the veggie dogs, Boca burgers, and meatless chicken.

I haven't tried the pizza, "fish" sticks, or meatless meatballs.

Eek, the Ezekiel bread is in the fridge, too. Forgot to put that in the pic.

Why not meat? Well, we can start with our cows, pigs, and birds' living conditions. Even "farm-raised" chickens are on top of each other with no room. Think about how you'd feel if you were squeezed into an elevator your whole life, or if you watched your family get slaughtered. You'd freak out, right? Do you know what happens to your body when you're scared or angry? Your body releases hormones (cortisol, GH, norepinephrine) and when animals are slaughtered at the moment they are dumping all of those hormones in their body, guess what? You eat it. You're eating fear, rage, and anger. You wonder why you're moody?

Meat is okay to eat if you killed it and you eat it fairly fresh. After that, it's just rotting, decomposing flesh that you're eating. There are practically no nutrients left by the time processed meat hits your plate. Except vitamin B12. Vegetarians and vegans take B12 supplements, but they stay in your body for a long time, so it's not that hard to get everything you need.

The infamous question: how do you get enough protein? Did you see the almondmilk, flaxseed, quinoa? Beans, veggies, peanuts, etc etc etc. You don't need as much protein as you think.

Ge this: Up until 3 weeks ago, I was eating meat for lunch AND dinner! I thought I needed protein all the time, and I love meat. And cheese. But, you get everything you need if you balance your diet well.

Refrigerated Section

On the left we have Almondmilk, which is delicious.

Veganaise (mayo), organic Ketchup (it's AMAZING), vegan Ranch (haven't tried it),

almond butter, blueberry preserves (pb&j), Earth Balance butter (delish), veggie sausage,

smoked ham veggie deli meat (it's okay, I hear the balogna is better), tempeh "bacon," and veggie cheese.

Why not dairy?

Let's start with milk.

When a baby is born, it has this enzyme called Lactase.

So baby drinks breast milk with Lactose in it. The Lactase breaks down the Lactose sugar in milk.

By the time a human is 4 years old, she has lost 95% of her lactase enzyme. No more breaking down the sugar. It just turns into fat.

Breast milk was designed to support a baby through the biggest growth-spurt of her life - a baby doubles in size drinking breast milk. DOUBLES!

Now, let's talk about cows. Don't forget the elevator living situation for cows- crowded- with machines milking a gallon from them a day. Ow. And the sensitive teets get infected, go untreated, and neither the USDA or EPA regulate this. Pus from infected teets often get into your milk. Ew.

I told you babies double in size on breast milk, but calves quadruple in size from birth.

You wonder why you might be overweight? You're drinking milk that is designed to fatten a calf by 400%. Cheese is basically milk, just aged. So, same thing.

Pantry

Organic blue chips, pad thai noodles, Austin's very own Kirbie Lane pumpkin pancake mix, Natural honey nut o's, whole wheat flour, raw sugar, quinoa, organic maple syrup, Nacho Mama cheese, flaxseed, and organic green tea.

America seems to think we'll only eat food that's pristine white, like flour, sugar, rice, bread, and pasta, but let me tell you something. There's bleach in that. Bleach, chemicals, and they've been completely stripped of their nutrients. Don't buy white grains.

Would you like to know how I feel since I've changed my diet?

Awake, alert, hungry (so I eat/snack all day), and clean inside.

I also started using natural toothpaste, which honestly makes my breath fresher longer. That completely surprised me. Next to switch out is deodorant, but I'll wait for cooler weather on that one. Then lotion, shampoo, etc.

Why am I doing this?

I want to be healthy and a friend recommended the book.

I told you it feels like an adventure and it does!

I forgot to take pictures of fruits and vegetables, which I eat the MOST.

I love black plums, bananas, peaches and pineapples. I eat fruit first thing in the morning, wait 30 minutes, then eat cereal with almondmilk.

I snack on almonds, more fruit, or carrots mid-morning.

Lunch is some type of sandwich, salad, or wrap.

Dinner is veggies, and fake meat these days.

Once I learn what tempeh, quinoa, lentils, and sietan are, then I'll change things up a little.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little about my life right now, and I won't judge you for eating a burger because I'll still eat one once in awhile. I do hope you'll consider what you put in your body, and pay attention to how you feel when you eat certain foods.

Something else I read that shocked me - cancer cells can't live in an alkaline body. Raw foods alkalize your body, so consider your health in this.

Much love, Robin