Try Vegan Challenge Recap

Earlier this month, I posted about the Try Vegan Challenge from Food & Nutrition Magazine, declaring that I would "go vegan" for a week in an effort to show that a completely plant-based diet is not only healthy, animal-friendly and environmentally sustainable...but it can be tasty too!

My goal was to follow a completely vegan diet for 7 days, although the challenge only technically asked for 5 days and allowed room for slip-ups.  Spoiler alert:  I didn't make it 7 days and I cheated on Day 1!

As I mentioned, I normally follow a vegetarian diet and my main meals are plant-based with dairy and eggs complimenting the meals or serving as snacks.  Therefore, I didn't think I'd have too much trouble making the transition from vegetarian to vegan.  It's part of both my personality and my job to be a planner, so I made sure to meal plan and set myself up for success in this challenge.  My main concern during meal planning were snacks.  Some examples of my typical snacks are Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese and cottage cheese.  None of which are vegan!  So I substituted with things like pita chips & hummus, fresh fruit, sandwich thins & nut butter, and trailmix. 

Rather than post my food logs from the 5 day period, I figured it'd be easier to focus on my struggles and victories with the vegan diet. 

Struggles:
1.  Birthday cake.  I made the mistake of starting this challenge the day after my birthday, when all my coworkers wanted to celebrate with delicious (non-vegan) chocolate ganache cake.  I didn't even make it 24 hours before my first slip-up!



Not-so-vegan birthday cake.



2. I missed my yogurt.  I'm a big fan of Greek yogurt.  I enjoy it on a daily basis and at all times of the day...at breakfast, snack time and even as a subsitute for sour cream in my meals!  It's absence was really noticeable and probably my biggest struggle!

3. Take-out with friends.  One night, I had Southern friends visiting, and they really wanted good ole New York pizza!  This was my second (and only other) slip-up.  Another night was sushi take-out with a girlfriend, and although I didn't have much trouble finding myself a vegan meal, I really wanted salmon or tuna!   And I had to be very careful when it came to ordering/sharing appetizers!  When following any kind of restrictive diet, you have to make sure to ask a lot of questions when dining out or ordering in.  Always check what ingredients are in things like batters, sauces and condiments.

Veggie roll + edamame!

Victories:

1. Focus on real, whole foods.  This is my aim anyway, but cutting out dairy and eggs forced me to be creative and make smart choices to get adequate calories and protein.  A lot of newbie vegans struggle with what to eat and end up eating a lot of processed "meat substitute" products, which negates any effort to consume a healthier diet.  [When in doubt, consult a Registered Dietitian to develop a vegan/vegetarian/flexitarian/whatever meal plan to make sure you're getting adequate nutrients!]

2. Increased intake of fruits, veggies and healthy fats!  Although my meals looked fairly similar each day, I definitely noticed a boost in my normal intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.  My bag of food for work (pictures below) always included things like pears, fresh strawberries, brussels sprouts, carrots and hummus, nut butters and avocado.

 

Overall, this was a very interesting challenge!  Even though I'm a Registered Dietitian and long-time vegetarian, I still was able to learn a lot from the experience.  I obviously have a lot of practice with reading food labels, but this experiment sharpened those skills.  I also had to get creative and develop strategies to overcome obstacles that I'm sure a lot of people face when converting to a vegan diet, which will ultimately make me a better practitioner! 

And on a personal note, I learned I'm not interested in becoming 100% vegan myself! At least not at this time!  :) 

Tell me...are you interested in becoming vegan? Vegetarian? What do you think you'd miss the most?

Give Me Something Good to Eat

With Halloween just around the corner, it seems like bags of candy and chocolate are everywhere you look.  A celebration originally intended to honor the souls of the dead has become completely centered on candy corn and "fun size" candy bars.  Talk about scary!

Now I'm a big chocolate fan myself (especially dark chocolate!) and I definitely believe that sweet treats do have a place in a healthy lifestyle.  Still every year I find myself frustrated by the overindulgence that occurs around Halloween and other holidays.  Being surrounded by empty calories is just not a good way to set ourselves up to make healthy choices.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not campaigning to end trick-or-treating or anything crazy like that.  I love dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating, but I think we need to make adjustments to the messages (and the treats) we're giving to kids today.  When I was little, we always wanted to just skip the houses we knew to give out apples, popcorn or toothbrushes, but maybe those people were onto something!  Of course those are dietitian approved choices, but it doesn't even need to be that "extreme"! There are plenty of snack options that can satisfy a sweet tooth without breaking the nutritional bank.

  Green Halloween is one of many awesome programs working on changing our approach to Halloween.  It's gaining serious momentum and inspiring people to think "outside the candy-box®".  I absolutely love the idea of making Halloween healthier, safer and easier on the environment!  

Some of the well-known companies involved with the Green Halloween movement include Honest Tea, Stretch Island Fruit Co., Plum Kids, Cascadian Farms and (my favorite) Lara Bars!  In fact, Lara Bars is hosting a sweepstakes to giveaway 100 LARABAR minis, which are a great healthy option for trick-or-treaters! (Hurry, though...it ends at 11:59pm tonight!)

So before you stock up on giant bags of (expensive) Halloween candy, consider giving out something GOOD to eat this year!

Have a Happy and Healthy Halloween! 

Why Not Eat White?

As a nutrition professional, one of the first things I recommend to people is to include a variety of colorful foods in their diet.  In fact, last year's National Nutrition Month theme was "Eat Right with Color" and I've written a post on "Tasting the Rainbow".  Choosing fruits and vegetables that vary in color ensures that you're getting all of the important vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.  


That being said, incorporating foods completely lacking in color can be just as nutritional.  These seemingly boring white foods are loaded with bold health benefits!

• Cottage cheese is a good source of calcium and protein. Be sure to pick low-fat or fat-free options!
• Garlic is heart healthy, as it works to reduce blood cholesterol and triglycerides!
• Potatoes are low-calorie (as long as you don't add a ton of cheese, sour cream or oil) and higher in fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and many other nutrients!
• Yogurt/Kefir is packed with calcium and phosphorus, as well as healthy bacteria to boost your immune system.
• Onions are similar to garlic in their cardiovascular benefits and they are rich  inquercetin, a flavonoid found to reduce inflammation.
• Mushrooms are technically neither plant nor animal, so these delicious fungi are able to provide a variety of nutrients that may be lacking from other sources.  Mushrooms are high in copper, selenium, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

Eat Right & Eat WHITE! :)

23 1/2 hours a day

Can YOU limit your sitting & sleeping to just twenty-three and a half hours a day?!

Seems like a ridiculous question, but it makes a fantastic point.

This is a very quick & cool lecture by Dr. Mike Evans which breaks down the research behind the health benefits of just 30 minutes of physical activity a day.  We can all certainly do that, no matter how busy we may be!

Check it out, and pass it along:

The New Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers has been one of the most popular plans followed by dieters for almost 15 years.  Recently, Weight Watchers has redesigned their weight-loss plan, based on research on how the body metabolizes different types of foods.  Under their previous plan, Weight Watchers are given an individualized allowance of points depending on age, gender, height and current weight.  Food items were given a specific point value, which was based on total calories and adjusted for fat content and fiber. 

The new "PointsPlus" plan assigns point values to foods based on their protein, fat, carbs and fiber.  While the overall design is the same, with the message being to not "go over" on your total points, people are now given a higher number of points.  This can be confusing, particularly to those who are familiar with and have been following a Weight Watchers plan for years.  According to the NY Times article, on the previous plan the average member was allowed 22 points, whereas on the new plan the average point value is 31.  Ultimately, "bad" food choices are still taking up a higher portion of total points, which discourages dieters from consuming these foods.

For more information on the new PointsPlus program, check out the WW website (http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/apr/index.aspx).

I'll still argue that Weight Watchers is probably the best "diet" out there, promoting increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods, while discouraging highly processed items.  Isn't that the message we health-conscious people are always pushing!?

Whether you're following a structured diet plan or just striving to eat healthier and feel well, Watching your Weight is always a good idea! :)