Tips for new vegans

Some new vegans have been asking me for advice on what to eat. Here's a list of some things I've found helpful to have around. This is just a start, but hopefully it sparks some ideas. It will be continued in the future I'm sure. And I'd like to get ideas from the readers, too!

Trader Joe's mixed nuts "to-go" packs
I throw these in my pocket, keep a pack in the glovebox, and have them around at work. It's good to eat a handful of nuts and seeds every day, and these do the trick. And they have enough calories to satisfy a hunger urge.

Fortified Rice, Almond, Soy & Hemp Milk
I stress fortified because all of the above milks have fortified versions that are much better for you. They have added B12, Calcium and other essential vitamins. I like to use them all, so I keep them in a rotation. I can't really tell much of a differnce between them, honestly, since they're usually in my smoothies or cereal.

Kale & Collard Greens
Kale and collards have some of the highest nutritional content of any vegetable. I mostly put them in smoothies or pan fry them. I had some collards in my smoothie this morning, and it put a serious pep in my step!

A Blender
Seriously. I use mine every day. And it's nothing fancy. It's amazing how quickly I go through my greens and fruit. No more throwing out what's gone bad because it's all been blended. I wouldn't be able to get enough raw greens in my diet without it.

Larabars
Not all of them are vegan, but most of them are. They're also great pocket stuffers, and good before or after workouts. They satisfy the need for something sweet and crunchy, with minimally processed ingredients. There's no added sugar, just dates.

Earth Balance Buttery Spread
I love toast, and I love it with butter. I was no fan of margarine, but I'm telling you this stuff is nothing of the sort. It's fantastic.

Earth Balance Peanut Butter
On apples, celery, or on it's own. 'Nuff said.

A Crockpot
I never considered getting one of these, but it's great! And they're only $20 at Target. I basically toss in  a bunch of random veggies and beans, and it comes out pretty good! It's a great way to get in your veggies.

It's time to get ripped

And by getting ripped, I mean gaining roughly ten pounds (of pure muscle, of course). Why ten pounds? That's about how much I've lost in the 3 months I've been vegan. I have a unique issue when it comes to weight gain: I haven't been able to do it before. Even when I was an omnivore, I had the same problem. But now? Now, I'm new and improved.

I theorize this weight loss is a shedding of extra, unwanted matter in my digestive system and toxins stored in my cells. Good riddance, I say. My energy level is still very high, I recover quickly from workouts and I don't have any food cravings. My body is telling me everything is going great. So, the weight loss isn't attributed to any sort of lack of protein or vitamins. I eat a broad range of vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes.

As usual, I have a plan. Ready for it...Ready for it.............My plan is to eat more. I know. Shocking. I'm a loose cannon. But seriously, it's more nuanced. I'm going to eat more earlier in the day, and within 15 minutes of a workout. Also, I'm cutting down on my cardio workouts. I'm limiting my cardio workouts to Tae Kwon Do, 3-4 days a week. All other cardio will be for warm-up purposes only. And I'm going to focus on lifting at least 5 days a week. For example, a day could look like this:

8 am, Breakfast:
2 slices Ezekeil multi-grain toast with Earth Balance spread
20 oz. homemade fruity green juice (Fortified rice milk, spinach, kale, OJ, flax seed, lemon juice)

9 am, Arrive at work

11 am, Snack 1:
Hot oatmeal
1 apple

12:00 pm, Workout (5 minute cardio warm-up, 25 minutes lifting, 5-10 stretching)

12:45 pm, Post Workout Snack:
Hot oatmeal (or Larabar)

1:15 pm, Lunch:
Salad with mixed greens, spinach, various nuts and seeds, black beans, brown rice and raw broccoli

4:00 pm, Snack 2:
Hummus and 2 pita breads
1 Banana

6:00 pm, leave work, Snack 3:
Pack of mixed nuts, seeds, dried cranberries

7:30 pm, Dinner:
Sauteed mixed vegetables with various seeds over brown rice
Small lentil soup
Small raw salad

9:30 pm, Snack 4:
Leftovers from dinner

That's a lot of eating, right? Well, I've actually eaten this exact lineup before, and I love it. It's an all out eating extravaganza. Now, I just need to be sure I eat like this every day. Sometimes I'm rushed, or stuck in traffic, or don't have all the ingredients, or forget to eat. And sometimes, I just don't feel like eating what I've brought for a snack. Some days I workout after work and have even less time to prepare meals. Well, these guns ain't gonna get all huge by themselves. They need fuel. And rest. And training. The tripple-dog-Jones, as it were. Poundage, here I come.

Green Drink

I was a little hungry after dinner, so I decided to make a green juice. I didn't have any raw greens yet today, so I wanted to get some in. It was really good, healthy, fast and filling. I just threw it all in a blender and that was it. It yielded just over 16 oz. of juice.

8 oz. Fortified Rice Milk
2 oz. Cranberry Juice (unsweetened)
4 oz. Orange Juice
6 oz. Baby Spinach
4 oz. Kale
2 tbsp. Ground Flaxseed

Today's Eats

breakfast:
2 slices multi-grain toast with earth balance buttery spread
OJ

snack:
berry medley (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries)

lunch:
sauteed green beans, yellow beans and broccoli
brown rice

snack:
yellow beet and red onion salad from Whole Foods on top of baby spinach

snack in the car driving home from work:
banana

dinner:
my awesome guacamole with chips
chopped onion and tomato
refried beans
brown rice
1 tortilla

Report: Slippin'

I've slipped a few times, and it's only fair I report them. Here they are, in no particular order:

• I at 2 mini reese's peanut butter cups that have been staring at me from my kitchen shelf for months. They probably have some remnant of evaporated milk in them.
• I sampled a milk chocolate candy at Trader Joe's 
  
• I drank wine that turned out to be vegan, but I didn't check before I drank it.
• I ate refried beans in a veggie burrito that probably had lard in it. 
• I bought bread today that has honey in it.

The bread: I tried to find some vegan bread, but it all expired within a day or two, which doesn't work well for a guy living alone. I let the poor little bees down, I suppose. Well, sorry fellas. I put my needs first. I'll do better next time.

The chocolates: Both times I knew the chocolates weren't vegan. I slipped.

The wine: I didn't even think about it since other things were on my mind.

The beans. I knew it at the time but didn't care. No excuses.

I still have been doing fantastic at sticking to the new diet, and the slip-ups are very few and far between. I can only imagine they will continue to erode as I become more comfortable and aware. Reflecting on it, I realize my slip ups required the same carelessness as eating meat and dairy. I buried the truth to satisfy myself in the moment. Some may see the above slip-ups as minor, and others major, but to me they are a reminder of how far I've come, and how far I have left to go. They are neither major nor minor, but just are.

Larabars

I love Larabars. They don't have any crap in them. One of my favorites has 2 ingredients: cashews and dates. Or the one below: peanuts, dates, salt. Most of them have 2-4 ingredients, and none of them are chemicals. I stay away from most processed foods, but these are guilt-free for me.

Today's Eats

Probably not the best menu, but this is what I ate today, and it's pretty typical of what I eat on a daily basis.

breakfast:
2 slices multi-grain toast with earth balance buttery spread
soy yogurt with fruit

snack:
pistachio and date bar (larabar)

lunch:
large mixed green salad with spinach, beets and various seeds
brown rice

snack:
apple with crunchy peanut butter
banana

snack:
another apple

dinner:
brown rice
black beans
guacamole
chips