(F.O.O.=Family of Origin)
How we eat is closely tied to how and where we are raised.
Growing up in Vermont, I ate a lot of dairy.
My parents worked for Cabot Creamery, maker of some of the best cheese, yogurt, and butter imaginable.
My aunt owned dairy cows and provided us with fresh whole milk regularly.
And then there was Ben. And Jerry. What Vermonter could do without those guys? Oh, Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, my love!
My dad took great pride in being a simple "meat and potatoes" man. So our family ate just that, though always with a vegetable of some sort. Steaks, meatloaf, hamburgers, ham...no meal was complete without meat.
When I married and started cooking for my own family, potatoes were replace by rice--my husband's preference--but otherwise the diet remained the same.
Then, in my 20s I joined Weight Watchers in an effort to find my body under the pounds accumulated during two pregnancies. I started eating far less meat and dairy to follow the program, adding more fruit and vegetables to my diet. I discovered the more veg I ate, the more energy I had, the more weight I lost, and the better I felt.
I quit meat for 18 months. It was terrific.
Then, baby number three appeared and DEMANDED a hamburger. With a side of bacon. I went back to old eating patterns while I was pregnant, worried that my body was craving those items because the baby needed some key nutrient in meat and if I didn't eat it, she would come out missing a kidney or something.
She's five months old now and, praise God, she is perfect. I am once again searching for the lean and healthy body I used to have, plus the energy I need. It was a difficult delivery and I lost a lot of blood. People kept telling me to eat beef so I could rebuild my store of iron. Was that the best advice? I'm not so sure. My energy level is still low.
So, here I am, ready to dig deeper into what I should be eating for optimum health. I just got a copy of The China Study and am using it as my jumping off point. The book advocates that eating plant-based food is the healthiest way to live. I've only read the first few pages and already I am amazed at the science that backs up their claims.
This blog will explore food, culture, family, health, and maybe a few other things as I journey into plant-based eating to see if it lives up to the hype.
Day 1: ate totally plant based (with the exception of about a teaspoon of plain yogurt needed for a recipe). Even tried a soy latte at Starbucks. It was good! No noticeable difference in energy or overall well-being yet.
What I ate (main meals): spaghetti with mushroom marinara, veggie fajitas (sauteed peppers, onions, vegetarian refried beans, rice) topped with guacamole (made with a small amount of regular yogurt)
Questions:
>>What is the best milk alternative for use on cereal and such? Soy, almond, or rice milk?
>>Why do so many people tell me being a vegetarian is dangerous?
>>Why do some people get defensive when I talk about my giving up animal products?
>>Is there anywhere in this small Midwestern town that I can get soy yogurt?
How we eat is closely tied to how and where we are raised.
Growing up in Vermont, I ate a lot of dairy.
My parents worked for Cabot Creamery, maker of some of the best cheese, yogurt, and butter imaginable.
My aunt owned dairy cows and provided us with fresh whole milk regularly.
And then there was Ben. And Jerry. What Vermonter could do without those guys? Oh, Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, my love!
My dad took great pride in being a simple "meat and potatoes" man. So our family ate just that, though always with a vegetable of some sort. Steaks, meatloaf, hamburgers, ham...no meal was complete without meat.
When I married and started cooking for my own family, potatoes were replace by rice--my husband's preference--but otherwise the diet remained the same.
Then, in my 20s I joined Weight Watchers in an effort to find my body under the pounds accumulated during two pregnancies. I started eating far less meat and dairy to follow the program, adding more fruit and vegetables to my diet. I discovered the more veg I ate, the more energy I had, the more weight I lost, and the better I felt.
I quit meat for 18 months. It was terrific.
Then, baby number three appeared and DEMANDED a hamburger. With a side of bacon. I went back to old eating patterns while I was pregnant, worried that my body was craving those items because the baby needed some key nutrient in meat and if I didn't eat it, she would come out missing a kidney or something.
She's five months old now and, praise God, she is perfect. I am once again searching for the lean and healthy body I used to have, plus the energy I need. It was a difficult delivery and I lost a lot of blood. People kept telling me to eat beef so I could rebuild my store of iron. Was that the best advice? I'm not so sure. My energy level is still low.
So, here I am, ready to dig deeper into what I should be eating for optimum health. I just got a copy of The China Study and am using it as my jumping off point. The book advocates that eating plant-based food is the healthiest way to live. I've only read the first few pages and already I am amazed at the science that backs up their claims.
This blog will explore food, culture, family, health, and maybe a few other things as I journey into plant-based eating to see if it lives up to the hype.
Day 1: ate totally plant based (with the exception of about a teaspoon of plain yogurt needed for a recipe). Even tried a soy latte at Starbucks. It was good! No noticeable difference in energy or overall well-being yet.
What I ate (main meals): spaghetti with mushroom marinara, veggie fajitas (sauteed peppers, onions, vegetarian refried beans, rice) topped with guacamole (made with a small amount of regular yogurt)
Questions:
>>What is the best milk alternative for use on cereal and such? Soy, almond, or rice milk?
>>Why do so many people tell me being a vegetarian is dangerous?
>>Why do some people get defensive when I talk about my giving up animal products?
>>Is there anywhere in this small Midwestern town that I can get soy yogurt?
For your protein's worth and for your kids' growth, I highly recommend soy milk as your milk alternative (organic if you can get it, just to avoid those pesky GMO worries). The Kirkland's organic soy milk I buy in bulk from Costco has 8g of protein per cup -- same amount as cow's milk, only half the fat (and the fats it has are mostly unsaturated good fats! not the case at all for cow milk), half the sugars, and zero cholesterol. And the protein and calcium is more "usable" or absorbable in its plant form, I hear.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, soy milk with chocolate is just as delicious, if you've got any chocolate milk fans in the house :)
My kids are crazy for chocolate milk. I will definitely check that out. Wonder if I can get it here in town. No Costco nearby...
ReplyDeleteMark bought me some vanilla almond milk last night. It was good in coffee this morning, but I don't care to drink it plain. Fiona drank it, though, and asked for more.
Great first post! I'm excited to see how this goes for your fam. And hopefully you'll inspire us to jump back over to this path as well.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts...only based on what I remember from what I've read and experienced. :)
1. We enjoy coconut milk. (Soy makes me feel funny.) We haven't tried the plain, just the vanilla. Tastes like melted ice cream. We use it on cereal...does not go well if using to make instant mashed potatoes. :) Not that any of us should be eating that anyway! Also, very much enjoy yogurt made from almond milk and coconut milk ice cream.
2. Lack of food education. Because of the commercialism and overabundance of "growing up being meat eaters," I think people just don't understand that you can get protein and other vital nutrients from PLANTS - often more than what's found in meat. But unfortunately, green peppers, strawberries, etc. lack a well-funded association to provide commercial advertising and lobbyists. :)
3. Because you're making them feel dumb? You are savvy enough to eat the foods that cultures without disease eat, but they are too lazy/unmotivated/unwilling to do the same, even though it makes sense that they should. Or...they just really enjoy eating the meat of cows that stood in their own poo, being given antibiotics and food they were not created to naturally eat. (I get so frustrated now when I see people buying Tyson products.)
4. Dunno. Good luck :)