Reader Advice Day!

Recently I have had some awesome comments and questions on the blog. If one person is feeling this way there are most likely more who are having the same experience. Sometimes we think “I am the only one who feels like this”. Not true. It isn’t easy to change your way of eating. In fact going plant based makes your brain do a flip every time you start to do meal planning. Like anything in life practice makes perfect – well better at any rate! I no longer strive to be perfect…

The Bunny Did It!

Here is a recent comment left on the blog.

Hi Tami,

I made this menu this past weekend and omnivore hubby liked it a lot. My vegan daughter requested that I make it next time she is home she liked it so much. I did not make the cashew cheese or dessert this time but might try next time. I have been following your blog for quite a while (since before you switched over to a plant based diet) and have enjoyed it both ways. I would just like to say that I am so impressed at how you have taken on this new way of eating. I have been circling around changing my diet for quite some time now but can never quite get to the day where I totally give up meat and dairy products. I keep trying to cut back more and more but my husband is not interested in making this dietary change along with me and I feel it just makes it too difficult to deal with two dietary habits. You keep up the posting of great recipes and I might make vegetarians of the both of us yet.

Kim

Here is my response to Kim;

Hi Kim,

“Great to know you are still following even though I switched gears and went plant based with hippie food as some people say! What a perfect meal for you to make for your vegan daughters visit. It makes me happy to know she liked it so much. It is really a delicious dish, Isa’s cookbooks are amazing and I highly recommend them.

I had really thought about the plant based diet for quite some time before taking the plunge into it. I had read the books, watched Dr Fuhrman on tv and felt like it was the right path for me. It really made my brain do flips in the beginning just trying to figure out what our new menu was going to look like! It took a lot of time to get comfortable with it and at first it was overwhelming. Like any new change it takes time to adapt and adjust and we were able to do just that. I do believe that it was easier for me because hubby Tom agreed to give it a try. Having said that I have met many plant based women and men on line who have spouses that don’t eat a plant based diet 100% and they work it out. My hubby eats plant based about 80% of the time. I only cook plant based for us but when we eat out or he travels for business he might order beef, chicken or fish. Sometimes he goes for the plant based option because he feels better afterwards when he eats plant based. He still likes the taste of meat and sometimes he desires it. Me on the other hand – I no longer have a desire for it. In the beginning I did have an occasional fish meal and even chicken a couple of times. It’s been months since I had any fish and I have no desire to do so. I did miss Greek yogurt when I made the switch but there are some non dairy yogurts that taste good so that isn’t an issue any more either. I never used a lot of cheese because of the high fat content and my cholesterol issues so that wasn’t as big of a deal for me. However I did take a vegan cheese making workshop a few weeks ago and the instructor said dairy products and cheese in particular keep many people from going to a plant based diet. They are very addictive foods she said and the desire to have them is great. Trust me when I tell you that you can survive and enjoy food without dairy.

My mother has been eating plant based for the past 3-4 weeks and she just serves my dad whatever she has made and he eats it and likes most of it. They are in their mid 70″s so they have eaten the typical Standard American Diet their entire lives. He isn’t going to give up meat but she is cooking less of it and he is quite happy with the plant based foods he is eating. Sometimes you can serve them something and not even tell them its plant based and they might not realize it. Or you can make a little meat for them and serve it along side a plant based dish that way you both are happy. So many foods, entrees, salads, soups and side dishes are already plant based or can easily be adapted to be so. Beans and rice with tortillas, chili soup with beans and no meat, pasta dishes with lots of veggies and tomato sauce, stir frys with veggies and tofu, vegetable and grain soups like a barley vegetable, tomato soup, grain salads like a Greek tabbouleh salad without the feta, falafel sandwiches, hummus and veggies, bruchetta, Indian Dal or African Peanut Stew with garbanzo beans, Thai vegetable dishes, veggie lasagna. You don’t realize how many plant based entrees people already enjoy until you stop and think about it. Some of them you just have to leave the cheese out of and perfecto – you have a plant based dish!

If I can be of any further help to you, just ask. I am more than happy to share more information with you. There is a huge support system on line for plant based eaters and that has helped me a great deal. I would love to pass it forward! If there is an interest I am happy to blog more about it. I just haven’t known how many of the blog readers are wanting more information about eating plant based”.

Nutmeg Notes

Weighing In – I am down another pound for a total now of 7. Well on my way to my happy weight!

Maybe this will be helpful to others who are trying to clean up their food plan to make it healthier. My mission with this blog is share my journey, my mistakes and my triumphs as I learn more and more about my own body and the affect the food I choose has on my health. It isn’t always easy and I am not perfect. I have to keep trying new things to see what works for me and forgive myself when I sometimes fail. Let’s do this together. There is strength in numbers!

I was toying with the idea of having my son program a message board here on the blog. A place where we can share ideas, struggles, successes and whatever else we feel like chatting about. A sense of community is so important when you are making life style changes.

Happy Healthy Life!

Tami

Let me know if you would be interested in posting on a message board.