Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, ALL NATURAL… you tell me.

Hiiiii
Tomorrow is MAY. Creepy. Time flies by!

Less than a week ago I decided to give veganism a try. For the summer. And honestly, my greatest fear was telling my parents… they don’t like the idea of vegetarianism or veganism. They believe that meat and dairy is good for you. I do too. I like meat, I love eggs… chicken is my weakness. However, I am so intrigued by Scott Jurek’s experience with veganism that I really want to give it a try!

Tonight my parents told me they were okay with my decision
:D
So… May, here I come.

What I am planning is to mix vegetarianism with veganism at first. Twice a week I will eat a vegan diet and the rest of the week just avoid meats. And add more vegan days. I am planning to be strictly vegan by June. And stick to it until the end of August. If I like it… I will keep it that way. If I don’t I will tweak it. But I definitely want to eat cleaner.

Also, the whole deal with this is not to be vegan so I don’t eat animal products period. I want to eat more “all-natural” stuff. I don’t want to replace meat with packaged stuff or french fries and chips. I want to do this in order to eat more raw stuff. More veggies, more grains.

Overall, I am trying to not freak out too much. I have tried to stick to vegetarianism before and failed within days… or hours… but now I am not focusing on what I cannot eat, but rather on what I can and the options I have. It’s all in my head;) I’m excited tough. It’s gonna be hard at times, but I know is a good change in my routine.

I just hope I don’t fall into temptation when people push my limits…
STRONG MINDSET! I’m doing this for me:)

Characterisics of A Nutritious Diet

A nutritious diet has five characteristics:

1. Adequacy
   The foods you intake provide enough of each essential nutrient, fiber and energy. For example, we’ll use iron to illustrate. As an essential nutrient, iron is lost everyday and therefore should be replaced everyday. If you eat too few of the iron-containing foods, you oculd develop iron-deficiency anemia: making you feel tired, cold, weak and sad; you may have frequent; and you won’t be able to do as much physical actvities without feeling tired. If you add iron-rich foods to your diet, you soon feel more energetic.
2. Balance
   Means that the choices of foods do not overemphasize one nutrient or food type at the expense of other. To appreciate the importance of dietary balance, we’ll consider another essential nutrient: calcium. A diet lacking calcium causes poor bone development. Most food that are rich in iron are poor in calcium. Calcium;s richest food sources are milk adn milk products (which happen to be extraordinarily poor in iron). Clearly, to obtain enough of both calcium and iron, people have to alance their food choices among the types of foods that provide specific nutrients. Balancing your diet to provide enough but not too much of the 40-odd nutrients the body needs for health requires, therefore, considerable juggling and planning.
3. Calorie Control
   Energy intakes should not exceed energy needs. This diet characteristic ensures that energy intakes from food balance energy expenditures required for body functions and physcial acivity. Eating such a diet helps to control body fat content and weight.
4. Moderation
   Intakes of certain foods such as fat, cholesterols, sugar, and salt should be limited for health’s sake. For example, a major guideline for healthy people is to keep fat intake below 35% of total calories. Some people take this to mean that they cannot ever indulge in a delicios beefstake or hot-fudge sundae, but they are misinformed: moderation, not total abstinence, is the key. If you indulge on a favorite food or dessert once a week, that action may have little impact; as on once-a-month treats would have practically no effect at all. Moderation also means that limit he intake of desirable foods as well. For example, fiber is good for your digestive system, but too much of it leads to nutrient losses.
5. Variety
   Nutrition scientists agree that people should not eat the same foods, even highly nutritious ones, day after day. One reason is that a varied diet is more likelyto be adequate in nutrients. Another reason is that a monotonous may deiver large amounts of toxins and contaminants. This is because each undesirable item in a food is diluted by all the other foods eaten with it, byt eating the same food everyday, you accumulate those undesirable items. Last, variety adds interest because trying new foods can be a source of pleasure.

You must remember that any one of these dietary principles alone cannot ensure a healthful diet. If you establish the habit ofusin all of the principles you will find that chosing a healthful diet becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth. Establishing the habit may take some efforts,but the payoff in terms of improved helth is overwhelming.

This Upcoming Week

My plan for this week (and hopefully the next) will consist of being in full control of everything I eat and do. I will try to get a tentative schedule before I go to bed tonight and post it! My plan will based on counting calories and being very conscious of what I eat and how I excercise. I have two weeks to lose at least two pounds. I know I can do it, but lately I’ve been very lazy when it comes to eating, and I just eat because I’m bored:/

We’ll see how it goes!
I’ll keep you all posted:)