Going Vegan, Ep. 5 – Protein?

Two revelations.

One: my chocolate fears were ungrounded.  While I could not have milk chocolate, I could still have dark chocolate, as it contains neither milk nor butter.  However, my chocolate covered espresso beans were out, as they contained cream (always have to read the ingredients).

Two: It was day two of my vegan lifestyle, and – at the moment – I felt great!  Absolutely flatulent, but great.   As long as I was content to wallow in my own stenchiness, life was pretty grand.

My digestive system was – as they say – adjusting.

Finding vegan alternatives in middle America (or middle Florida) was a bit of an adventure.  Yesterday the family went to see a movie and grabbed snacks pre-show.  Game to try, I searched high and low before finding my solution at the Steak and Potato chain.  Baked potato, no butter, with mustard and salt.

It was actually quite yummy.

On the morning of New Year’s day, my sister had tried to reason with me.

“Start tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because then the family vacation will be over.  It’ll be easier.”

I considered.  “Nope, I’m going to start today.  It’s January first.  We have tons of food around.  It shouldn’t be that hard.”

She checked in with me later: “What have you eaten today.”

I considered, “Cashews, a raw tomato.  An orange.  Chickpeas.”

She looked at me.  “Yum.”

“Hey,” I said, “It may not be gourmet, but so far so good.”

By the end of the day, you could add on the glorious baked potato, a salad with avocado, blueberry, carrots, and corn and Snyder’s insanely delicious pretzel sticks.  Plus wine.

Oh, in reading my Vegan for Dummies book, I discovered that not all wine is Vegan. However, I’m drawing a line.  Wine is a great pleasure in life, and I am not going to get all crazy about it.  And while we’re on the Vegan for Dummies book, I have so far been very disappointed by the actual amount of information that is in it.  So far, it reads like a quietly hysterical defensive shriek masked in a patronizing hippy “let you be you” riff.  Every paragraph reiterates how being vegan is actually better for you than the “SAD” (Standard American Diet).  But the book doesn’t seem to address the practicalities of eating vegan and possible nutritional pitfalls.  Also, the authors seem to criticize vaccinations, which I find alarming.  I realize I may be ostracizing the vegans out there…but polio? Hello? Seriously people, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, if you know what I mean.

Instead, I’ve found a lot of fantastic information in another book, “The Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies,” lent to me by my health-conscious brother-in-law.  It contains a wealth of information on where to obtain your essential fatty acids (enter Flaxseed, the vegan wonderfood!) and protein.  And get this: “As long as you are eating a healthy diet, plant foods can supply you all the amino acids you need.”  This from a “non-vegan” book, which I find slightly more credible than my vegan propaganda book.  YAY!