Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Smoothies and Energy for Large Vegan Runner

I have this great book that I found during my research and prep prior to becoming Vegan.
I have tried a few smoothies and adapted them to my taste and available supply of veggie/fruits.
It is Green for life by Victoria Boutenko.

Raw Food and winter chill

As I have switched to a vegan diet I have read and am reading a wide variety of books for vegetarians and vegetarian athletes. One of the ideas that pops up is Raw Food. It makes good sense to me- I am not sure I can do it completely but I never thought I could go vegan either.
Now that the beauty and joy of the winter cold is upon us I wonder what it might be like to eat a raw prepared Pad Thai or soup as compared to the 4 bean, corn and tempeh veggie chili I am making for the Super Bowl and serve with a pesto roasted parsnips and potatoes..
Time will tell and it will be fun to see how it all works out.

Found this fun blog and enjoyed it. http://athenadiaries.blogspot.com/ Fun stuff from a like minded athlete.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Resources for Vegan Athlete and Fuel...

My Girlfriend bought the Vegan Lunchbox box and found this blog and the link to magic loaf studio- now I can make a few great loaves for meals and save slices to carry to work and in the future for fuel during a hike or training/race run.
I am looking forward to playing with these and having fun with them and as a vegan.
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Noodles Beautiful Noodles

Now as a vegetarian athlete I read labels and when I find egg and dairy free noodles I load up and I have found a few great products. Some of my favorites are Asian products and I have been using them in Asian inspired dishes and they serve a great purpose as meal for athletic efforts.
I have been playing with many different grains and have found noodles made with a variety of grains and they all have great qualities and taste.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Tortilla Chips may be vegan but....

I found myself slipping into vegan snacks this weekend and away from the good stuff. The results was stiff joints and a painful tight back. need to be aware of the content of what I am eating beyond the animal products.
I bought 2 books on raw food and food prep and will dig into them and get busy with the raw diet a couple of days a week. There are some really good looking meals available in the raw books. I have experimented with a few things I got of the net and now have 5 books to work with at home and then I will make notes for things that work for me, and don't.
I am also soaking some seeds for homegrown sprouts for foods and smoothies. Grow long enough I get the salad greens loaded with great stuff and if eat as soon as the pop I get many other powerful benefits. This will be fun.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

DAIRY No More - Must Stop the Cow

The more I read on vegan diet and look at my life and career in athletics.
I realize that I survived dairy but may have thrived with a different diet in those days.
I can't go back but I can go forward and do better for myself and work to reduce the impact of dairy on the world.
Enemy #1 is the dairy council and all of the Milk Mustaches and Got Milk brainwashing.

Now looking for anyone that has peer reviewed studies of the null or negative impact of dairy in the human diet.
Please send any links of info that could build a basis for promoting the end of dairy and promotion of dairy for calcium, health and God forbid--- Weight Loss.



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Monday, January 15, 2007

ME.... A Vegetarian ??

Now that I am a few weeks into the Vegan life I am thinking about the fact that I am now Vegan. It seemed OK to remove dairy products 2 years ago. At that time it it seemed a medical decision since pain and inflammation were ruining my life.
Now that it is a general health decision for a happy future and hopefully a successful running future. Success is defined as completing a few events and having fun in the process and aftermath.
I look back to my past as a football player and after that in my early running and racing life and the way I lived and ate then. First I used to drink beer, whiskey and tons of sugar soda. Then my basic diet was a huge amount of milk (2-4 gallons a day), eggs by the carton, meat in large quantities and multiple full meals to maintain a desired body weight with all of the workouts and stresses. The memory of that eating causes at least a small challenge in my attempt to go in this direction.
The first steps were successful in re-setting my diet thermostat to a smaller amount of different food. I eat several times a day and eat smaller amounts at these meals. The impact in the last few months has been positive as I have adapted my style and even dropped a few pounds.
I am looking forward to the fun in this adventure and the benefit to my body and life as I do this switch.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Weekend Vegan Efforts

As this busy weekend is coming to a close I realize that the new vegan diet can be successful.
Made a great rice/ wild rice dish with red lentils and a veggie rich Miso soup. Very delicious and energizing.
About a month into the vegan way of eating and it gets easier with each trip to the store.
Hoping for more foods that have no animal products to be labelled vegan but for now doing a lot of reading and memorizing the ones that work.
Workouts continue to go well and the soreness from the changing exercise has abated but will return in a few weeks when I change it up and shock the muscles. Feeling good and hope to see an improvement in the weight at the end of the month.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Sneaky Eggs and Dairy

During the 2 years I switched from dairy I found lots of sneaky dairy in many foods. Usually with research and reading but occassionally from friends or articles.
Whey powder in many products, casein in soy cheese and milk powder in many items.
Now looking for those but also some "acceptable " items during the last 2 years had eggs and now I am doing more digging.
It is a fun and informative time as I learn more about food and how it is made and what it does for me. I am leaning toward a significant portion of my diet being raw then the processing is no longer a concern.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

New Vegan and Lifelong Athlete

As I start tisnew lifestyle I wonder how it will impact my active life.
Will my health improve? It has been 2 years without dairy and the reduction in inflamation and associated pain has been spectacular.
I look forward to similar improvements. I have seen a few changes in the few weeks I have been vegan. I have also not had a difficult time of it at the start. Planning and Prepping while contemplating the switch has made a huge difference.
I have also changed my workout plan and regimen and am interested in seeing the results on a monthly basis. I have started with a weight that I do not like so that is a key target. I will take "before" photos and a set of body measurments and ee what happens.
I Look forward to the fun and challenge.