30 Days of Vegan (Day 2), and A Bit About Protein

Another day, come and gone.

Pretty uneventful, to be honest. Felt plenty energetic. Have had no 'gastrointestinal issues' as of yet (fingers crossed, I won't). ;)

And my diet today, was almost identical to yesterdays.. since I was eating leftovers. That's one thing about eating 'fresh' items. Leftovers can't survive for a week in the fridge.

Husband is also doing fine on his vegetarian diet. Don't think he's noticed a difference, since my vegetarianism caused him to cut back on meat anyway. Pretty sure this will be smooth sailing for him.

My coworker, on the other hand, is in crisis mode.. and it's only day two. Today, he texts me during lunch, to ask me what imitation crab meat is made out of. I inform him that it's fish, and not an option. So, he returns from lunch, saying he isn't sure he can do it. He has no idea what to eat.

I literally, then, type out a grocery list for him.. including items for three easy recipes, and a lot of snack foods. I, of course, ended the list with, "ANYTHING without MEAT."

I'll find out tomorrow how his shopping trip went..

But since I don't have much to update on, I'd like to address one thing. When you tell people you're going vegan, or even vegetarian, the omnivores among us say, "But what about protein?!"

People in this country really have bought into the idea that only meat (or animal products) are sufficient sources of protein. It simply isn't true.

If you're consuming enough calories, it is practically impossible to be protein deficient. Even the vegetables lowest in protein content, are sufficient.. and the veggie proteins don't come with saturated fat or cholesterol.

Nevermind if you're adding in nuts and beans, which are super rich in protein. Trust me. It's not a concern. Just ask Lance Armstrong and Bob Harper if their 'veggie' focused diets are ruining their health or ability to be athletic and powerful. In fact, most athletes that have gone veg, claim it has drastically improved their performance.

"My energy level has never been this consistent, and not just consistent, but high," says Lance. "I’m a big napper, but I couldn’t even take a nap these days if I wanted to."

So, if you're following my vegan journey, and contemplating cutting back on your meat intake, or giving it up altogether.. rest assured that protein deficiency is NOT something you have to worry about.

Speaking of athletes, I meant to post this from the beginning.. but I'll be refraining from any exercise other than yoga, tai chi, and light stretching. The reason is, I want to see how just the diet effects my weight, mood, energy, etc. Working out could confuse the sorting of cause and effect. And at the end of the 30 days, I want to be able to give an honest assessment of how I feel.

So far, so good.