Almost vegan

It’s been a month, and I’ve been essentially meat- & dairy-free. I still can’t glide across the windows of Tapa King & Dairy Queen without looking wistful, but I’ve generally been a good girl. And you’ve probably heard this a million times, but I do feel great. Even better than I did 10 years ago.

Since June of 2010, we’ve been eating a low-fat whole food plant-based diet. That’s quite a mouthful. It’s much easier to say “vegan” & get it over with. But the only similarity is the “plant-based” part. The differences are in:

• Whole foods. Vegans can eat processed food. Potato chips & softdrinks are considered vegan.
• Low-fat. Vegans do not mind having drops of olive oil, sunflower oil, & the like. We, on the other hand, avoid oil as much as we can. Yes, even the so-called healthy olive oil.

And yes, I’ve been strong. I’ve learned it’s better not to answer questions on where I will get my protein, calcium, iron, etc. Especially if those questions come from someone who is trying to discourage us from pursuing with the diet, or someone who uses his questioning as a way of defending his choice of eating meat.

I’m also immune to the number of well-meaning requests for me to read the Vegetarian Myth. Because I have my own reading materials – medical journals from the last 20 years, and books of the likes of Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Pam Popper, & Colin Campbell.

Why did we do this? The short answer is for our health. The long answer requires a bit of storytelling involving hospitals both in the United States & in the Philippines, & us realizing that all the pills we’ve been taking are merely there to help the symptoms, & not the cause, of the disease. It goes without saying that we have lost our faith in the so-called health industry, whose beneficiaries have always been the pharmaceutical companies & providers of health insurance.

So what do we eat? In a nutshell:

• A lot of starch. Complex carbohydrates are the center of our meals. Includes whole grains, unrefined flours, legumes, roots. We eat a lot of brown rice & beans.
• Fruits & vegetables. Merely as add-ons to the starch.
• However, we do avoid nuts & certain fruits like avocado, olives, & coconut because of the fat content.
• No meat. Not even chicken. Not even fish.
• No dairy. Includes milk, butter, cheese.
• No eggs.
• No coffee or colas. But we do drink tea.
• Very minimal processed foods. Even if they are labeled as “vegan-friendly.” We make our own vegan versions of mayonnaise, burgers, etc.

So there you go … the weird eating lifestyle of yours truly. To my meat-loving friends, thank you for your support & understanding. We may not say it, but it’s really quite touching that you are very concerned on where we’re going to eat, etc.

(To those who have waged war every time I tweet about anything vegan: I have never forced anyone to follow this eating lifestyle. But it seems you are with yours. If you can’t live & let live, and if you can’t keep your snide remarks to yourself, I won’t back down. I swear I will irritate you back. So bring it.)