Happy New Year!!! After a tumultuous 2011, I am praying for a smooth, relatively stress-free 2012 for my family and friends! I haven’t made real resolutions in year, mostly because I hate the fact that I never stick with them. But this year I decided to go for it. What’s odd is that this wasn’t even something I thought I would seriously consider a few weeks ago, and now it seems to be the most natural next step in the world. It’s a biggie, but fortunately my health-conscious husband is on board. We are going to adopt a plant-based diet most of the time. That doesn’t mean that we are completely vegan (we will still allow ourselves to indulge when we go out to eat, or as an occasional treat) but most days, and for most meals, we are going to eat an exclusively plant-based diet. The hardest part of this for me is cutting out the dairy, so I am not going to say that I will never have it – just that it will be an occasional treat. I’ve been inspired by the China Study, which I am now reading, and an episode of Dr. Oz about the study. Kevin and I plan to watch “Forks over Knives” this week, and I am planning a trip to the health food store to stock up on Tuesday. Kevin doesn’t mind repetition, so he plans on eating steel cut oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts every morning and pasta salad with whole grain pasta at lunch. I will do pretty much the same, with some variations, time permitting. Here, a few substitutions I plan to make:
Leaving milk out of my tea, or substituting almond or coconut milk (I HATE soy milk)
Using coconut milk ice cream or frozen banana ice cream
Juicing to get more veggies and vitamins in my diet
Dramatically reduce the amount of food that I eat that comes from a box, even if it’s organic/whole grain, etc.
Cook at least 3 dinners a week with no animal products
One of my main concerns with adopting this kind of lifestyle is being inflexible or severely limiting my options and enjoyment of food, but since I plan to indulge every once in a while, this shouldn’t be a problem. I will still eat whatever my mom makes on Thursdays when we all have dinner at her house, enjoy a casserole exchange with my girlfriends, and indulge in cheese in Paris and an occasional steak.
I think this is a plan I can live with. Have you made any resolutions involving food or diet? I’d love to hear them!
Nelly says
Wha-at?! Seriously?