Going Vegan for One Week

I met so many fascinating people at the Vegan Expo in Sydney over the weekend who live a vegan lifestyle and embrace the benefits of it – from effortless weight loss, reversal of disease, increased environmental responsibility and spiritual awareness (just to name a few) – it was truly eye opening for me to meet such enthusiasts and it left an impression on me. So I wanted to put myself to the test to see how I could bring these added benefits to my life.  Good bye meat, fish, milk, eggs – or anything that comes from an animal – for a full week.

Making a decision to become a full-time vegan has been something I have contemplated; and I guess I could call myself a “part-time” vegan as I consciously buy products that are animal and environmentally friendly and eat at least three dinners and three lunches a week (and most breakfasts) meat and egg free. I have also been dairy free for the past couple of years, so I am excited to take the next step and experience how it feels to be a complete vegan.

Whether I decide to make the transition to adopt a full-time vegan diet or not, I am sure this experiment will ensure a week full of healthier eating, increased awareness and some fun with my hunt for vegan food substitutes—recently, I found a coconut-based ice cream that is absolutely delicious and noodles that are made from 100% kelp (seaweed) that are completely fat and carb free. I do love a challenge to “veganise” recipes and I will be sure to share these with you.

The growing popularity of the Vegan Diet has got me researching the foods I should consider when putting together my vegan 7 day plan. In a nutshell, the typical vegan diet includes:

• Oatmeal
• Stir-fried vegetables
• Cereals
• Whole-grain toast
• 100% fruit and vegetable juices
• Peanut butter, nuts and seeds
• Lentil soups
• Bean and legume casseroles
• All beans and lentils
• Felafels
• Salad bar items like chickpeas and three bean salad
• Fruit and vegetables
• Pasta
• Fruit smoothies with soy milk or rice milk
• Popcorn
• Guacamole
• Tofu sausages, tofu burgers/patties etc
• Oat nut burgers and vegetable burgers
• Soy milk ice cream and yogurt (including coconut milk products)
• Hummus and tahini dip
• Vegetarian sushi
• Egg-less cookies
• Vegan crackers (i.e. Brown rice and seaweed crackers, Marys Gone Crackers)
• Rice pudding

A quick peek at the Grocery store will reveal a huge range of products that support the vegan diet, most of which are even tastier than the meat-based counterparts (well I think so anyway).

Here is the start of my menu plan:

• Sunday:
  Breakfast: Scrambled tofu with pumpkin relish, sumac and wilted spinach
  Lunch: Felafel wrap served with roasted vegetables and hummus
  Dinner: Sweet potato soup (made with vegetable stock)
• Monday:
  Breakfast: Oatmeal (cooked with water and cinnamon), served with fresh banana and rice milk
  Lunch: Crunchy cabbage and vegetable salad with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds and sultanas
  Dinner: Black bean soft taco with avocado guacamole, tomato salsa roasted capsicums
• Tuesday:
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with frozen blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
  Lunch: Veggie burger on a whole-grain bun with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and alfalfa sprouts
  Dinner: Mediterranean zucchini pasta serves with a chunky tomato sauce
• Wednesday:
  Breakfast: Crunchy, Berry Bircher Muesli with soy milk and yogurt
  Lunch: Vegan Nachos with Black Beans
  Dinner: My Elixir Salad with Tofu and Buckwheat noodles
• Snack options:
  Natural Peanut Butter on Celery Sticks
  Fresh Fruit Salad with Coconut Milk Yogurt
  Sweet Potato Fries
  Mixed nuts Carrot and celery with hummus
  Vegetable rice paper rolls
  Edamame beans

Stay tuned for Part 2 with Thursday – Sunday recipes. I will also be updating my food blog, An Apple A Day Nutrition at www.anappleadaynutrition.com.au

Check out the Vegan Society of NSW website for more information. They have some great information on why you should consider veganism.