Here's to my last ten days of veganism! I've been planning my end-meal for so long it seems that I'm almost positive it won't be as delicious as I think it will.
I tried veganizing Mac and Cheese the other day, not so great. Soy cheese scares me. I'd rather never have any semblance of cheese again before I eat soy cheese. Yuck.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
List of Slip Ups
- Ate a walnut off of a co-worker's frozen yogurt, forgetting that I would be eating yogurt too (Day One)
- Honey in Ginger Beer (Day Three)
- The delicious burrito incident (Day Nine)
Day 16
I guess I haven't been updating a lot lately or really at all because nothing's really been happening. I thought my energy level would change or I would lose weight or it would be damn near impossible to find anything to eat, but the only real change is that my grocery bills have gone up.
I'm still craving cheese, sour cream, meat, you-name-it, but I don't think that will ever change. It seems that unless you have a moral opposition to animal products or really enjoy controlling everything that goes into your body, it's hard to stay motivated in being vegan. I've only knowingly slipped up once and it was while I was drunk last weekend. Took a bite of a supposedly vegan burrito and was astonished at how creamy and flavorful the guacamole was (yes, it's always flavorful, but when you've been eating avocado and pretty much no other fat, it gets old). Then I took another bite enjoying it and getting a bit suspicious. I walked into the light of the kitchen and there it was... CHEESE! Sweet, wonderful, beautiful, delicious cheese. I knowingly took one more bite, then stopped. It was just too good to put aside. Despite the cries of "We won't tell anyone," I did not finish that super tasty burrito.
I'm still craving cheese, sour cream, meat, you-name-it, but I don't think that will ever change. It seems that unless you have a moral opposition to animal products or really enjoy controlling everything that goes into your body, it's hard to stay motivated in being vegan. I've only knowingly slipped up once and it was while I was drunk last weekend. Took a bite of a supposedly vegan burrito and was astonished at how creamy and flavorful the guacamole was (yes, it's always flavorful, but when you've been eating avocado and pretty much no other fat, it gets old). Then I took another bite enjoying it and getting a bit suspicious. I walked into the light of the kitchen and there it was... CHEESE! Sweet, wonderful, beautiful, delicious cheese. I knowingly took one more bite, then stopped. It was just too good to put aside. Despite the cries of "We won't tell anyone," I did not finish that super tasty burrito.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Is Aleve Vegan? - UPDATE!
Dear Ms . Tuck :
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bayer HealthCare. We appreciate your
interest in ALEVE®.
We apologize for the delay in our response to your recent email. In response to
your inquiry, our Aleve tablets and caplets do not contain any animal
by-products. Our Aleve Smooth Gels will contain pork and the gelatin in the
Aleve Liquid Gels is derived from both pork and bovine (cow/beef). It is the
main ingredient in the gelatin shell.
If we may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact our Consumer
Relations Department.
Sincerely,
Marie Jett
Consumer Advisor
Aleve is vegan!
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bayer HealthCare. We appreciate your
interest in ALEVE®.
We apologize for the delay in our response to your recent email. In response to
your inquiry, our Aleve tablets and caplets do not contain any animal
by-products. Our Aleve Smooth Gels will contain pork and the gelatin in the
Aleve Liquid Gels is derived from both pork and bovine (cow/beef). It is the
main ingredient in the gelatin shell.
If we may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact our Consumer
Relations Department.
Sincerely,
Marie Jett
Consumer Advisor
Aleve is vegan!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day Eight
I have been having the most amazing cravings the past couple days. My body is in need of fat and NOT from Avocado. It's also craving an intense amount of iron, if I was just doing the vegetarian thing for this month-long stint, some creamed spinach would most definitely do the trick. My boss and her in-laws apparently made an amazing vegan Indian feast this past weekend, topped off (rather inexplicably) by vegan rice pudding. Although, India was part of the British Empire for quite a while and what's more British than a pudding? Rice pudding sounds amazing right now, but my body can't handle any more soy for the day and I'm not in the mood to go traipsing around Chicago to find almond milk.
Rambling post I know. I am grump, grump, GRUMPY.
Just as a side note, Bayer still hasn't emailed me back to let me know if Aleve is vegan or not. I'll post the breakdown of what exactly is in it and what the sticking point is in its vegan-ness.
Rambling post I know. I am grump, grump, GRUMPY.
Just as a side note, Bayer still hasn't emailed me back to let me know if Aleve is vegan or not. I'll post the breakdown of what exactly is in it and what the sticking point is in its vegan-ness.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Day Six
I think I'm definitely going to have to do this experiment again in the fall. I'm not sure if I've gotten all this energy from the new diet or if it's because the weather is changing and it's staying light later. Today was absolutely grueling at work, as was yesterday, I wasn't able to take a break from my desk and get up and walk around until about 2 this afternoon. Sitting at my desk from 7 AM until 2 PM is most definitely the cause for my incredible amount of irritability today and not the diet.
Speaking of the diet, I made the most wonderful black bean burrito for lunch. Recipe to follow.
Speaking of the diet, I made the most wonderful black bean burrito for lunch. Recipe to follow.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Days Two Through Five
Oh man, my computer damn near exploded this weekend and wouldn't let me post on Friday and Saturday. To be honest, not posting on Sunday was purely laziness. I think my biggest issues thus far with veganism are:
Issue number one: I grab for food I would normally eat without a second thought and then as soon as I pop it in my mouth I start thinking about whether or not in fits with the plan. Friday's lunch was a lunch full of Boca burger and red onion, so naturally for my co-workers' sakes I grabbed a Tic Tac or two. Biiiiiig mistake. I took them out as soon as I thought of it and began my Googling. Sadly, Tic Tacs are not vegan and I had to toss them and suffer through the onion breath, poor co-workers.
Issue number two: Going out to dinner. I'm not sure this would be as big of an issue if I was going vegan because of feelings about animal rights or because of dietary restrictions, but I essentially don't have a real reason except this experiment to not eat animal products. Saturday night was sushi night before going dancing. Seeing the other people I was with order all those rolls (my favorite meal) and with me sticking to cucumber, avocado and oshinko was a little disheartening. These places need more vegetarian options! Sweet potato. Carrot. Beets. I know it's not traditionally Japanese, but I mean, is cream cheese? A California Roll?
Issue number three: I'm finding entirely too many new foods I love. Spicy "chicken" Boca patties are amazing! I could eat these suckers all day. Add a side of some fresh tomato and avocado with balsamic. So delicious.
Friday was a bit tiring, and I've been sleeping the best I have in a long time. I can't remember the last time I slept through the night before the past week. Saturday, Sunday and today have given me revived energy. Saturday was especially shocking; after helping a friend move, I still had the energy to go out. I may keep this going. Eat vegan when in my house and take advantage of going out fully and eat what I like. Except honey! Gimme honey (especially in the beer).
Issue number one: I grab for food I would normally eat without a second thought and then as soon as I pop it in my mouth I start thinking about whether or not in fits with the plan. Friday's lunch was a lunch full of Boca burger and red onion, so naturally for my co-workers' sakes I grabbed a Tic Tac or two. Biiiiiig mistake. I took them out as soon as I thought of it and began my Googling. Sadly, Tic Tacs are not vegan and I had to toss them and suffer through the onion breath, poor co-workers.
Issue number two: Going out to dinner. I'm not sure this would be as big of an issue if I was going vegan because of feelings about animal rights or because of dietary restrictions, but I essentially don't have a real reason except this experiment to not eat animal products. Saturday night was sushi night before going dancing. Seeing the other people I was with order all those rolls (my favorite meal) and with me sticking to cucumber, avocado and oshinko was a little disheartening. These places need more vegetarian options! Sweet potato. Carrot. Beets. I know it's not traditionally Japanese, but I mean, is cream cheese? A California Roll?
Issue number three: I'm finding entirely too many new foods I love. Spicy "chicken" Boca patties are amazing! I could eat these suckers all day. Add a side of some fresh tomato and avocado with balsamic. So delicious.
Friday was a bit tiring, and I've been sleeping the best I have in a long time. I can't remember the last time I slept through the night before the past week. Saturday, Sunday and today have given me revived energy. Saturday was especially shocking; after helping a friend move, I still had the energy to go out. I may keep this going. Eat vegan when in my house and take advantage of going out fully and eat what I like. Except honey! Gimme honey (especially in the beer).
Friday, May 29, 2009
Are Aleve Tablets Vegan?
Okay, so depending on your definition of "Vegan," some medications are vegan. However, it should be known that the Food and Drug Administration requires medications to be tested on animals before distributing them to the general public.
Active Ingredient
Naproxen sodium
Inactive Ingredients
FD&C blue #2 lake - I couldn't find anything saying that this dye contained animal products. I did find that FD & C Red #40 is vegan and not made from cochineal or carmine as I had previously thought.
hypromellose - emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and an alternative to animal gelatin
magnesium stearate - used as a filling agent in the manufacture of capsules and tablets, such as vitamins, the source of this ingredient is typically bovine. But there are versions that are not, this is what I am waiting for Bayer to answer.
microcrystalline cellulose - basically cellulose and is derived from high quality wood pulp. Microcrystalline Cellulose can only be derived from a special grade of alpha cellulose.
polyethylene glycol - lots of crazy science junk that I didn't understand, no mention of being derived from animals
povidone - derivative of iodine
talc - metamorphic mineral resulting from the metamorphism of magnesian minerals and other similar minerals in the presence of carbon dioxide and water.
titanium dioxide - derivative of titanium
Active Ingredient
Naproxen sodium
Inactive Ingredients
FD&C blue #2 lake - I couldn't find anything saying that this dye contained animal products. I did find that FD & C Red #40 is vegan and not made from cochineal or carmine as I had previously thought.
hypromellose - emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and an alternative to animal gelatin
magnesium stearate - used as a filling agent in the manufacture of capsules and tablets, such as vitamins, the source of this ingredient is typically bovine. But there are versions that are not, this is what I am waiting for Bayer to answer.
microcrystalline cellulose - basically cellulose and is derived from high quality wood pulp. Microcrystalline Cellulose can only be derived from a special grade of alpha cellulose.
polyethylene glycol - lots of crazy science junk that I didn't understand, no mention of being derived from animals
povidone - derivative of iodine
talc - metamorphic mineral resulting from the metamorphism of magnesian minerals and other similar minerals in the presence of carbon dioxide and water.
titanium dioxide - derivative of titanium
Day One
So yesterday was the dreaded "Day One." I don't think I've gone a day of my life without an animal product, yesterday was the first. Over the course of the day, in my downtime at work, I tried to educate myself about which of my favorite products contain animals products, namely candy, pain killers and booze. A friend named Amy sent me over to the kids' section of the PETA Web site (http://www.petakids.com/candy.html) and to this AMAZING site called Barnivore (www.barnivore.com). Airheads AND Blue Moon?!?!? They're both vegan friendly? Absolutely made my day.
I don't think I really got an answer about the headache medicine. A few people suggested feverfew, but Jewel doesn't really carry that. I've written to Aleve to see if their tablets contain animal products, but no answer yet, I'll keep you posted. But who really needs headache medicine when you have beer?
Energy level was about normal for the day, but it was probably because I was stuffing my face with almonds and green peppers all day as snacks. Made the most delicious meal for lunch, some Palak Alu with some extra garlic and onions (http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=665661daa4de50c124dd6d2ccfcdfc75&topic=10917.0).
I don't think I really got an answer about the headache medicine. A few people suggested feverfew, but Jewel doesn't really carry that. I've written to Aleve to see if their tablets contain animal products, but no answer yet, I'll keep you posted. But who really needs headache medicine when you have beer?
Energy level was about normal for the day, but it was probably because I was stuffing my face with almonds and green peppers all day as snacks. Made the most delicious meal for lunch, some Palak Alu with some extra garlic and onions (http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=665661daa4de50c124dd6d2ccfcdfc75&topic=10917.0).
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Headache...
Oy, do I have a headache! I highly doubt it's "The Great Vegan Experiment" related, but to any vegans out there, what the hell do you take when you have a headache? Neither Advil nor Tylenol are vegan friendly, any suggestions?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Where's the protein?
Grains
Barley
Corn Meal
Oats
Rice
Pasta
Whole Grain Breads
Legumes
Beans
Lentils
Peas
Peanuts
Soy Products
Seeds & Nuts
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Cashews
Other Nuts
Vegetables
Leafy Greens
Broccoli
Rumor has it, if you pick one from two of the bolded lists you will get all of the essential amino acids that you would get from animal products.
Barley
Corn Meal
Oats
Rice
Pasta
Whole Grain Breads
Legumes
Beans
Lentils
Peas
Peanuts
Soy Products
Seeds & Nuts
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Cashews
Other Nuts
Vegetables
Leafy Greens
Broccoli
Rumor has it, if you pick one from two of the bolded lists you will get all of the essential amino acids that you would get from animal products.
T-Rex to Brachiosaurus
Throughout my life I've been an incredible omnivore with heavy emphasis on meat & cheese and general junk (think McDonald's on a regular basis, gourmet burgers and pizza galore). In an attempt to reset my kitchen, reboot the tastebuds and redesign the diet, I'm going vegan for a month.
Although I'm a firm believer that blogs, Web sites about yourself and Twitter are huge exercises in vanity, I'm willing to admit my vanity in order to properly document this experiment. Yes, this blog is about me, but it's also about a lifestyle change and I'll document how the change affects my mood, energy level etc.
I hope you enjoy.
-Alison
Although I'm a firm believer that blogs, Web sites about yourself and Twitter are huge exercises in vanity, I'm willing to admit my vanity in order to properly document this experiment. Yes, this blog is about me, but it's also about a lifestyle change and I'll document how the change affects my mood, energy level etc.
I hope you enjoy.
-Alison
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