Life of a Vegan Veggie Hugger

DAY 2

2008-08-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of my revised eating plan and I would say it started off with a sheeeebang! YEA! I had the most scrumscious breakfast: a raw hotdog. Lol it sounds funny but it was composed of kale, banana, almond butter, and shredded coconut. mmm mmm... sadly I washed it down with a soy drink. ok ok I'll stop complaining about the soy drink already. I'll just accept the dooming sugar rush. Promise! Just have mercy on me for a few days as I get immune to it.

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----It's later in the day now and I'm feeling quite emotional. The day went by pretty well although I spent it just roaming around..most in Whole Foods. weird huh. I did discover a cute health food shop that had bulk herbs and supplements so I bought nutritional yeast and spirulina.

Nutritional yeast is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 is produced separately from bacteria and then added to the yeast. This is exactly why I chose to get it. As of right now I don't think I'm getting enough B12 which is bad because it can lead to severe damage to the nervous system (YIKES!)

Spirulina on the other hand contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein, such as that from legumes. Spirulina is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and also provides alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA). Vitamins
Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. The bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. I've been a bad vegan lately and haven't been making sure I get all my vitamins. Oh! as I was saying before, I'm feeling emotional today because my stomach has been feeling bloated and it feels like the muscles are torn from eating more so quickly. I understand it's for my health but if getting healthy has to hurt I think I will take the slow way. Once I finish the soy drinks I'm going to go a more natural route that is without so much sugar. I really don't feel like getting diabetes at 19. YAWN! Oh man I'm tired! I guess I will sign off here. Adios!

New Gain Weight Plan

2008-08-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I cried my eyes out because I'm tired of looking like a little boy so I've made a firm decision to revamp my diet so that I can gain weight . Luckly I was at the store the other day and discovered that they have a nutritional drink like Ensure but it is made from soy YeAH! That means I can be a full vegan now. *Applause is needed here* But this is not the only change I am making. After reading a few articles around the net, I've learned that to gain weight healthily I need to eat more period but a bulk of my diet needs to incorporate more greens for nutrition and protein purposes. Adding nuts, seeds, and oil will also help the weight pour on more quickly until I am at a desired weight.

So here's how I've done so far today:

5:45 -I had one of the new soy nutritional drinks. I basically chugged it because I felt thirsty. It has lots of sugar(26g) and my body doesn't react well to sugar so I laid down and went back to sleep.

8:00-Woke up again at around 7 but didn't eat until 8. I had a raw burrito made out of Kale, avocado, dates, walnuts, and shredded coconut. It was delicious! I also drank half of another soy drink.

10:35- Midmorning snack of five cherries and the rest of the soy drink.

1:30-After a little strole to get bananas, I ate a eggless egg salad sandwich with spinach, onion, avocado, a fig I hijacked from a fig tree (they are pictured below) I saw while on my grocery strole (sorry I couldn't resist:)) and surprise! surprise! another soy nutritional drink. As of now though I'm starting to think that drinking so much of the nutritional supplement isn't going to work very well. It makes me jittery so I'm going to stick to two a day from now on.

5:23 -Wasn't very hungry but ate a little snack of 1/4 cup raspberrys and 1/4 cup soyyogurt.

7:30-Yummy salad for dinner with kale, avocado, corn, beets, pear, and more soy nutritional poison(after this one I felt like I was going to be sick)

9:00- A bit late to be eating and wasn't hungry but ate a banana with peanut butter cause I know I need the calories

It was a pretty good day I would say despite the sugar shock caused by the soy drinks. I consumed approximately 1,843 calories according to thedailyplate.com which is off from my goal of 2,271 to gain .5 pounds a week but it is a step forward. Its the most I've eaten in a long time. I guess I should celebrate a bit YEA! I will make it my goal to eat more calories tomorrow.

MMMmmm..figs

2008-07-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Figs are now officially on my list of favorite fruits. Today while I was exploring the fresh produce section at a grocery store called Hows I spotted the baskets of fresh figs next to the mangoes and said to myself: "I'm going to try them once and for all!" Let me tell you once I placed that delicious morsel into my mouth, my taste buds were dancing with shear delight. Figs have a surprisingly light sweetness to them and unlike most fruit are not overwhelmingly sweet. I enjoyed them so much I decided to share a little information about them.

The fig is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area. Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites traced to at least 5,000 B.C. The fig grows best and produces the best quality fruit in Mediterranean and dryer warm-temperate climates. Rains during fruit development and ripening can cause the fruits to split. With extra care figs will also grow in wetter, cooler areas. Diseases limit utility in tropical climates. Fully dormant trees are hardy to 12° - 15° F, but plants in active growth can be damaged at 30° F. Fig plants killed to the ground will often resprout from the roots.

Figs and health
Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants. They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols [2]. In one study, a 40-gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity[3].

***Gasp***Man that was a lot of info to take in but hopefully it helped provide some knowledge useful for cocktail parties. As far as my day, it was glorious because I went to a new part of the city I haven't explored by foot before. Although I always feel like a failure when I go on these rendezvous lately because I know I shouldn't be overly active due to my weight. To be honest, it scares me deeply to think that I might lose another pound because that is detrimental to my health. But what do I do when walking is the only thing that allows me to cope with this hole I'm in?

Aye! and the problem lays in my eating.

What does a vegan eat for dinner? Well, I'm only one of millions of compassionate eaters so I can't say for sure what others eat. But I concocted a raw veggie delight I call

Kristy's Avo Stuffed Bell Peppers

Here's the recipe:

Serving: 1

1/4 cup avocado

1/4 cup shredded zucchini

1 red bell pepper cup (you choose the size)

1 tsp red onion

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp fresh cilantro

garlic

Chili Powder

To assemble just simply mash together the avocado, zucchini, red onion, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, and chili powder then spoon it into the bell pepper. Voila! The meal is ready for your dining pleasure.

Sadly, this doesn't amount to the proper calories needed to keep me well nourished and I was already stuffed by the time I was finished. Pathetic huh. That is why I must rely on Ensure as my savior. It is also my enemy though because it upsets my stomach and kills my beliefs as a vegan. It contains dairy therefore I have disappointed vegans everywhere. Someday I will make it up to them. My restoration to better health will be my redemption to them. Hopefully they will provide the nourishment for others that it cannot properly provide for me at the moment.

Making almond butter

2008-07-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today I took the initiative to make my own almond butter mmmm. I got tired of eating just peanut butter so I figured it would be an interesting experiment. I have no previous experience in this but I figure its as easy as pie. So my first step was to track down a food processor. No veggie chef can live without one is my motto. Luckily, my aunt Kari's friend had one on hand for me. I'm proud to say that I was successful in my endeavor. Unfortunately I only have about 1/4 cup of almonds so my batch was on the puny side. Sorry, theres no pictures today but tomorrow I'll definitely have some. It was a difficult day. I ate dinner then chugged an Ensure. They always make my stomach hurt but I know its for the best. I need the calories. I just wish they didn't have any dairy. ugh!

A New Day

2008-07-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

!Buenos Dias! Ah! What a beautiful day! The morning air is fresh and the Los Angeles traffic is alive and thriving. There's nothing like getting up and enjoying the very essence of being alive. But I've struggled and am still struggling with this positive outlook. In August 2006, I was diagnosed with depression and anorexia. Once a strong, vibrant cross country runner, I had dropped from a healthy 125 frame to a scary 104 bag of bones. I entered the hospital in August where I received treatment and counseling in an attempt to recover from my disease. I was soon released where ever since I have lived a life of constant ups and downs. I'm currently in my worst recession yet: below 100 pounds, self conscience, and lost as to what I want to do with my future. These are hard times but this blog is my step out of the dark. A new day has arrived and I am determined to revive that compassionate, healthy 19 yr old woman within me. Im doing this while upholding my morals and beliefs as a vegan. It's not easy as it sounds because my main source of food has been vegetables and frankly they are calorie dense but Im trying on a new lifestyle. A healthy, mostly raw vegan diet. This means that I will mostly consume veggies(yum), nuts and seeds, fruits, and to help me gain weight, ensure(these are not vegan mind you). This is the path I choose to take because 1) raw food is more ecofriendly 2) it has more nutrients per calorie 3) I just like the taste of raw food:)So here's my attempt to combat the odds, recover from anorexia and depression. Here's my life! The life of a vegan veggie hugger.