You're vegan? What do you eat?

In the past year or so, I've redefined myself in terms of health, nutrition, and what I believe about food. My passion for clean living began after watching Sophie Uliano on the Oprah show. She talked a bit about organic food, recycling, and composting, but I was most interested in what she had to say about the poisons in our everyday beauty products. Coincidentally, I had a gift card to Barnes and Noble, and picked up her book, Gorgeously Green, the next day. I have to say, if you're a woman who is at all interested in the dangerous chemicals in your cosmetics and cleaning supplies, this book is for you. Sophie scares the shit out of you in and easy to understand step-by-step guide. You will throw out your scented Avon bubble bath, your pricey Lancome mascara, and ALL of your perfume without feeling any guilt. She's that good.

After reading her book, I've switched over entirely to truly natural cosmetics and body products. I also only clean with two products, vinegar and baking soda. If you think I must be living in disgusting germ infested filth, you'll be surprised to know that not only do my friends think my apartment is annoyingly clean, but I have also not been sick in over a year. Of course, now that I've said that, I'll probably get H1N1, but I'll attribute that to the kids that sneeze in my face everyday and not my vinegar and baking soda cleaning regimen.

Gorgeously Green also included a lot of great info on eating a diet rich in nutrient rich, organic, unprocessed whole foods. I made some preliminary changes, but continued eating a lot of things included in a typical SAD.

In the past 6 months or so I have become obsessed with learning about holistic nutrition. I've spent my time reading several books, an obscene amount of blogs, as well as a lot of other super cool websites. Whoever said that knowledge is power was right. It's official. I've had the Cheetos scared out of me.

In all seriousness, what I have learned and the changes I have made have made me feel empowered and on my way to optimum health. I recently mentioned that I have adopted a vegan lifestyle. This fairly recent development has resulted in a lot of questions from friends and family (as well as a few eye rolls). I've gotten better in explaining why I choose to eat like I do. When my best friend's family first asked if I am willing to eat food out of pans that have been used to prepare meat or if that is against my beliefs, I replied, "Oh yeah. I'm not like that. I'm not vegan because I care about animals."

I thought I would answer lots of questions with a few fun facts about how/what I eat.

-Yes. I care about animals, but what I choose to eat and what I choose not to eat is a direct result of knowledge I have gained about optimum nutrition. The animal friendly lifestyle is a bonus.

-I do not eat any dairy or animal flesh. I also don't eat eggs. I don't miss either of these things at all. I don't crave them either. The most difficult part is making sure that foods don't unknowingly have diary in their list of ingredients. Lots of surprising things contain dairy like chips/crackers, organic dressings, soups and stews, etc.

-I do still occasionally eat fish and seafood. I am diligent to choose only types that have low levels of mercury contamination. I only eat about 1 or 2 servings a week.

-I don't substitute the absence of meet in my diet with an onslaught of soy. While organic soy in small quantities is fine. Soy mimics estrogen hormones in your body. If you eat products with conventionally grown soy, you are basically ingesting a pesticide/chemical cocktail.

-I drink very very very little alcohol. Eventually, I plan to eliminate it from my diet completely.

-I'm super preachy and annoying about my lifestyle but usually only to family and extremely close friends. The general public is spared from my "You might as well just pour the animal fat down your throat." and "You're slowly killing yourself!" comments.

- I eat a ton of veggies and fruits. And no, they are not all organic. I cannot afford that. I try to make the best choices that I can. I love sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, green, yellow, and red peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, berries, apples, bananas, grapes, red cabbage, onions, peaches, green beans, all lettuces, etc.

- I didn't eat a lot of veggies before I became vegan, and now I actually crave them. Amazing, isn't it??

-I eat an extremely limited amount of processed foods. The processed foods I do eat are vegan and usually organic.

-Cooking vegan has helped me to discover the power of herbs, spices, and my one true love...garlic.

- I try to avoid white potatoes, white bread, and other things made with white flour at all costs. They spike your blood sugar like crazy and have little to no nutrients. Not all vegetables are made equal. Sometimes, I fail. However, I have managed to avoid french fries for a couple months. That in itself is a miracle for me.

-It is my ultimate goal to eventually be gluten free, as well. Gluten, the protein found in several common grains, mainly wheat, is difficult for the body to digest. While I do not suffer from celiac disease, there are many health benefits gained from a gluten free diet.

-My main weakness, in terms of health and nutrition, is candy. I don't eat that much, but I'm pretty sure that I am still addicted to processed sugar. Considering I do not eat white sugar or high fructose corn syrup in any other foods, my new goal is to eliminate this worthless food as well as the belly fat that goes along with it.

Feel free to ask me any questions. I really will not be offended or taken aback. I understand that this way of eating is weird to a lot of people. Really. I grew up eating Easy Mac weekly and meat at every meal. Plus I work with kids. They eat some really gross stuff. I've also been watching a Man vs. Food marathon all afternoon. Ha!