Thursday, July 16

Food! Glorious Food!

I've become That Woman. I'm the person who, if Nancy Drew invited me over to dinner so I could give her my advice in solving a case, and housekeeper Hannah Gruen came out of the kitchen bearing her typical "platter of steamed meats," would have to deliver a perky, "None for me, thanks! I'll just have some of these vegetables!"

That's right. I'm That Woman, the one who won't eat everything put in front of her.

About two months ago, I underwent a food conversion. I read a sentence that struck me, something along the lines of, "You can't keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expect different results." Since I'd been doing the same thing over and over again (eating the poor on-the-run diet of writers who practically live in their basements) and getting the same results (slight weight gain, low energy, raging allergies, mood swings), I decided, 'Hmm...maybe do something...different?'

That's how I became a vegan.

Yes, I realize that's a radical change, when I could have tried something more moderate first like giving up one or two items. But why be moderate when you can be extreme???

You know what, though? It really hasn't been hard. I hadn't been eating much meat or chicken for years and while I would have thought the dairy would be hard, it turns out that eating soy cheese instead is a small price for not having a runny nose and runny eyes all the time.

And I really am not totally That Woman, meaning if you invite me over, I don't expect you to make anything special on my account. Really, people seem more than happy to let me eat the salad while they eat everything else.

The benefits so far have been substantial: decreased allergies, increased energy, less dramatic mood swings, a harder body without increasing my usual exercise, and yes, weight loss.

But do I think everyone else should do as I do? Nah. I'm not one of those. And I'll only keep doing it myself so long as it makes me feel good and happy. If it stops, I'll find something else. Maybe the All-Cookie Eating Plan will be next for me? Hmm... Now if only I lived closer to those vegan cupcakes someone posted here earlier this week...

How about you?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: GOT ANY DIETARY QUIRKS I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEFORE I INVITE YOU OVER FOR A PLATTER OF STEAMED MEATS?

Be well. Don't forget to write.

6 comments:

Alyssa Kirk said...

BRING ON THE STEAMED MEATS!

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

*Snort* That cracked me up, Alyssa - c'mon over!

Kay Cassidy said...

Wow, Lauren, that's a pretty big jump! Anything that helps cut down on allergies *coughsneeze* is aces, I say. ;-)

Stephanie Kuehnert said...

Go Lauren! I went vegan 13 years ago, for political reasons, but that aside the health benefits are amazing. My stomach issues improved immensely when I gave up dairy and my doctor and mom were both like, "huh. I guess you were lactose intolerant." And I just feel better. I think it forces me to cook for myself rather than eat processed stuff and that helps a lot. May I suggest vegweb.com for recipes if you haven't found it already. The Quick and Easy section is my go-to when I am on deadline!

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Hey, Kay!

Thanks for the tip, Stephanie!

Alyson Noel said...

Hey Lauren - giving up dairy helped my allergies (which were AWFUL, I was getting shots twice a week!) in a TREMENDOUS way! I also used go get ear infections all the time and that went away too. Every now and then I sneak a piece of cheese (hey, life is short) but for the most part, I feel too good to dive back into that full time again.

All the best on the new regime!