Vegan Update

In 2 days I will have been vegan for two full weeks.  I think I passed the ultimate test this past week.  Saying no to both bacon and GF non-vegan treats.  Actually I truly don't miss the meat.  I've been eating so many new dishes because I'm being forced out of my comfort zone.  I realized that if I really wanted bacon, I could make it from young coconut.  Or just go to the Naked Sprout, they have a vegan BLT!

 Anyway I wanted to share with you that being vegan in a house of meat eaters isn't that hard.  Last night I made nacho's for 5 of us.  Mine was vegan, Patrick's was dairy free, Luke's didn't have tomatoes, Mark's had no peppers... you get the point right.  Everyone likes their food just a little different from the other.  Sooo this is what it looks like in my kitchen on a typical diner!

Right: ground chicken with garlic and chili powder... Left can of aduki beans, mushrooms, chili powder and garlic

I heated it until the mushrooms wilted and turned dark.

The assembly station. 

In the oven at 350F for 20 minutes. 

So just for the record, I didn't go vegan because I have any animal right's issues.  I've gone vegan to try to clean out my system.  I want my body to run as efficiently as possible and from everything I read meat as a source of protein just isn't what I want.  I am amazed at how much my training has improved over these last few weeks.  In fact I can't even remember the last day that I took off training.  I've done something every single day and doing it well at that.  I biked 52km yesterday and today ran 7km.  Tomorrow I've got a 25k planned and a short run. Tuesday is power yoga and tri-training with the club, Wednesday is swim/bike....you get the picture!

 I'm eating tons of seasonal fruit (I love that I can do that) I am not hungry because I eat often and really well, my body is shedding the extra weight it gained in July, I am able to run further, bike further/faster, swim faster, with less rest needed between, and all while keeping a lower heart rate!  All in all, not to bad.  I've also been reading Brandon Brazier's The Thrive Diet book and learning tons of fun new tips.  Like how yummy nutritional yeast is, but to boost it's already awesome nutritional content, put it in the coffee grinder with raw sesame seeds, place in a shaker and add as a "cheesy" topping!

 Tonight I made air popcorn, melted coconut butter over it, and used my new topping (plus a dash of salt)... wow it was amazing! I also put a bit of chili powder on it to see if I would like them together... Duh! of course they went well together, chili cheese popcorn!  Clean and healthy!

Cooler 1 preperation: a lesson on GOOD FAT!!!!

Well this is the third times since having the baby that I'm getting ready Sunday night for the big "cooler 1" event.  And hopefully the last in a long while.  I really can't live without berries and peanut butter.  I could easily live without GF bread/buns, corn products and rice chips.  But it's the nuts that I miss the most.  It's funny today someone mentioned to me that they thought I was a vegetarian.  Ha ha, I giggled because last night was my big date night with Mark and I had a 9oz steak with a plate of steamed veggies. "Steak!!! medium rare please!!!"  Red meat is a special treat, mostly because of all the fats it contains, not the good kind of fats.

 I am always consuming fats while on my "strict" diet plan, but those are used to increase my body's metabolism.  Did you know "good fats" (EFA's = essential fatty acids) cannot be produced by our body so we need to get them through food.  You've all heard of omega 3 and omega 6, well these are the two types of EFA's that contribute to fat loss.  Here's why: "Both types of EFAs are required for the production of the eicosanoids – hormones that are responsible for regulating the major body functions, including digestion, insulin production and the storage of fat."

So here's the thing...  insulin is KEY in weight loss.  You do not want your body to produce insulin (in excess) because it will promote fat storage, we want the opposite.  We want our body to use the fat that is stored on our body as fuel.  It was found that EFA's could reduce the amount of insulin production by 50%, SOOOOOOo have a healthy fat with every carbohydrate you eat.  It makes fat burning more efficient.  Try to get the old mantra "fat is bad" out of your head.  Because truly good fats (EFA's) are your best buddy in weight loss.