In the end of March I introduced The Vegan Project here on my blog. My close friend Dan agreed to attempt changing to a vegan diet to see if it would work for him. If you missed the first post you can read it HERE. Dan started making changes to his diet during the last week of March. One of the first things I suggested for him to do was switch from dairy milk to vanilla almond milk. A very easy and simple change. Then I asked him to watch the film Forks Overs Knives. The great thing about Forks Over Knives is that it gives you lots of information. Watching the film can help you make an educated decision on whether or not a plant strong diet is good for you.
During my visit to Ohio I was able to go grocery shopping with Dan to show him first hand how to shop for vegan foods that would work for him. It was so much fun for both of us. I was able to teach him how to read ingredient labels and learn what things to stay away from. I have to give kudos to the Kroger grocery store by him. They have put all the organic, meatless food options and healthier stuff ALL together. Even better it's next to the produce section.
I also talk about the vegan foods that Dan purchased at the grocery store.
I am super excited for Dan and really had a blast going grocery shopping with him. It was so nice to "share my world" with a good friend. While I was in Ohio we fixed a vegan pizza for Dan which he really loved. It was great too because he got to watch us cook it. He got to see how easy it actually was to prepare. I do plan to give Dan lots of recipes that are easy to prepare. I hope to help him move towards a plant strong diet verses the processed vegan foods.
When Dan and I first decided to start this vegan project we weren't really sure how it was going to go. Originally we were going to wait till the end of April to start because Dan is getting ready to go on vacation. I didn't want him to have to worry about his "diet" while traveling since it's all so new for him. For both Dan and I, things seem to be going better and quicker then expected. Which is great! Next week I plan to share with you some of Dan's progress! It is pretty awesome and he's made me super proud already! Stay tuned....
I just got so hungry watching him eat the sandwich haha. Looks like it's going good for Dan's vegan diet!
ReplyDeleteIt really is! I am super proud of him and can't wait to share his progress next week. I hope you had fun at your Veg Event. I wish I could of been there. They are so fun.
DeleteAwesome! It's really cool that you have a friend willing to get out of his comfort zone and try something that's important to you.
ReplyDeleteI know! He's a great guy! :)
DeleteWhat an awesome thing to do! I love this idea so much <3 You are a great friend and a valuable resource. I can't wait to see his progress!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! It's great having a friend who was willing to leave their comfort zone. Most people I talk to about being vegan just look at me like a deer in headlights. You can see that the information either scares them or goes in one ear and out the other. It's never been that way with Dan. That's why I asked him to try it out. :) Glad you saw this post by the way! I'm also proud of you.
DeleteYay Dan! I'm just rooting him on. :) What made you suggest vanilla almond milk? Does he like vanilla, is that why?
ReplyDeleteCheers to working together!
Yes, he's doing awesome! Go Dan! I suggested the almond milk to get him off dairy as soon as possible. He ate a lot of cereal and most of it was sugary types. I figured the vanilla milk would give him enough sweetness that he could give up the "bad" cereals and replace them with better choices. :) It's worked so far! Dairy milk doesn't have much of a taste, at least I don't think so. The almond milk does. I find most people love it. It's just getting them to try it that is the problem sometimes. So many people are scared of it. They have the whole attitude of, "Eeewww, it's NOT dairy and it's vegan." hahaha
DeleteThis was so cool to read and see! I am so dissapointed in the variety of organic products in my local supermarkets, we almost have no alternatives. Tofu or burgers, yes. But everything else? No. Not even ketchup or mayonaise or something like that. It's going to be so crazy for me to visit a supermarket in the US this summer haha.
ReplyDeleteWe do have something great here. In lots of workplaces, people get 'cheques' on top of what they're paid. There are different kinds and one of them are 'ecocheques' and you can only use them to buy organic and ecofriendly stuff. So organic food or even a bike (because that's green as well). That way you're kind of forced to buy good things if you want to use them :D I usually buy fruit and rice with it.
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DeleteOh my gosh I would love to take you to a grocery store! There is a really cool one where I am from called Jungle Jim's. He actually carries foods from all around the world. There are sections in the store for each country. The have an entire hot sauce section, wine section, coffee section, etc... Oh and an awesome vegan/health section. It's really fun! It's located on the outskirts of Cincinnati in Fairfield, Ohio. I know you aren't going near there but you should look at the website at least. I can't wait to hear about your U.S. trip!
ReplyDeleteOk. Let me start by saying you guys over in America have no idea how lucky you are and how easy it is to go Vegan there. You have so many brands making processed fake meats and cheeses ect. Here is Australia there are only about 3 that you can really get and most the time it has egg white in them so that leaves us with 1 or 2. vegans here rely a lot more on tofu and temph and whole foods rather then packaged as we just can't readily get it. :(
ReplyDeleteI am loving this series Jessie. I remember the first time my man ate a fake meat sandwich. His face went crazy. Not good. I'm glad things are going well. I can't wait for the next post.
I am so sorry that you don't have a lot of options! That is sad. Hopefully someday that changes. It's good that you eat a lot of whole foods though. We actually haven't ate the Tofurky lunch meat for a few weeks now. We are attempting to get back to more of a plant strong diet again. Tofu is still "weird" for me. I can't decide if I like it or not. hahaha I am thankful that Dan is able to get the quick easy vegan foods. He often works 16 hour days. He needs that easy vegan food. I am so glad you like this series. I will be posting another post this week. It's a message from Dan about his progress!
DeleteLooks like something I can totally transition into once I have our baby in December and we get into a new home. Most of it I have actually tried and I LOVE it more than processed, meaty meals that most Americans eat. I am over the hills for vegetables and fruits, so I know this may not be such a challenge for me. I'd love to try to convert my family over much more than what they already are and to segment on how to feed a baby a vegan/vegetarian diet while still getting the same nutrients he or she needs. We can totally do something like that right?!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to go shopping with you and do a segment with you to share my experience, while giving more insight with you over what I would love to do with the Vegan Project.
Oh, and maybe give some tips on coupon clipping since that is what our family does a LOT of. It can show that you don't have to worry about money when going vegan just as long as you can coupon clip successfully (most people have had this issue with me, especially David!)
DeleteWe could totally talk about doing this in the future. If I do decide to have a baby it will defiantly be a vegan from day one. I don't worry about it not getting what it needs. A vegan PLANT STRONG diet is healthy for everyone when done right. I just plan to read books and do research about it first. Also, finding a doctor who is accepting of a vegan diet would be priority one. I would not be okay with someone telling me how to eat or judging me. hahaha I think it would be easy for you. I guess the challenge would be more for your family really. ;)
DeleteCoupons may be hard, I'm not sure. I've never been able to really use coupons because it was always brands and items I didn't buy. I guess it would also depend on what stores were in your area. It would be about buying things in bulk when they are on sale I suppose. A vegan diet should be plant strong, so I don't know about coupons. You could grown things though. :) I guess it would be something I would have to look into since I never have.
I definitely agree. I want to have all the knowledge necessary when starting my kids over to vegan. And I definitely couldn't handle a doctor telling me how to eat or how to feed my children, that'd just be...uh-uh. haha
DeleteWe can totally look into the coupon deal together. I know Sprouts and Kroger does coupons, not sure about Whole Foods but I can totally look into that as well.