Vegan-ish

On Oprah on Tuesday, she spent the entire show talking about vegan eating. She and 378 staff members went vegan for a week. The week was sponsored by Kashi and Whole Foods, and their office cafeteria catered to vegan eating too. The episode also showed the inside of a slaughterhouse in Colorado (Cargill Meat Solutions) which was hard to watch but still fascinating. You have to know where your food comes from. At the end of the episode, they announced they would continue to have a vegan option and start “Meatless Mondays” at Harpo.

Here are some of my thoughts on the episode:

• You dont have to shop at Whole Foods to be healthy. I know the episode was sponsored by Whole Foods, but non-meat foods can be found anywhere, and I don’t think they did a good job of making that clear.
• The show focused a lot on faux meats and not vegetables and fruits. Part of the show went to a Whole Foods to go grocery shopping for a family of four. They bought a lot of Gardein chicken breasts, Tofurky, or veggie patties. I have never eaten any of those brands but I can still eat many of my meals without meat every week. They did not show how to add beans, whole grains, or more vegetables to a meal plan.
• Changing your diet that drastically is hard. You can’t just pick it up today; it takes a lot of planning and research. I am not vegan, but I read a lot about it. Before I started reading healthy living blogs or Michael Pollan’s books, I didn’t know anything about it. I definitely didn’t know how to cook quinoa or have all veggie meals or cook tofu. If I just decided to go vegan that day, it would never work. Many of the people I read about who have started eating vegan took months or years to do it completely. They start with a few days of no meat, then gradually eliminate dairy or fish. It’s not like a 7 or 21 day diet like Oprah made it out to be.
• You have to know why you’re doing this and believe it. Giving up all products and foods that had a mother is hard. You have to really believe it and commit to it. It’s not just a diet to stop when you get to a goal weight. You have to educate yourself completely, know you will be in the minority, and know you will always wonder what’s in a pie crust or soup or even if your crackers contain powdered milk.
• There is nothing wrong with eating meat or eating yogurt, eggs and cheese. Animal products provide certain proteins that just can’t be replicated. I like how Michael Pollan said he is picky about where his meat comes from, and I think getting to know your food sources is most important. That was the most eye opening for me from this show, from watching Food, Inc., and from reading his books.

Coincidentally, vegetable soup and salad were on Tuesday night’s dinner menu at our house. Both were vegan, but I would never label it that way for Jeffrey. There were no animal products in the soup and no cheese in the salad. Eating vegan doesn’t have to be scary or seem “gross” (as shown in the show).

My opinions:

I thought Oprah’s show was a good look at veganism for beginners. It was still geared toward a very wide audience, Oprah even said she could be “vegan-ish” although having all your meals prepared for you makes it a whole lot easier.

Since this is my blog, I will tell you my opinion. I eat less meat than I used to because I have read more and educated myself about where our food comes from. I also find it cheaper to not buy chicken or turkey each week and buy more fresh produce. I have also learned more about alternative proteins and how to cook better with vegetables and grains.

However, I do eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, yogurt, turkey, and butter frequently. The bottom line is to educate yourself of where your food comes from and make your own decisions.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

• 1 medium white onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 can corn
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 box chicken stock or broth
• 4 C water
• 5 large baby potatoes, washed and chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary, 1 sprig time
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 T olive oil

Instructions:

• In a large soup pan, drizzle olive oil down to get hot. Pot should be on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and let sweat out for a few minutes. Stir so it doesn’t stick.
• Add celery, carrots, zucchini and let get hot while you keep chopping. Add zucchini and potatoes, then add stock and water.
• Add tomato sauce, corn, bay leaves, spices.
• Bring to a boil and let cook for 45 minutes on boil or simmer until potatoes and carrots are fork tender.

  

Simple Salad

• 1 bag any lettuce
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1/2 orange, in pieces
• 2 T dried cranberries
• 2 T peanuts

Combine all ingredients together and top with any salad dressing. I made a mustard dressing with 1 T dijon mustard, 2 T olive oil, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1/2 orange juiced, and salt and pepper.

What do you think? Did you watch the episode? Have you read any of the books or watched the movies? Leave your thoughts here!