Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw Foodist, Oh My!

I've talked about going vegetarian for the planet and then how eating meat is ok (to me) as long as it's from humanely, sustainably raised animals. But the more I've been reading the food blogs I follow (most of which promote a raw foods diet) I've started thinking once again about giving up meat.

For me not eating meat has never really been about the animals (sorry), it's been more about the effect the animals have on the environment and on our own health. One of the things that really struck me about the raw food diet is the concept of eating living foods as opposed to dead foods (this would be anything cooked, even rice).

It got me thinking about how I have been feeling so much better since giving up gluten, corn and soy, and eating a lot more fruits and veggies then I have eaten in a very long time. So I started thinking, well then how much better would I feel if I increased them even more? And what about all these different seeds and nuts that I've been reading about?

Did you know that seeds and nuts have protein? I know, me neither! Also, you're actually supposed to soak nuts and seeds before eating them because they have a natural preservative on them that makes them harder to digest (Dr. Heather told me that). Many nut sensitivities can be fixed by soaking and then dehydrating (so they get crunchy again) them. It worked for me at least. Soaking nuts also increases the vitamins in them (I found that out here).

I really like nuts so I decided to give it a try. I soaked walnuts by putting them in a container, covering with water, adding 2 teaspoons of salt and letting sit overnight. Then I rinsed them and put them in the dehydrator for another 12 hours at 150 degrees. They were really good, actually even better tasting then they had been before. The walnuts that didn't have that bitterness to them any more, they now had a more buttery taste to them.

So anyways, just as I started thinking about going veg (again) Meghan at Making Love in the Kitchen was kicking off a 5 days vegan plan. Hmmm....coincidence?

I briefly thought about going vegan but I don't know that I could give up cheese and yogurt. Being vegan means you don't consume any animal products at all, nothing from meat all the way to honey (bees make it). Also being vegan seems to be more centered on animal compassion then just a simple food choice, which is all good, it's just not somewhere I'm at. But this is also “labeling” which as you know I'm trying to avoid, so I guess you should just ignore all that. ;)

At any rate, I decided to join the 5 days vegan adventure because it seemed like a good way to make the transition into eating meat-free. I also wanted to get Meghan's e-tutorial so I could get some of her tasty recipes. Now Meghan's not a raw foodist (good grief, labling again) but she is a nutritionist and cooks pretty gluten and soy free (plus some other stuff) and I still plan on eating cooked foods too. I've bought some of her tutorials before and they always have LOTS of info on why what your about to do is good for you, what to expect, tons of nutrition info and how to make it work for YOU.

Luckily, I have lots of support from foodies that I've met through the internets (Bitt and Michele, to name 2) plus some great raw food sites with easy recipes.

One of my fave new sites is Love Veggies and Yoga. Averie posts LOTS of food recipes and always ends with a yoga pose and pics of her super cute little girl.

What really makes her a fave, all the dessert recipes! The first one that I decided to try was the chocolate chia seed pudding. Chia seeds have calcium, fiber and omega 3 & 6, to name a few goodies, so they make a great heathly snack. I changed Averie's recipe a little; I didn't have cocoa bean extract so that got left out, I used raw cocoa called cacao (it's good for you) and I used a little less agave. I also just stuck it in the fridge as soon as I mixed it (yeah, I don't always read all the directions). I took it out about an hour later mixed it some more, put a little bit on my spoon and....nearly fell over it was so good! The consistency is a lot like tapioca. I had to make myself stop eating so I could take a pic for you!

Afterwards I went ahead and made a triple batch because Averie says that it can last up to 2 days in the fridge.

Triple Batch Chia Seed Pudding:

6 tablespoons chia seeds
3 tablespoons cacao powder
3 tablespoons agave
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used rice, going to try hemp next time)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together with a whisk (or fork), pop in fridge, mix again when you think about it and enjoy.

Now, I don't see mine lasting to days, but it enough to now share.

So to wrap up this crazy long post, I'm not eating any animal products through Friday and after that I'm not going to eat meat. I don't know if not eating meat is more green, helpful to the animals or more healthy, but I do know that it will make me happier. And I do know that there's nothing greener, helpful or healthier then that.