So I'm not much for making resolutions for the new year, since I know without a doubt that I'll wind up abandoning them all sometime mid-January. Hence why my decision to go vegan occurred mid-year, spur-of-the-moment, and thus was the most successful resolution I've made to date.Well, not really spur of the moment. I did a lot of research, experimented, found what worked for me and what did not, and went from there. The turning point, though, was browsing through one particular baking cookbook that made my resolution that much easier. Eat less cholesterol, have more cookies. Win win!
Now I've been vegan about a year and a half, which is no amazing feat. It is easy, inexpensive, and more or less healthy. Not that I've lost weight or anything. It's time to ramp up my love for plant-based foods just a little bit more by incorporating more raw and unprocessed foods.
In the last few months I have added to my pantry:
- more flaxseeds than I'll ever eat in my life (featured in the picture above: raw flax, almond meal and cacao "pancakes" with syrup and banana-blueberry softserve)
- goji berries
- chia seeds
- buckwheat groats (still not sure what to do with these...)
- cacao nibs... my favorite thus far
- sundry raw nuts
- cold pressed coconut oil
- more bananas than a banana republic (say, one whose primary export is not bananas...)
- agave nectar, which has been in there for a while and I'm just starting to use in recipes other than in tea
- nut milks
Slowly I am removing from my diet:
- processed sugar
- wheat
And I want to, but never will get rid of:
- soy. I love soy. Yeah, it's tough to digest, but I love it.
These are life changes. This is not a diet, just like my transition to veganism was not as part of a fad diet, or to win me cool points; that happened naturally. I can feel benefits immediately from a gluten-free, uncooked meal versus a wheat-heavy, soy-heavy dinner.
Not very good at ending blog posts, so... The End.
