The Start of The Beginning!

I will be updating this blog much more frequently as my diet begins to shift more drastically but over the last week I only managed to make a few changes worth describing. Because I had already purchased a lot of items that contained dairy in it, I didn't completely eliminate it from my diet yet as I do not want to be wasteful. I haven't consumed any meat since march 17th but I did eat a piece of salmon in a Mediterranean Salmon Salad that a good friend of mine bought for me at Panera. I was shocked at the lack of veg choices at Panera. Most of them contain some type of dairy in it which is depressing for me because it was one of my favorite places to grab a quick bite.

I did go out for sushi with my sister this past Friday night and instead of ordering Spicy Tuna & Salmon Rolls I ordered Avocado Rolls and Vegetable Rolls in addition to some yummy Miso Soup. I felt extremely satisfied after the meal and surprisingly did not crave any more food.
Fun Fact Time:
"The undeniably most medicinal soy food is miso. Current scientific research now supports its historical health claims. This delicious food is an effective therapeutic aid in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, certain cancers, radiation sickness and hypertension. Miso soup consumption is linked with up to a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute." (http://www.rebeccawood.com/food-as-medicine/miso-a-delicious-and-healing-food/)

Saturday I went out for lunch to a new Chinese/Japanese restaurant that opened up down the street from my home. I ordered Miso soup and mixed vegetables with bean curd and rice. I learned that bean curd is another term for tofu. It was delicious and again I felt completely satisfied. I did not suffer from any gastrointestinal issues that sometimes occur when I order other things on a typical Chinese food menu, and I did not feel sluggish or tired. I actually noticed that I felt more mentally alert and content.

I went grocery shopping today and stocked up on even more vegetables and fruit than usual. I also picked up some rice noodles, hummus, edamame, non-salted pistachios, refried organic "vegan friendly" beans in a can, a dairy free frozen pizza made by Amy's Kitchen, and some other dairy free frozen meals made by Amy's Kitchen that are mostly bean and vegetable base. I will be reviewing some of these items and the recipes I follow on this blog. I am terrible cook hence the presence of frozen meals in my grocery list. It is something I plan to work on though and hopefully master at some point. Whether Vegan or not, frozen meals are not healthy to live on and should only be used when necessary. While I am in transition I think frozen meals might be my life savors as I experiment with new foods, new recipes, and with just cooking in general.

That's all for now Folks, I promise to post more updates as I continue on my journey! Please feel free to post any questions or comments.

A little plug for Amy's Kitchen:
Check out their website to learn more about their products and the philosophy behind them!

I also urge anyone reading this to check out this free online movie:
Hungry For Change
All you have to do is enter a name and an emailing address into the registration box and you will instantly be granted access to the movie. The film is life-changing and full of easy to understand critical information. I have also included a trailer to the movie posted above.

End of Day 1

I just arrived home from work and had to overcome a moment of weakness which almost ruined the whole challenge. I looked in my cabinet, which I suppose I did out of habit, and saw a bag of blue corn chips and thought to myself: "I went all day long, maybe I can just reward myself with a few chips." I just about reached for the bag until I stopped myself. After juicing all day, a few chips would have easily become the whole bag, and then I could see myself writing a new "Day 1" blog entry tomorrow. No! I will be strong! No salty processed food items for me! FEW, that was close.

Other than that, my day went pretty smooth. I expected to feel like I was starving myself but I actually felt comfortably full all day long. I brought a 64oz jug of juiced veggies and fruit to work tonight which is what I drank, and I even brought a back up 16oz of juice in a separate bottle that I didn't end up needing. The 64oz consisted of:
4 broccoli stalks
10 celery ribs
20 grapes
20 blue berries
3 pineapple slices
7 beets
2/3 grapefruit
1 orange
2 lemon
1 lime
6 grape tomatoes
1 hand full of parsley
1 cup of spinach
4 asparagus stalks
1 apple
1/2 mango
2 kiwis
2 nectarines
10 baby carrots

The hardest part of the day was craving salty foods. I dealt with the cravings by:
*Distracting myself
*Reminding myself of the purpose of the challenge
*Posting and reading posts from community members on Reboot Your Life which is a website dedicated to people who decide to try juicing diets after seeing the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.
*Physically moving myself...getting up from my seat and taking a walk

All of the above seemed to work!

The scary thing is I think after tomorrow I may already run out of all my fruit and vegetables. I may have severely underestimated the cost of this challenge. I suppose the money I am saving on no longer buying fast food, going out to eat to restaurants, and purchasing fancy lattes will balance it out. On the up side, I am already looking forward to adding different types of plants to my juices!