One of the main obstacles I knew I would have to face is finding an acceptable milk substitute for my coffee, tea, and cereal. I have tried all sorts of non-dairy beverages over the years, and was not pleased. However, this time I had a more open mind and stronger resolve. I'm not a big fan of the vanilla flavor varieties, which is what was always presented to me in the past. This time I tried plain rice milk. I really like it! It's not too sweet and it's delicious! It actually tastes like rice, which is kind of strange.
If you are thinking about cutting out dairy, but aren't sure about non-dairy beverages, my advice is to just keep trying until you find something that suits you. There are a lot of varieties out there, such as almond milk, soy milk, and coconut milk.
Here's what I ate the first day. I thought I would miss honey in my tea and hot cereal, but I really didn't. I definitely did not get enough vegetables. Luckily, we picked up our harvest at Sweetwater today, so that will be rectified tomorrow! I don't feel like I ate as much as I usually do, but I'm not hungry. The hearty breakfast and raw cashews in the afternoon really filled me up. I can't say I feel any different. We'll see how tomorrow goes....
- coffee and rice milk
- hot high-fiber breakfast cereal - walnuts, bananas, dried cranberries, flax oil
- hummus & pita chips
- ice tea
- earl grey tea and rice milk
- tabbouleh - couscous, cilantro, tomato, garlic, lemon, olive oil
- orange juice
- raw cashews and dried cranberries
- cereal & rice milk
I wish you well with this Rebecca! I meant to comment on your post earlier on got side tracked ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I was Vegan... for about a week. It didn't last long for me, though I was trying too hard to substitute foods for their vegan counterparts (fake cheese just tastes like "fake").
You can do this! The key to any major dietary change is to plan ahead, and know what you will reach for when you are hungry. The other key is to have a balanced diet (many vegetarians do not) but you sound like you've got that covered! In fact, your post made me hungry....
Good luck!! ;)
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, Sharon! I really do appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree - vegan substitutes are usually - um - terrible!! Not to mention, they have the potential to be unhealthy given that they are processed foods.
I think if you are going to cut something in an attempt to be healthy, you must replace with quality, nutritious, fresh, whole foods.
I also agree completely about planning ahead. I have some acceptable "emergency" foods around for my weak moments. My favorite fruits, Steaz ice tea, and other non-food treats.
Thanks again!
I've been sooo amazed at how quickly the sugar cravings went away for me. I mean, I was addicted to chocolate and ate it pretty much every day in some form. I still try to have a little chocolate during my free meal each week, but don't crave it. I thought that would be such a struggle.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT idea on the milk for your coffee, etc. I have given my son rice milk before because I got it free with a coupon, :-) but never tried using it for anything else. :-)
Hi Katie! The Frugal Femina commented on my site - how cool!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was also amazed that I wasn't craving sugar the first couple days! Ironically, when I did allow myself a small "treat", it just left me wanting more. Hmmm... perhaps it wasn't worth it.
If I incorporate these changes permanently, I will need to tackle the "frugal" element - I don't recall seeing many coupons for the products I'm using now, but I'm sure my favorite coupons blogs (like yours) will help me get there!