Vegan Diet Guy

Sushi was one of the hardest foods to give up after I resolved to adopt a vegan diet. After all, my passion for sushi was one of the things that brought me to live in Japan in the first place. And while Japan is infamous for exclusive sushi shops that charge $500 per person, even low-end sushi (such as kaiten, or “conveyor belt” style) is fresh and inexpensive compared to other countries, making it hard to resist.

For some time after I had bid sayonara to meat, eggs and dairy, I continued the Japanese institution of going out for sushi with friends and family. At first, I ate varieties consisting of mostly vegetables such as natto (fermented soybeans) and green onions, cucumber, takuon (pickled radish), kampyo (dried gourd), as well as inarizushi (fried bean curd filled with sushi rice and black sesame seeds). (more…)

Veganomicon, simply the best cookbook to transform you from meat-eating to a 100% plant diet, has inspired my cooking for over 3 years. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s earlier  books, “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World” and “Vegan With A Vengeance” have amassed devoted followers, too, and I always wondered if I wasn’t missing out.

Actually, I never understood the hoopla over Vegan Cupcakes, because I gave up consuming animal products primarily for improving my health, and most vegan confectionaries–while better ethically and environmentally–are not necessarily healthier than non-vegan ones.

Generally speaking, vegan versions of non-vegan recipes merely substitute animal fat (butter, eggs) with equal amounts of plant-derived fat (oil) and vegan sweeteners for sugar. Many people don’t realize that  some vegan dishes are even less healthy than the original because they are prepared with excess oil (often fried) and salt, artificial coloring and flavor enhancers.

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One Less V-F Restaurant

Perhaps it’s because there are so few vegan-friendly restaurants to begin with, or maybe I’ve got a case of vegan selective attention, but it sure seems that restaurants catering to vegan/vegetarians fail more than traditional restaurants.

Recently, I was describing London’s critically acclaimed vegetarian diner “Eat and Two Veg” to a house guest. Ebullient with memories of discovering the restaurant during a business trip to the UK, I went online to retrieve their amazing menu of comfort foods including Rendang Curry, Moroccan Tagine, and my favorite, Crispy Aromatic Luck (a seitan version of Peking Duck).

Wishfully thinking a “Page Not Found” response from E&2V’s website was a temporary glitch, I did a search and learned the restaurant had closed down last December, after 6 years of operation. Although I live in Tokyo, and don’t know when I’d get to eat there again, E&2V was nonetheless an institution for vegans and omnivores alike. My 3 meals at E&2V were among the highlights of my London visit (see “London-Vegetarian Heaven“) and a must-go for my next visit.

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Being away from home can make business travel and vacation challenging and stressful for anyone who’s trying to eat healthily. This is particularly so for new vegans who are still trying to adjust to a diet without animal products but may have fewer alternatives than usual.

However, given the fact that business travel is often necessary for our jobs, and most people enjoy going somewhere new for vacation–at least occasionally–how does the vegan or aspiring vegan deal with eating away from home?

Below are some tips for business and vacation situations:

1. Business travel–Eat as much healthy (whole-grain, low-fat and minimal refined sugar) vegan foods you can at those meals where you have the most control over the venue. For me that’s breakfast, because lunch and dinner are often spent with colleagues or clients, and you’re less likely to have a say over the restaurant chosen or the menu.

Breakfast buffets at hotels are quite vegan-friendly, and as a result they are probably the safest places to eat while away from home (provided you don’t give in to temptation to eat 80 percent of the food that is non-vegan!). (more…)

By William Santoro

A few weeks ago, I was becoming frustrated at the fact I had been exercising more frequently and eating healthier than ever–even cutting back on alcohol (mostly wine) to just a couple times a week–with little results to show for my efforts. If anything, it appeared that my weight and body fat had increased slightly!

Then a friend suggested that I may actually be eating too few calories. That didn’t make any sense to me at all, so he recommended I try out an online meal planning system, called Vitabot. Vitabot is offered by many health clubs as an added benefit for its members, and is recently being offered in an online subscription service by a small number of internet resellers. According to Vitabot’s website, their system has received critical acclaim from top nutritionists and trainers. (more…)

As I mentioned in my last post, it took me several months to make the transition to a vegan diet. While there is no one right way, it’s reasonable to allow yourself some time to reach your goal, too. While everyone’s situation is different, below are a few suggestions that may help:

1. Assuming you are determined to improve your health by adopting a vegan diet (have I mentioned The China Study enough yet?), you may want to savor your favorite foods one last time. Use the opportunity to celebrate and make your final taste of that food  a memorable occasion. You can even take photos.
2. Start to try to incorporate vegan products, such as non-dairy milks or soy, into your diet. I started ordering cafe lattes prepared with soymilk instead of dairy milk. To be honest, I  hated it at first (thought it a waste of perfectly good espresso–and what’s worse–cost extra, too!) I also replaced my traditional breakfast yogurt with Bob’s 5-Grain hot cereal.
3. Order vegan cookbooks that match your particular ethnic tastes (some of my favorites are highlighted on this site), and pick up any ingredients you need to prepare them. Don’t worry about the cost, and try out as many recipes as you need to find something you enjoy, or at least feel you could in time.
4. Start eliminating one category of animal food little-by-little. In my case, I cut out red meat and chicken, but kept eating fish and dairy occasionally (sushi and cheese were the hardest things for me to give up). I still had a lot of cheese in the refrigerator, and I thought there were no substitutes for eggs.
5. Eventually, begin to avoid eating animal products whenever practical. However, you don’t have to have a heart attack if you learn a dish you’re eating has a trace of meat (or dairy product).  This is a benefit of becoming a vegan for health, rather than ethical, reasons.

Remember, you may lose weight at first on a vegan diet, but it will return (if you desire) once you discover vegan versions of your favorite foods. Vegan diets are generally healthier than animal diets, but it depends on the quality of ingredients and how they are prepared. For example, whole grain breads and pastas (complex carbohydrates) are much healthier choices than non whole-grain products. And oily, overly sweet, or processed foods should also be avoided, whether vegan or not.

As always, I look forward to your feedback and welcome any suggestions for making this site more useful.

Let me just share with you a few other of Campbell’s thoughts that converted me from an above-average meat eater to a plant-eater:

“For most Americans, the idea of giving up virtually all meat products—including beef, chicken, fish, cheese, milk and eggs—seems impossible. You might as well ask Americans to stop breathing. The whole idea seems strange, fanatical or fantastic.
This is the biggest obstacle to the adoption of a plant-based diet: most people who hear about it don’t seriously consider it, despite the truly impressive health benefits.
If you are one of these people—if you are curious about these findings but know in your heart that you will never be able to give up meat—then I know that no amount of talk will ever convince you to change your mind.
You have to try it.
Give it one month. You’ve been eating cheeseburgers your whole life; a month without them won’t kill you.”

Campbell goes on to say that while you won’t experience long-term benefits of giving up animal products in just a month, there are four things you will discover (see book for details).

Please note The China Study is not a diet plan or cookbook, but the results of Campbell’s decades of research into the effects of diet on health. Given the fact this topic may not be as exciting for everyone as it was for me, it is encouraging to observe that 4 years after publication, the book ranks in the Top 30 sales of Amazon Books.

So, what are you waiting for? Place your order for The China Study today, and give it a read. I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts.

If you have been concerned about the current state of your health, or worry about falling ill in the future due to a medical condition that runs in your family, you are certainly not alone. But you don’t have to resign yourself to poor health, because research proves that diet plays a much more significant role than genetics in predicting health.

Although I was brought up eating a large variety of vegetables, until 3 years ago (at 43), I was also an avid consumer of animal products–especially meats, cheese and dairy products–and would not have dreamed of adopting a 100 percent plant-based diet, much less singing its praises. That all changed when I read The China Study.

According to the book’s author, T. Colin Campbell, PhD., there are major health benefits to be gained by reducing the percentage of animal-based foods from the 20-30 percent average for most Americans to under 10 percent, or better yet, zero percent. This means the large majority, 95 percent of US adults who eat animal products regularly, will have to alter your eating habits, as I did.

But almost everyone who gives up eating animal products say they feel healthier, energetic, and younger, and wonder why they waited so long. My own cholesterol and body fat dropped notably within a month or two after reducing my intake of animal products, after years of trying but never succeeding to reduce it by regular exercise alone.

I have since lost 15 pounds and have had to purchase new clothes (it’s much more fun buying smaller clothes than bigger). I had to get all new cookbooks and learn how to cook all over again, too. Fortunately, there are endless resources on the internet to assist with meatless cooking. Please check out some of the links on this site for ideas.