In case you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a vegan. I don’t eat any animal products and the reasons include the tri-fecta of veganism: Health, the Environment and the Animals.
You can argue these points with me if you wish, and many people do, but it works for me. Now if it were up to me, everyone would be vegan, but I’m not so naïve to believe that’s possible, that as long as we can choose, everyone would choose veganism. I respect your choice to eat whatever you want. Someone once told me that “I’m not an annoying vegan,” meaning I will never try to convince you that you should stop eating animal products too, but if you are interested, I love to share information about what I eat.
The most common question a vegan hears is “Where do you get your protein?” Well, let me ask you something. Have you ever met anyone here in the United States that has protein deficiency? I’ve only met one person who had protein deficiency in the past, because she had a condition that didn’t allow her body to properly absorb protein, but that’s under control now. Other than that, nope, no one.
Protein is used by our body for repair and maintenance of body tissue and energy and helps fight infection, illness and disease by producing antibodies.
So where do I get my protein? Well, if you think back to high school biology class, proteins are pretty much the building blocks of cells and occur in all living things, including plants and animals. With that in mind, and with a little education and proper planning, it’s really not that difficult to get the protein you need from a vegan diet. And to demonstrate, I’ll share a typical day for me.
Now, I’m not saying that what I eat is always super clean, but again, it works for me. You do you. So here goes:
Breakfast: A bowl of old fashioned oatmeal + tablespoon of chia seed + some vegan protein powder + a little nut milk + a banana. I sometimes get low blood sugar if I don’t eat a high protein breakfast, which is why I add the protein powder.
Mid-morning snack: Hummus + veggies
Lunch: A big ol’ salad with a huge variety of veggies + garbanzo beans + a tablespoon of hemp hearts + McCormicks Salad Toppins + olive oil & balsamic vinegar or this dressing. The Salad Toppins are my little treat. They add crunch, flavor and they’re not terrible for me.
Afternoon snack: A handful of nuts.
Dinner: Bowl Me Over, of course! We usually have this once a week or so.
That’s it! Easy-peasy. I do try to have a salad every day because it’s a great way to get a boat load of veggies. Sometimes that’s for lunch and sometimes for dinner. But I mix things up quite a bit with sandwiches, soups, casseroles, etc. and I’m never bored. You can see many of my favorite recipes in my blog and you’ll see there is a big variety to choose from, so take a look around and try going vegan for just one day a week. Have fun with it, and let me know how I can help.
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