Day 218 -- Bill Clinton, Vegan-In-Chief

I came across this article on the AARP website (no, I don't visit there, it was linked from another blog) about Bill Clinton and his recent switch to veganism -- Bill Clinton Explains Why He Became A Vegan.  To be honest, Clinton was one of the inspirations I had for trying a vegan diet.  He had experienced the kind of heart problems that have plagued my own parents and he chose veganism because it represented the best and fastest way to get healthy.

The reporter describes a lunch they had along with his conversation about Clinton's vegan diet.  Many of Clinton's thoughts about the diet are the same as mine are.  He misses yogurt and cheese, eats as much as he wants as long as it's low fat, and is feeling more healthy than he has in years.  All things that I've expressed.

I was bemused by one of the comments -- that because Clinton eats a piece of salmon or Omega-3 eggs once a week, that he isn't a "real" vegan.  I know that ethical vegans seem to hold themselves to a higher standard, but my feeling is that if 99% of your calories come from plants, you should be able to call yourself a vegan.  There is no other term to describe the diet you maintain for the majority of the time.  I wouldn't tell someone I was a vegetarian, because they might choose to make me a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.  I say I'm a vegan because, for the great majority of the time, I choose not to eat meat, eggs or cheese.  I'm a vegan who occasionally cheats on their diet.  Besides, who made you the word police?

On another note, the recipes were posted for the vegan lunch, so I've decided to repost them here because, hey, if they're good enough for Bill Clinton, they're good enough for me!

Roasted Cauliflower and Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4
1 head cauliflower
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets.
2. Toss the cauliflower with 2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and roast at 375° F for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Toss the tomatoes in 1 teaspoon olive oil and add to the cauliflower. Roast an additional 8 minutes.
4. Whisk together the Dijon mustard and the vinegar, then slowly incorporate the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to make the vinaigrette.
5. In a bowl, gently toss together the cauliflower-tomatoes mixture, the parsley and the vinaigrette. Serve. 

Day 201 -- The Value Of Food

Over the past week, I've been blessed with an abundance of fresh produce.  Beets, onions, beans and peas from my father's garden.  Strawberries fresh picked and given to me by a friend.  And cherries from a tree in my backyard (it's been a banner year for cherries).  But with this fresh produce came the necessity to pick and clean and store and prepare it.  I pitted cherries, shelled peas, hulled strawberries, separated beets from their edible tops.  And the more I did of this work, the more I realized what our ancestors had to go through just to put a meal on the table.

We're so used to walking into a supermarket, snatching up produce that's already cleaned and even chopped up, to use for our meals.  Meat is neatly packaged, veggies frozen, pies made.  And because food has become so simple, I think we've lost touch with the value and the meaning of what we eat.  When it takes time to make our food edible, it becomes so much more valuable.  It took me two hours to shell a couple cups of peas, but when I ate them I appreciated the value of them much more than those that I dump out of a bag from the freezer.

Of all the things I've learned in my half year as a vegan, I think this has been the most important.  I'm so very careful not to waste food.  If something is getting a little past prime in my fridge, I find a way to use it.  I don't let it spoil (except for lettuce, I can't seem to eat that fast enough).  And that makes me happy, that I'm taking only what I need and leaving the rest for others.  I'm satisfied with that.  

Day 189 -- Yikes!

Lately, I've been getting a lot of comfort food recipes that pop up on my Facebook feed.  All of them are non-vegan, but I've taken to reading them because at one point in my life, I probably would have copied them and even considered making them for some type of family or work gathering.  This one popped up this morning and as I scanned it, I just found myself a bit taken aback.  This is a recipe for an appetizer -- BLT Dip.  A snack.  Something you eat before a meal.

1-1/2 pound bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled, and divided
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded) or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1 tablespoons mustard
2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1-1/2 cup shredded Iceberg lettuce
pepper an salt to taste

The bacon alone has 300 grams of fat in it.  The cheese contributes another 66 grams of fat.  The cream cheese adds 160 grams of fat, the mayo adds 20 grams and the sour cream adds an additional 25 grams.  But then you add the healthy tomatoes and lettuce and you have a plate of dip that contains 571 grams of fat.    How many scoops of dip does this make?  Even if it made 200, which it doesn't, you're still getting almost 3 grams of fat with every scoop you eat!  By the end of cocktail hour, you might have consumed 15 grams of fat just in the dip!

I have to say that there are days when I'm glad I'm trying to be vegan.  I don't have to think about eating something like this.  It contains meat and dairy.  Although I'm willing to admit that right behind cheese on my list of "foods I dream about" is bacon, I'm not very tempted by something like this.

Day 183 -- It's All Downhill From Here

Today officially begins the second half of my year as a vegan.  Yesterday, on the last day of the first half year of eating vegan, I enumerated the various challenges I'd faced.  Today, I'm going to set some goals for the second half of my vegan year.

1.  I will eat greens every day!  I don't know why  can't seem to get this done.  I don't particularly like greens, but when I eat them, the weight comes off much faster.

2.  I will not cheese cheat for the rest of the summer.  That's going to be a tough one, especially if I go to visit my sister who loves to send out for pizza (or La Gondola lasagne) when I'm in town.

3.  I will start to do some exercise.  I'm not going to say what, but I am going to walk when I don't need to drive and maybe lift some weights to get rid of my batwings.

4.  I need to start eating breakfast again.  I've been sleeping late and starting the day with lunch, but breakfast is the key.

5.  I will start taking my vitamins regularly AND I'll make sure to get my chia/hemp seeds for the Omegas.

I'd hoped that I'd be halfway to my weight loss goal by now, but things have been at a standstill for the past 3 weeks.   I'm pretty sure it's because I'm not eating my greens or my chia seeds.  So this is the plan!

And look, I figured out how to get my text to wrap around the photo!  Six months and that's what I learned about blogging!

Day 182 -- The Penultimate Day?

Tomorrow will mark the six month anniversary of my year as a vegan.  Today is the last day of the rist half of the year.  Would that make today the penultimate day before my six month anniversary?  I don't really care.  I'm going to call today the penultimate day because I get to use the word "penultimate" for the first (and probably last) time in my writing career.  Before setting some new goals for the second half of the year, I thought it might be nice to look back at the first six months and list some of the things I've learned along the way.

I think the most important thing I've learned is that it is possible to change habits that have taken many, many years to build.  I went cold turkey from dairy, meat and fat on December 27th and I didn't go crazy with cravings.  Instead, I focused on putting only healthy food into my body.  I also learned to not make this all about losing weight but more about becoming healthier.  This way, if I had a week where I didn't lose anything, I could still feel good about the fact that I had eaten healthy!

I also learned that variety is important in any diet.  If I push myself to try new recipes, I'm much happier about my eating choices.  Eating has become an adventure, grocery shopping is fun and I've come to be very proud of the things I put in my cart.  I've also learned to like the taste of whole foods, the sweetness of a red pepper, the tartness of a Pink Lady apple, the deep, mellow taste of mushrooms.  Without all the additives, food can taste really good!  I've discovered great products that I've added to my kitchen, new tastes that I've incorporated into my diet and interesting insights that have proven to me that my plan is the right one for me.

I've learned that time flies.  It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog, but here it is, a half year gone by and 66 pounds gone as well.  I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn for years and that's kind of fun, too.  But I think the most important thing I've learned is that food is the best medicine for the body.  By eating a healthy diet, you can alleviate so many health problems.  I feel good, and that's enough to keep me going for another six months.  So, tomorrow I start the second half of the year.  If the second half of the year goes as quickly as the first, it's going to be Christmas before I know it!

Day 178 -- Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

My sister, L, came across this post on a Facebook page for JL Goes Vegan in which the question was asked -- What three things do people assume that vegans love that you hate?  Some of the answers are pretty surprising.  Like me, many other vegans are not so fond of green salads, or seitan, or eggplant.  Those are my top three, I think.  My list of things I don't like is pretty short -- most are vegan versions of "real" food, dairy and meat substitutes.  But the list of things I DO like, is even more illuminating.

Which foods have I started to eat since becoming vegan that I never knew I liked?  I'll start with the milks -- soy, almond and coconut.  I've learned to like all three and regularly order my green tea lattes and espresso lattes with whatever is on the menu.  I really like the tofu sour cream and cream cheese, even though that's one of the substitutes.  Avocados are one of the most wonderful creations in the veggie/fruit kingdom.  Nutritional yeast is not so bad.  And I'm learning to love kale and collards when mixed into soup.  I can't live without miso.  And I love ground chipoltle and ancho chili powder.  I never used to like ginger and now, I think it's one of the best things to add to dishes.

I eat lots of mushrooms and onions and red peppers now.  Edamame is a regular part of my diet and I've learned to love whole grain breads.  I'm not sure I could go back to white bread.  A sandwich just wouldn't be the same!  And I've learned to tolerate tofu, which is a big step.  It really is all about the preparation.  Silken tofu in a smoothie and baked marinated tofu can be really good!  I'm sure I'll discover even more tasty foods over the next six months.  I still haven't tried fennel.  Or spaghetti squash.

Day 177 -- One Benefit Of Being A Vegan

Though I claim not to be an ethical vegan, I must say that I do feel good when I see this graphic (courtesy of PETA).  Yes, I do have my struggles with cheese and I know that corporate dairies are awful places, but if I go back to eating cheese, I'm going to do my best to buy locally from cheese factories that get their milk from small, independent farmers.  I live in farm country and I see herds of dairy cattle lazily grazing in fields and I can't help but think they're pretty happy.

Maybe I would make a better vegetarian than a vegan.  I'm not quite sure yet as my cheese-cheats seem to be something I struggle with on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis.  I do know that eating cheese seems to be pretty much limited to my consumption of pizza and I just can't imagine living life without the occasional pizza.

I must say that since I've started eating vegan, I've been much more aware of my consumption and/or use of other things besides meat and dairy.  I've been trying not to waste water.  And I'm going to try to start walking more often, rather than hopping in the car to drive a half mile.

Day 175 -- Pass The Umami, Please.

After my yummy new recipe on Day 174, a tempeh, mushroom and asparagus dish marinated in Soy Vay, I realized that the new foods that I love the most are foods that have an abundance of the umami flavor.  I wrote about umami in an earlier post, but just to recap, umami is the fifth flavor that the tongue can detect, besides, salty, sweet, bitter and sour.

Of course, meat, especially grilled meat, has a lot of umami, and so does cheese.  One of the places I get that rich flavor is from mushroom.  And marinated in soy, they're even better.  Miso, wine and tamari also add that flavor to food.  Ripe tomatoes and tomato sauces and paste (along with ketchup and sun-dried tomatoes are great.  Balsamic vinegar, olives, nutritional yeast, and mushrooms round out my list of my favorite umami foods.  It's no wonder that I love a good Caprese salad since it has cheese, tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar as ingredients!

This article, from the blog Vegan For Her, postulates that eating foods rich in the umami flavor can actually cut cravings.  Umami flavor is one of the first flavors we like as babies as milk and breast milk are both rich in umami.  Like the sweet flavor, it's something we love for a lifetime.

Day 150 -- Five Months Down, Seven More To Go

I've just completed five months as a vegan.  It's hard to believe that much time has passed and I must say that I don't think I've ever stuck to anything with such dedication as I have to this diet.  I'm not sure why, but it doesn't seem to be much of a problem for me.  But there is one big deadline looming.  I promised myself that I'd start exercising after six months.  Until now, my exercise regime has resembled that of a cat.

So, I now have thirty days to decide exactly what I'm going to do for exercise.  My job involves sitting on my butt in front of a computer, so I can't count on getting any exercise while I'm working.  I do have one problem and that's my knees.  There's something wrong with the right one and the left one acts up every now and then.  Now, I'm not using that as an excuse because I can certainly walk.  But anything more strenuous could cause problems.  So, I guess I'm stuck with walking.  But I have another month left before I start with that.  In the meantime, I'm going to have to find some exercise clothes that fit me and maybe get an Ipod to keep me entertained. 

As for an update -- it's been five months and I've lost 60 pounds.  I've been stuck for a few weeks at the same weight, but I suspect that might be because I haven't been exercising.  Oh, well, maybe I'l have to start a little early.

Day 141 -- I Guess It Had To Happen Sooner Or Later

I have now finished twenty weeks as a vegan and over these past twenty weeks, I've lost 57 pounds.  But this week, I didn't lose a pound.  Now, in all honesty, I haven't been as vigilant about watching what I eat.  I've been eating vegan and mostly low-fat vegan.  I've eaten out a few times and enjoyed some drinks.  And I did have a major pig-out last Sunday, a day that I spent eating everything I could find in the house -- all vegan, all low-fat, but more calories than I usually eat in three days.  I think I ate at least eight meals that day.

Since I told myself at the beginning of this vegan adventure, that I wasn't going to watch what I eat as long as it was healthy and vegan, I can't be upset with myself.  Everything I ate was wonderfully healthy.  However, I haven't been getting as much protein as I should lately.  I haven't been eating my greens or my beans.  So, I need to get those back in my diet and maybe I won't be tempted to have another Sunday vegan binge.  I think balance is the key and I definitely have't been balanced.  I reach the halfway mark in my year as a vegan in just six weeks -- June 27th!  It's hard to believe that after that date, I'm on the downward side of the curve.  Now is no time to give up on good health.  

Day 139 -- The Surgical Option

Gastric bypass surgery is in the news.  The governor of New Jersey has just admitted that he had it in February and comedian Lisa Lampinelli lost 106 pounds after having the surgery a year ago.  These two bits of news got me to thinking about my own decisions regarding weight and diet.

I have to admit that there were times when I thought about having the surgery.  It came at a point when I was really convinced that I couldn't do this on my own, that there was no way I could stick to a diet for more than a month or two.  I was stuck in a spot where there just didn't seem to be any way to make a positive change and that was a pretty dark place for an optimistic person like me.  Believe me, I'd looked at it from all different angles and the surgery seemed to be my last best option.

There was one very big problem, though.  I couldn't afford the surgery.  My insurance wouldn't cover it and I didn't have an extra $20,000 in my bank account.  So my last best option wasn't an option at all.  And I'm really thankful that the diet gods conspired to make that so.  Because it forced me to look at other options.  And I found a way to do it without putting my health at risk.

I decided to go vegan for several reasons.  My friend, E, was always posting yummy vegetarian and vegan recipes on her Facebook page and I found myself thinking, I should make that.  I'd really like that.  I've known a few vegans and one thing I'd noticed was that I'd never really come across an overweight vegan.  I know some overweight vegetarians, but it's difficult to be an overweight vegan.  You really have to work at it.  And I knew if I went straight vegetarian, the cheese and the sour cream would be too tempting.

Once I made the decision to try vegan, low-fat vegan to be precise, I decided that I wasn't going to limit the amount of food I ate.  I'd been through point-counting and calorie-watching and carbo-minding.  As long as I was eating vegan, I'd allow myself to eat as much as I wanted.  I wasn't going to eat less food, I was going to eat better food.  And it worked.  It worked just as well as the surgery option.

Along the way, I've learned more about food and nutrition than I ever thought I could learn.  The great thing is, I'm still learning and discovering new things every day.  Food has become something fun again, something positive.  Eating is no longer accompanied by a massive amount of guilt.  I'm happy that I didn't have the option to take the surgical option.

Day 138 -- VB6 (Vegan Before 6)

I just seem to be finding such interesting things on the interwebz lately.  Six years ago, Mark Bittman, a New York Times food writer, was 30 pounds overweight, had high cholesterol and blood sugar, and was told by doctors that he needed to lose weight.  He struggled to decide how to do his job and listen to his doctors at the same time. Then one of his doctors suggested that he eat vegan.  When he claimed it would be impossible, the doctor said, "You're a smart guy, figure it out."  And so he came up with a plan to eat vegan before 6 p.m.  Or, VB6 as it is now called.  This article on Huffington Post talks about his diet plan.

What he discovered was that even eating vegan for 80% of the day was enough to bring on healthy benefits. This really is kind of a no-brainer.  I'm surprised that a guy who knows so much about food wouldn't realize that eating vegan, even if it was just before 6 p.m. wouldn't be of benefit to his health.

I don't have any plans to abandon my vegan diet right now, or in the near future.  But there may come a point when I decide to add dairy or eggs back into my diet and leaving them both until after six would make a lot of sense.  Or maybe I'll just eat vegan at home and add dairy and eggs in when I eat out.  I find it strange that I don't think much about adding meat back into my diet.  Right now, I don't miss meat.  I do miss cheese -- a lot.  And baked goods.

Day 136 -- People Are Starting To Notice

I've lost about 57 pounds so far and it's become impossible to keep wearing my old clothes.  I look ridiculous in them, so I've started dipping into my box of old clothes that used to fit . . . a long time ago.  I now have three almost new pairs of pants.  And some tops that fit pretty well, too.  And because of these new, tighter clothes, people are starting to notice that I've lost a little weight.

I still do a pretty good job of hiding my body and I expected I might be able to go a little bit longer wearing my old clothes, but now that it's getting warm outside, I don't want to wear a bunch of heavy, long-sleeved shirts and baggy pants.    

No, that's not me in the photo.  I'm not that thin yet.  But I hope to be at some point in the future, sometime around Christmas, maybe?  By that time, the clothes I'm wearing now should be really baggy.      

Day 129 -- You Can't Outrun Your Fork

Once again, my friend E posted a little tidbit that caught my eye and I just had to write about it.

Now, the first thing I love about this is that, according to this meme, I'm at least 80% fit.  I'm not a big one for exercise.  In truth, I hate exercise.  And it's nice to know that my efforts to eat healthy will have a more profound effect on my fitness than any attempts I make at exercise.   Yes, I do want to start exercising, but I'm going to focus on things that make me limber instead of things that get my heart pounding.  I'd like to try yoga because I think that's something that will complement my eating plan.  I'm also going to start lifting weights for my arms because the weight loss has given me some serious batwings.  And then, I want to exercise via recreation -- things that are fun to do.  I'll walk places I need to go rather than just go out walking for exercise.  But you won't see me running or hitting the gym anytime soon.  That has never worked for me in the past and it certainly won't now.  I find that way too boring.

I also love the last little bit -- You can't outrun your fork.  So very true.  It can mean that no amount of exercise, including running, will mitigate a diet filled with junk food. Or it can also mean what you put in your mouth stays with you.  It becomes part of your body and your being.  I'm satisfied that I'm doing good things for my body by eating well and I don't have to outrun my fork.  Good thing, because I really hate exercise.  Especially running.

BTW, I did come across another 80-20 rule on the Livestrong website.  This has to do with eating right 80 percent of the time and cheating on your diet 20 percent of the time.  I'll talk about that one later.

Day 124 -- Spring Is Here!

After a very long winter, we had our first real day of spring today.  The weather was warm, the breeze was light and I went grocery shopping.  I came home with a couple bags full of veggies -- a bunch of beets, a bag of oranges, lemons, bananas, a bag of small Vidalia onions, whole Shitake mushrooms, whole Crimini mushrooms and sweet corn.  It felt so good to lug those heavy bags home.

But the best part of it was looking at my purchases at the checkout and seeing that I only had three things in a box -- golden raisins, currants and whole grain crackers.  I did buy a bottle of spray I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Butter.  Can't eat corn without salt and pepper and it doesn't stick unless it has something to stick too.  The lady in front of me had bags of snacks and two cases of sugared soda, along with a few veggies.  I was proud of my choices -- choices that seem to come more naturally to me now.  We I see good looking or inexpensive veggies, I immediately think about what I can cook with them.

Tomorrow I'm going to make roasted beets and Vidalia onions and serve with with an Orange-Miso dressing over herb salad and quinoa.  I'm also going to make a mushroom and seitan stroganoff this week.  And the Detox Salad that I posted recently.  Oh, and I have to make some molasses cookies!   I can hardly wait for the first farmers' markets of the summer.  All that fresh produce to choose from!

Day 117 -- Food For Health

My friend, E, always posts interesting quotes on her Facebook newsfeed and every now and then, one of them just slaps me in the face.  Today was an example.

This is so true and yet very few people ever realize it.  I count myself lucky that I did come to realize it and it wasn't too late for me to change my bad habits.  Had I continued to eat as I was, I would have probably needed diabetes medicine, high blood pressure medicine, cholesterol medication, and more.  But many of these problems disappear as one begins to eat a healthy diet.

The quote comes from a website called Food Matters, a site devoted to a film of the same name.  According to the site, you can watch the first 40 minutes of the film online, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.  I would like to see the film and will report back if I ever do get a chance to see it from beginning to end.

Day 114 -- The Big Five-Oh!

No, I didn't turn fifty!  It's not my birthday, although I feel like it is. I have officially lost fifty poundes.  I started on this vegan journey on December 27th and I'm coming up on four months of eating mostly vegan.  Four months and fifty pounds.  Wow, it's hard to believe.

There are so many little things that I can do now that I couldn't do four months ago.  I fit very nicely into a restaurant booth now.  My old clothes are incredibly baggy and I'm starting to dig into the pile of clothes that I haven't worn in years.  I had to buy a new bra today because the old one was just not doing the job.  And I'm so much more active now.

I've settled into a life that doesn't revolve around food.   Though I've occasionally strayed from my rather strict eating plan, I've never lapsed into a full-fledged binge.  I'm able to control my eating now like I never was before.  I/m no longer an emotional eater.  In truth, there are times when I actually forget to eat.  I really think that all the fat and processed food fed an addiction.  And now that I'm not addicted anymore, there'sno craving for those foods.  I don't know if I'll ever figure it all out.  But my bathroom scale is no longer my enemy.  I kind of look forward to watching the dial go down little by little.

Day 109 -- Back To The Plan!

After a hectic month, things are finally going to settle back down to a normal schedule.  And with that, I hope a normal eating plan.  I've done my best to maintain my vegan diet during this unusually busy time and on the whole, I've done a pretty good job.  I haven't gained any weight.  I've indulged in a few things that I probably shouldn't have.  But I've weathered the storm and come out healthy on the other side.

Now, I'm looking forward to doing a good shop, picking up some fresh veggies and fruits, and getting down to business again.  I'll have time to cook so there will be food in the fridge when I'm hungry.  The dishes will get done on time. And I'll slip back into my relaxed, home-bound routine.

I think back to how these busy times used to affect my diet.  Multiple MacDonald's runs, food that might be filling but totally unhealthy, late-night meals filled with fat and calories and then restless nights trying to digest all the processed food I ate.  The bad diet only added to the stress of the moment.  But this time around, I've been remarkably calm.  I haven't found myself overwhelmed and exhausted.  It's funny how a simple change in diet has such ripple effects on the rest of my life.

Day 106 -- I Ate A Pear

There are moments on this vegan journey when I have to stop and appreciate the wonder that is food.  Not food stuffs, but real food.  Whole foods.  Fruit and vegetables.

Today, I ate an absolutely perfect pear.  It was a Bartlett pear, picked out of the bin at the grocery store because it was pale yellow with a rosy tinge on one side, its skin unblemished, its scent sweet and subtle.  Why am I rhapsodizing about a pear?  Because I can!

Until I began eating vegan, I never really appreciated the vast variety of tastes available in the fruit and vegetable kingdom.  Fruits and vegetables were just things I was supposed to eat because they made me grow up big and strong.  But they never held a candle to Snickers Bars and strawberry malts.  Why couldn't those things make me big and strong?

I wish I could have come to appreciate fruits and vegetables a little sooner.  Biting into that pear was like taking the first taste of an extraordinary dessert.  And then there's the wonderful sweet crunch of a red pepper or the earthy taste of Crimini mushrooms.  And the sugary bite of a Vidalia onion.  All these wonderful taste experiences from whole foods that I once looked at with disdain.

There may come a day when I reach for a pear or a tomato without thinking about how good they are for me.  Maybe some day, I'll eat them because, to me, they taste better than a Snickers bar.

Day 102 -- The Side-Effects Of Eating Vegan

I've heard it more than once since I began eating vegan.  "Your skin looks wonderful" or "You're glowing."  And I'm not the only vegan who has noticed a change.  I stumbled across this blog post on Huffington Post -- Vegan Secrets (Or Why My Skin Is Always Glowing).  I guess it's something that many new vegans experience.

My skin used to be dry, my feet especially so.  And I often used a scrub on my face.  But now, my skin is so soft.  I don't have to use moisturizer.  My elbows are smooth and they've never been smooth.  I suspect part of this has to do with giving up processed food and therefore, a lot of the salt in that food.  Plus, I get more water, from all the veggies and fruit I eat.

Of course, whenever there is anecdotal evidence that veganism is good for you, someone always comes along to refute that evidence, to claim that vegans look sick or sallow.  This blog post -- How Does A Vegan Diet Affect The Skin -- is written by an esthetician, who claims to have seen her share of vegan faces.  She claims that vegans don't get the right kind of protein for the skin.

Luckily, I didn't have to do the legwork to research the claims.  In this blog post, Is A Vegetarian or Vegan Diet Bad for Your Skin?, the author lists all the reasons why a vegan diet would be good for your skin.  I'm sure the debate will rage on and I'm not going to argue one way or the other.  But my skin has benefited from my new eating plan.