Help on vegan / gluten free / not processed food diet ?

Question

hey there!

so i'm a long time vegetarian and i've been toying with the idea of taking a like "cleanse" ... i was just reading about oprahs 21 day vegan/gluten free trial (http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_6.jhtml) and it sounds like a good idea....

so i'd like some tips from you guys! i've said before i'm going to lay off processed foods but then i just forget i said i'm doing that and eat them... how do you remember?

i don't eat any meat. i don't drink milk. i don't eat eggs. i eat products made with them (cake, bread, etc.) if i must cook with eggs i buy free range.... i eat an obsessive amount of cheese!! i love it!!

so any tips of laying off the animal products, processed foods, glutenous foods....? any good recipes? will i end up eating a ton of beans and tofu?

Answer 1

enter g has egg replacement recipes, and i just bought some cake mix that didn't have any egg in it......there also this product called Simply Asian~ and it says it's vegan on the side...

Answer 2

Strangely, tofu and MorningStar products are some of the most processed of processed foods. Many types are also high in fat and salt. I use these products with caution and try to follow a 1:4 ratio, 1 part MorningStar sausage with 4 parts fresh veggies, for example.

I made some major changes in my diet a year ago and I had to clean out my kitchen to do it. Having bad food around is not possible for me so I got rid of all of it. Also, I had to relearn how to shop at the store. I don't even walk down the aisles that are junk food. I shop the perimeter of the store, fresh produce first, dairy and eggs second, dry goods, and the bakery. Avoiding the urge to buy junk is the first step to better eating. Shop with a list and stick to it. (No one writes "5 pounds of potato chips" on their shopping list!)

At home, trim and slice a variety of fresh foods so that it is ready when you get hungry. Carry healthy snacks with you at all times.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I did a raw food/vegan cleanse.  I just ordered the food through this website and it was easy for me.  The first three days you miss having more variety, but after that no problem.  You won't be able to eat cheese but you can supplement with fresh fruits/veggies/salads.  they urge you to try and stick to their food for the best results, but I am young and not trying to improve my heart/cholesterol, etc so I saw effective results while adding in my own raw foods (for more variety).  

By the end of the cleanse you will feel like you can eat this way forever.  I only went back to eating cooked foods because I got sick and wanted something hot to eat.  

http://naturesrx.wholefoodfarmacy.com/20...

Answer 4

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I do believe cheese is a no-no for a true vegan.

Answer 5

First of all, if you are going on a cleanse, dairy is OUT. It is an animal product, after all...

I am going on one of these month-long cleanses shortly. Here are some suggestions:

--go off all gluten, which includes the egg noodles mentioned below because semolina is the endosperm of wheat, so it is a no-no on this diet (also, if you are trying to eat healthy in general, you have to avoid regular pasta or egg noodles that are not made with whole grains). Other sources of gluten include spelt, rye, barley and oats. Whole Foods has a whole grain corn tortilla (organic) that is only a buck for a dozen! Buckwheat doesn't have gluten, so if you can find 100% buckwheat noodles (Japanese soba), you can use this as a grain. Brown basmati rice is awesome and delish, and quinoa cooks within 15 minutes! You can find these in the bulk section of Whole Foods.

--Eat lots of raw fruits and veggies during your cleanse. The organic water they contain will flush out toxins.

--Beans but ditch soy for the month. Go to the bookstore or Internet and find recipes for seed and nut mylks. Processed soy (and soymilk qualifies as this) is iffy, according to some. But even if you want to continue using it, it's good to fast from it for a short time. You can also consume raw nuts as part of your diet, in addition to the beans and grains!

--Make soups during this time.

Good luck!

Answer 6

The best thing is to cut out animal products cold tofurkey.  I know that sounds hard but if you gradually cut down you are going to see that small chunk of cheese as a reward and set yourself up for failure.

Fake meats are really overprocessed.  You might consider making your own at home, that way you know you're getting a more nutritious meat analogue.  There are lots of recipes online.

I don't eat tons of beans and tofu so you probably won't either although tofu is really great when you figure out what to do with it.  I prefer lentils over most other beans.  They are pretty d**n good.

Don't buy processed foods and you won't eat them, it's that simple.  I rarely eat processed foods.  I make nearly everything from scratch, even popcorn, breadsticks, fake meats, etc.  It's very rewarding knowing that those extra preservatives and chemicals aren't going to be hiding in your body somewhere.

Most dry pasta is vegan.  Ingredients are usually durum or semolina flour, water, niacin, riboflavin.  Egg pastas will be fresh and sold in the refrigerated section or will be dry but say "egg noodles".  

Breads are often vegan.  Look out for L-cysteine, glycerine, lecithin, whey, and honey.  Try an organic whole grain bread.  It may have honey, but you may decide to continue to eat honey if you so choose.

Good luck to you!  It's  a lot easier than you think...and rewarding too.