Reading a new vegan book "The Happy Vegan"  a good read and very informative .  I wish that everyone would adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Studying

I am studying everything I can find on healthy eating.  The Whole-Food-Plant-Based diet or lifestyle seems to come in first for me.  With fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds the main foods.  No meat or animal products, it seems good to me.  No white flour or sugar are suggested.  I have a hard time with no sugar as I love sweets.  I am struggling with the sweets.  The thing about the lifestyle of eating is that it no only helps the body it also helps the planet.  If we all quit eating meat and animal products we could save our planet Earth and since we have no other place to go it would be a good thing to save the Earth.  It is a fantasy that we can continue living as we are and not destroy the Earth.  The raising and eating of meat is costing us our home and health.  Please consider this.

Moving

We have put our home on the market and put an application into senior housing that has a long waiting list for their 1 & 2 bedroom cottages and that's what we want.   I am still a vegetarian and it gets easier but not easy.  I am re-reading Eat to Live because I have not been following it faithfully.

Christmas shopping

I am wrapping and sending presents to my kids in Virginia and Stonewall, Texas.  So much fun to make and send homemade gifts this year.  I have been very busy making gifts for grandchildren and greats.  In fact, I need to go sew some last minute items now. 

I am having a hard time with the vegetarian diet when I go out.  Last week at Tuesday lunch our group had hot dogs, chili, and salad with ham in it.  Thursday it was more meat so I only had bread and desert to eat.  I guess I will start taking my lunch to our groups.

More interesting books

I am reading Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, MD and Food over Medicine by Pamela A. Popper, PhD, ND.  Both are worth reading and I feel like I am being informed about a lot of vegetarian choices.  I have no desire to ever go back to eating meat, cheese or dairy products of any kind.  I feel better with my vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fruit.  Try it, you'll like it.

There is so much information about how the dairy and meat produces, i.e.. corporate farmers, through their groups influence the research that says meat and dairy are good for us and the government goes along and promotes this nonsense.  These corporations pour millions of dollars into research. to legislators pockets, and to government agencies to have their products appear safe and good for people.

The China Study and simular books

I am reading the China Study by T. Colin Campbell and finding more evidence for a vegetarian lifestyle.  Lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, freedom from disease such as heart attack, cancer and diabetes.  Also it helps the planet to reduce our consumption of meat as the same acreage that produces a cow for meat can produce so much more delicious veggies to eat.  My biggest problem still is sweets and pasta. 

I also just finished reading Vegan for Her another vegetarian book.  I have problems with feeding other people in a vegetarian way so I find myself drawn into eating in wrong ways.  For instance, I am having a birthday party for my husband today and they menu includes so many foods that I don't normally eat, but I am willing to feed them to my family and friends.

Eating right

I vacillate between eating right and going off.  I have no problem with not eating meat, cheese and milk, but I have such a hard time with sweets, I love sweets, I crave sweets.  I could eat lots of candy, cake, pie and cookies everyday if I let myself.  If I can conquer my sweets addiction, I will be okay.

Sept 11, 2000

That's right, 2000 not 2001.  On September 11, 2000, I had a hemorrhagic stoke and survived.  I spent 60 days in the hospital and a rehab hospital.  The thinking was that I would either die or get better. I was paralyzed on my left side.  Eventually, I could move my left leg and a week or so later I could move may left arm.  I had to learn to walk again.  I am so grateful to have survived and I am able to do almost everything I could before.  So on 9-11 I have a different memory than most people..

Re-started

I went off my vegan lifestyle for a while, but I am back now and really enjoying it.  Along with a diet of veggies and fruit I eat no white flour, sugar or oils.  I have already lost 4 lbs. in a week.  My husband has joined me in this effort to eat a better way and he is doing fine, he just says "Where's the beef" once in a while and I say "It is in the pasture and will stay there."

Still at it

Well, I am not following a Vegan lifestyle exactly any more but I am a vegetarian and I am following that very closely.  I have

Still going

Well, I made it through my vacation and I'm still going.  I love being a vegetarian.  It has been two months with no meat.  I have discovered many websites and blog dedicated to vegan and vegetarianism.  I do have to take my lunch sometimes when I go to luncheons at the clubs I belong to.  I don't mind, I like my own cooking. 

My body also loves my new lifestyle, no more stomach aches, no more excessive gas and better digestion.  This is all probably due to no milk and cheese, instead of no meat; however I am very happy about the part. 

I will post recipes when I come up with something no one else has posted, until then I will just keep you posted on my new lifestyle.

I have company, my son and three children who love pizza, hamburgers and spagetti, and its a little more difficult to maintain my new lifestyle.  Last night we all went to a meeting of my husband's Lion's Club.  They were serving enchiladas (three kinds), however, there was a dish of rice and a large salad so I was able to eat.  Oh, I forgot, banana pudding.  I eat rice and salad, period.  So far I have been able to maintain my diet.

My New-Found Hope

I hope people interested in a healthy lifestyle and losing weight will read this blog.  This may not be for everyone, but it is for me.  I have been scearching for a sensible way to improve my health and to lose weight.  I am no spring chicken, but I'm not dead yet.  I started reading Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman and I think I have found the answer.  I quit eating meat about 6 weeks ago and started on the Eat to Live diet 2 weeks ago.  I am very happy with it.  I have lost 5 1/2 pounds and I am never really hungry.  I don't miss meat at all, although I do miss cheese and chocolate some.  I eat loads of salads, lots of fruit and some beans.  I like to make soup with the beans. 

I had almost competely removed beans from my diet due to gas until I read how to help eliminate the gas problem.  Instead of soaking your beans in cold water over night, put the beans in water, bring to a boil, turn off the burner and let the beans set in the boiling water from 2 to 4 hours, pour off the water, rinse the beans, add fresh water and cook.  Add seasonings but do not add salt when cooking your beans.