Week 1: The Hungry Toot Machine

Yes, that aptly describes my rapid transition into a vegetarian diet. If you haven't read yesterday's post, read it first and come back! Retrospectively, I fully appreciate the concept of planning when it comes to making big changes in your diet. I, however, did not do that. I jumped head-first into "I won't eat that" land in the middle of a busy work week. I found myself in the hospital cafeteria trying to figure out what I could eat, hungry and confused; the crowd deafened by my own stomach's growls. I wouldn't eat meat, fish, egg, cheese, milk, or yogurt. I had decided that if I didn't know how it was raised, it was no longer going into my belly. That left surprisingly few choices...

Stage 1: Hunger

The next three days were a blur. I can't even tell you half of the things I ate. I was constantly hungry. I'd eat and an hour later I'd feel like eating again. Thursday was rough. It is my clinic day so I am pretty much running around the whole time. We often have lunch provided. Can you guess what it was? It was iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing, green beans, and roasted chicken. Lucky me. I grabbed a plate and loaded it down with salad and beans. Over the next 2 hours I repeated this process 3 times! There was a doctor visiting from Syria and every time I got a new plate he would see me! - I don't even want to know what he thinks of the U.S. after seeing me chow down 4 plates full of food. Normally I am so busy that I can barely eat, but clinic was abnormally slow, allowing me to focus on my non-substantial lunch. By 4pm I felt nauseous. I had a quick break so I ran to the cafeteria and grabbed an Odwalla bar and a plate of fries. Strange choices for me, but effective. The fries were actually delicious! Odwalla protein bar was not. Even in my state, I was only able to choke down half of it.

Stage 2: Planning

I'm sure you can guess that I started to do my homework pretty quickly. I searched online for vegetarian meal plans, recipes, comment threads. I was surprised to find out that a lot of vegetarians eat high calorie foods all the time. I never realized this before because when I have tried limiting meat or dairy in my diet, it was always separate, meaning I had one or the other. I unsuccessfully tried not eating meat for a month as a weight loss experiment. It didn't work because I just ate more. I also tried avoiding all dairy for 3 months but cheese called me back. That was a lot easier because there are so many substitutes like soy and rice products. Limiting all animal products was a different story.

I am also of a mind where I don't want to eat "fake" things. Translation: I don't want to eat a meat substitutes or soy cheese. I'd rather eat something that tastes like it's supposed to. This undoubtedly made it harder than it had to be. And, like all good dietitians, I strive for a balance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in my meals. From my online research, I found some excellent recipes. I decided to devote my weekend to preventing a repeat of Stage 1. I found this awesome website: www.veggiemealplans.com among others and did some serious grocery shopping. The first thing I made was an Asian butternut squash and tempeh dish. Not bad, but not delectable either. Friday night I made a red lentil & sweet potato soup with cilantro. So good! Saturday the list included: red beet & tempeh chili w/ cilantro rice, carrot muffins, baked oatmeal w/ cranberries that ended up tasting like chewy granola bars because I messed up the recipe. My favorite thing was these dessert balls made with ground dates, almonds, and coconut. Heavenly! (I will post the recipe soon.)

Stage 3: Gas

Technically this is kind of stage 2.5 but for clarity's sake, I'll leave it. Yes I'm talking about it! Did you know the average person lets loose 14 times a day? Well, my new diet has made me above average. I know this is a very personal issue for many people, but I'm a dietitian and I work in a hospital. Let's be honest here. Gastrointestinal function matters. It is a sign of health. And for the record, I was not a stinky cloud of music as you might picture, but rather dainty and non-odorous. Nevertheless, it was annoying. I definitely recommend increasing fiber over the weekend, away from work, and preferably not one in which you are attending a wedding or party indoors.

The transition to a satisfying vegetarian diet includes the addition of a hefty dose of fiber. Fiber alters gut flora which, in turn, produce gas. Fiber also helps keep you full. Whole grains like oats, tempeh, quinoa; legumes such as dark beans, lentils; fruits and vegetables - they all have it. It takes time for your body to adjust to an increase, but after that you're golden.