One-Year Anniversary Giveaway!!!

As I approach one whole year of being plant-based, I am in absolute awe at how easy it has been and how my cravings for meat and dairy have disappeared. I started this journey on December 31, 2011 and although I am not a perfect Herbie by any means, I am proud of the changes I have made in my life in 12 short months. When I started this journey, my intention was to try it for 3 months. Every book I read, every website I perused, told me that it if I lasted 3 short months, I wouldn't got back to the Standard American Diet. I guess they all knew what they were talking about :)

In 12 months, I've lost 21 lbs! I was aiming for 30 but I couldn't get past 21 lbs, no matter how hard I tried. No sweat ... because my total cholesterol numbers (when I checked it on November 30, 2012) was 160 mg/dL. Not quite to where Dr. Esselstyn recommends (< 150 mg/dL) .. but I know I'll get there soon!!!

Before & After - 12 Months later!

An old friend that I recently connected with on Facebook asked me about my journey and how I managed to stick with it. She asked me what recommendations/suggestions I might have for someone like her who has lived so far on the Standard American Diet, has tried before and failed for various reasons in completing the transition and sticking with a plant-based lifestyle. I responded to her in a private message, but I figured I should share some of what I have learnt this past year with everyone.

First of all ... A Whole-Foods, Plant-Based, Oil-Free plate ... looks & tastes amazing!! These are all pictures of foods I've made and enjoyed over the past year. It is truly amazing how much more variety I have in my diet now that I am eating plants ... and of his own accord, my Meat and Potatoes husband is now on a WFPB diet and he doubts he'll ever go back to the SAD (Standard American Diet). If he can do it ... so can you!   

I wrote a blog post called "Why I'm Vegetarian .." on my one-month anniversary. Most of the knowledge I had imparted at the time was, and still is, available widely on the internet.  Animal products, meat and dairy aren't meant for human consumption. Cows milk is intended to fatten a calf ... guess what it does to us? Animal products have cholesterol. Human bodies are capable of making all the cholesterol they need, so why pump ourselves with more of an ingredient which we have enough of, can make enough of, and know that excess can only be harmful.

The benefits of a whole-foods plant-based diet are immense with the most important benefit being your health.  Give it a try - Give up meat and dairy because you're so worth it!

• Just do it! Give it up Cold Tofu! I did it - So can you! Challenge yourself for 28 days or 6 weeks, or whatever floats your boat. See how you feel and then decide how you want to go on with your life. 
• If you're unsure Give it up - One thing at a time - try Meatless Mondays. Then slowly add another day and then another! 
• Focus on one meal at a time. Prepare, enjoy, take a few pictures, share those on Twitter and Facebook (we love to see food pics!!). When that's done - think of the next meal!
• Have a leafy green salad before every meal - It fills you up so you eat less of the meat and fatty foods!
• Drink lots and lots of water to keep you feeling full, your kidneys working and your body cleansed. 
• LOVE your carbohydrates! Eat bananas, carrots, apples, oranges, peaches, pears, cucumbers, celery, radishes, corn, potatoes ... LOVE your potatoes.  The term "Low Carb" is the biggest marketing strategy of our times. Our bodies run on carbs - not protein.  
• Don't focus on what you're cutting from your diet - focus on what you're adding in. Try new foods, grains, fruits and veggies - check out the Wikipedia List of Culinary Vegetables - you'll be shocked at how few you've tried! I challenged myself to eat new plant-based foods this past year and as of today, I've tried 62 New Veggies and Plant-Based products. 
• If you slip-up - don't fret - don't beat yourself up - and don't give up on your entire diet because you slipped-up on a piece of cake or a cookie. Make amends at the next meal ..!
• Even after one whole year, my downfall are desserts and sweet treats - the ones where added dairy and animal products (i.e. eggs) aren't immediately apparent. Know that it is not sugar that's bad for you - it's the added oil and fat and cholesterol in desserts. Try some of the awesome fat-less, dairy-free desserts made by Happy Herbivore and Chef AJ and others. Recipes are widely available online.
• Love your kitchen. Even if you hate to cook, you can always make a salad. As you experiment more, you'll become more and more comfortable in the kitchen. Pamper your kitchen. Let your first purchase be a good set of Chef's knives. 
• Add spices and herbs to your pantry and to your diet. Not only do they add flavor and variety, they provide essential oils and medicinal properties. If you've never used anything other than Pepper and Basil, experiment. Buy small quantities until you find the ones you like. Ethnic stores and Dollar stores are great places to pick up spices on the cheap.  
• Buy the "Happy Cow" and "VeganXpress" apps for your smart phone for when you're eating out. 

Here are some links to some websites, books and movies which I read and researched as I began my journey, and which I continue to go back to for motivation and advice.

1. Unprocessed - Chef AJ
2. Food Rules - Michael Pollan
3. Eat to Live - Dr. Joel Furhman
4. Forks Over Knives - The Movie. 
5. The Engine 2 Diet - Rip Esselstyn
6. The China Study - Dr. T. Colin Campbell
7. The Starch Solution - Dr. John A. McDougall
8. Appetite for Reduction - Isa Chandra Moskowitz
9. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease - Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn
10. The Happy Herbivore Website and Cookbooks - Lindsay S. Nixon

To commemorate my First Anniversary as a Herbie i.e. a fan of Happy Herbivore, and a person who eats a whole-foods, plant-based, no-added-fat diet, but does not identify oneself as a vegan (here's why!) ... I'm having a Giveaway. The lucky winner will receive a copy of the newest coolest cookbook on bookshelves this December - Happy Herbivore Abroad by Lindsay S. Nixon.  In January of 2012, I accidentally came across The Happy Herbivore website while searching for a recipe for Butternut Squash. I found her page on Facebook and asked her a question about the recipe. She wrote back in just a few short hours. And that was it ... I was a fan!! Lindsay made it seem so easy and so doable. I bought both her cookbooks that same month. I have enjoyed her first 2 books immensely and that's the reason I'm offering her newest cookbook as a prize to the lucky winner. I recently had the opportunity to e-interview this lovely, very-humble, lady. Check out the interview here if you haven't seen it yet. 

Since my audience is international, this giveaway is international as well. I will ship it to the Lucky winner, anywhere on Planet Earth :) !!! Of course, if you're not in the US or Canada, you will experience some delay in receiving your book as I will be sending it by standard mail (yes, I'm cheap! and I have teenagers to feed!).

Leave a comment below. Tell me if in the last 12 months, you have tried any new plant-based foods? And if so, what was your favorite New Veggie, and why? Then, follow the link below to enter to win a free copy!! The giveaway opens tonight and ends on my one-year anniversary - December 31, 2012. I will announce the winner on this blog post, as well as on my Facebook Page.  

As Chef AJ always signs off ... Love & Kale!!!

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