**I wrote this on Thursday of last week but didn't post it that day as I was working to finish my homework...**
Yesterday being day three I was starting to feel a groove to this new way of eating. As with all eating programs, it is not just a diet it is a lifestyle.
I was blessed to have a day to myself in the kitchen to experiment and play in a totally new realm for me... gluten-free. Having over a decade of professional baking under my belt and a lifetime of home-style baking, both with high gluten, I found a great resistance to the new venture. But, this current journey was made with the understanding that it's time to break free from that shell of "gluten is king" and learn my true potential of baking without it.
My online search brought me to find a great deal of options for DIY gluten free flour mixes but I came across a goldmine of info with which I tailored my day around. Read more about it here... You will also find my own personal modifications for the recipes as there were many options to choose from.
This choice has been a great addition to the new vegan way of eating!
While I haven't been vegan for over 8 years, my last experience did not turn out very well. I did my research to be sure I was doing it properly and took time each day to prepare balanced meals but for some reason I couldn't maintain my iron levels, my energy or my muscle definition. With this kind of memory I have been quite hesitant to return to this regimen, until now.
When mom got the results from her physical I knew this was the only way to help her get back on track. You see, she has always been a clean eater. Doesn't do sauces, creamy anything, sodas, fried foods or anything junky like pre-packaged cookies and stuff. Her diet for years has consisted of fish, poultry and lots of veggies but no beans or fibrous carbs. It's really incredible to think that someone who seems to be so healthy could have cholesterol levels of 398, clogged arteries and very low levels of essential nutrients.
Vegan is our answer.
The reason I added the extra challenge of no soy and gluten-free to the mix is simply because her body does not process gluten but in fact stores it as puffiness in the fat cells and soy has too much evidence to prove that it increases hormone levels in unsafe ways. I'd rather not chance either of the two. Just my preference.
Being her personal chef and trainer for the summer I have the challenge of taking on a crash course of learning how to live this vegan lifestyle with daily meal preparation and packing for her to go to work.
It was so easy back when I was in serious body building to pack mass amounts of chicken, broccoli and brown rice up in plastic containers for microwaving later in the day, but now the game has entirely changed!!
So this week as a brand new vegan I spend a good two hours in my mom's tiny kitchen getting ready for the day plus an additional 2-5 hours researching and blogging to share my knowledge with others who seek this lifestyle change as well. Taking pictures and noting my adaptations to recipes takes up a bit more time than just throwing things together but for this chef, it's an absolute necessity. Plus, it gives me more to write about which is always a plus. ;)
What I find most fascinating about this time around is being gluten-free, soy-free and vegan together is giving me much more energy than I had imagined possible! Being that I woke up at 5am yesterday to meet with an online client I expected to need a nap at some point but my body has become so in tune with my food that I can feel the energy pulse through me within 5 minutes of eating. I even had a difficult time falling asleep at my normal bed time.
Guess it's true what they say: when you give your body the nutrition it needs, you don't need as much sleep to recover!
With all this energy I have more time to play in the kitchen which makes my heart sing. I think I feel a cookbook coming on...
Today I venture into planning ahead for the weekend. I have school on Friday-Sunday and won't have the usual 2 hours each morning to prepare food needed for the day. Today is all I've got. I'm taking on the task of making gluten-free bread and or crackers, double potato-leek soup and veggie burgers.
Keep this pace up and I may have a GF Vegan bakery going in no time!! Let's see where the universe takes me.
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