Today was a relatively light day. Here’s what I ate:
Protein shake:
This is quick shake I made using Vega Mocha Protein powder, almond milk and some flax seeds.
Lunch:
I had a quinoa burger
I met up with a friend of mine who was visiting from out of town. He suggested we try out a Vegan restaurant in NYC called Terri. He also recently switched from being a vegetarian to being a vegan and recommended we check it out. We both ordered the quinoa burger (though he got a gluten free wrap).
I thought the burger tasted pretty good. It was like eating a regular beef burger but much lighter. I probably could have substituted a healthier bread option but I was hungry and just ordered the default option.
Dinner:
For dinner I just had some lentil soup.
Snack:
I usually eat more when I’m home. But since I was out I couldn’t eat my normal amount. I ate a small amount of dark chocolate from Vietnam.
It tasted a bit sour compared to the regular milk chocolate but nothing I can’t enjoy. If I can be Vegan and enjoy some dessert treats I’ll be very happy 🙂
Adjusting Diet
My plan going into this whole vegan experiment was to rely primarily on tofu to get my protein. I figured it’s the equivalent of how I ate chicken. It’s high protein, low fat and low carbs and can be pretty much mixed in with anything from rice to salads.
However, my friend warned me not to overdo it with soy because it can raise the estrogen level in men.
I’ll have to read into this a bit more to see of how realistic is this concern and if it’s scientifically backed.
Regardless, the main message was to diversify my protein sources.
He also suggested I add in some asparagus and vitamin b12 to make up for the most common deficiencies in a Vegan diet. So I’ll try to include these going forward.
Some ethical considerations
Even though my friend is Vegan he shared with me that he still eats mussels as a source of protein. That seemed odd since being Vegan means eating no animal products.
Apparently there are other types of vegans out there….ostrovegans. To my knowledge ostrovegans follow all the vegan guidelines but include oysters and mussels into their diet. The main rationale being these creates lack a central nervous system and simply do not feel the pain to the same degree as mammals and other living creatures do.
To my friend their closer to being plants than animals.
He explained he chose to adopt a Vegan lifestyle for strictly ethical reasons. He did not want to cause any animal suffering. And he believes the being an ostrovegan fits in with the spirit of what it means to be a Vegan.
I don’t know enough about this to form an educated opinion. But it was interesting to hear his thoughts on the subject.
Review:
I thought today would have been tough since I didn’t know where I was going to eat but it turned out just fine.
On to Day 3..