Special Edition: Vegan Adventures

One of the most beautiful places in Portland is Powell’s Books. This is the biggest independently owned book store in the world. Its building takes over a whole block. It has four levels of endless shelves of books organized by themes. It took us two hours of strolling through its aisles and getting lost in its magic to finally see it all. While reading the titles in the nutrition section, I found this very interesting, well documented and entertaining book called “Skinny Bitch”. I found the title very catchy so I decided to give it a try. Why did it catch my eye? Because since I am vegan (12 years ago) I eat a lot, including desserts, bread and so many delicious things. I see my friends dieting and worrying about daily calorie intake, carbohydrates, etc. and I always keep the same weight no matter what I eat (I could easily be a skinny bitch). This was not always like that though. Before being vegan I really struggled keeping a healthy weight, especially because I suffer from a hormonal imbalance that causes obesity. It was really easy for me to gain weight, which is why I was constantly dieting. Once I became vegan this situation disappeared. I did not have to worry any more about portion control or calorie count, I could just eat. This was one of the many personal benefits that veganism brought to my life. Also, after a year of being vegan I discovered I was extremely allergic to dairy products. Once they were out of my life I stopped coughing and constantly getting colds, my always bloated stomach disappeared, as well as the constant heart burn.

While in Portland I ate so many delicious, healthy vegan foods. Every time I had a sumptuous vegan meal in front of me, I asked myself why people keep eating all the meat and dairy crap instead of choosing a healthy diet that is good for their bodies, their health, their weight, the animals, and the planet. It is basically a win-win situation.

The following excerpt is taken from the book “Skinny Bitch” by Rory Freeman and Kim Barnouin (p.79-80): “So now you are a vegan, a person who doesn’t eat any animal product. No meat, chicken, pork, fish, milk, cheese, or butter. Feel great about it. Yes, it is challenging to avoid these foods, but you will reap the karmic rewards of being vegan (like being skinny). For starters, you’re sparing the lives of at least ninety animals a year. And every environmentalist knows that factory farming is completely destroying the environment… So what the hell should you eat? Pretty much everything else: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Deep down, you’ve known all along that these foods are best for you… Our diets have strayed so far off course from where they belong; we’ve allowed meat to take center stage, with grains and vegetables playing support roles. Wrong, wrong, wrong.”

The following pictures are some examples of the amazing food you can indulge yourself with as a vegan.