30 Day Veggers - Day 24

[Liann]

Good morning veggers! I hope everyone is having a good Friday-eve!

Not too much to report here. My mom came over last night to get her hair trimmed and we talked about the health benefits of becoming vegetarian. My mom, who is on cholesterol meds, told me that her reading was 280 before going on medication. YIKES, that really freaked me out. She said my dad's reading is 220 and the Dr.'s think that is fine. Huh??? 220 is fine? I think my mom has her's down to 180 with medication. I also found out that heart disease is big in my family which I didn't know. So all the more reason to eliminate the dairy products too. She's willing to make diet changes (they eat AWFUL now), but doesn't know where to start especially since her and my dad don't cook much. I may have to start inviting them over for dinner more because I always have leftovers and they are not half as picky as my DH. All of my grandparents were dead by the age my parents are now, so I guess I just get nervous about their health especially since they are on so much medication - chol., high blood pressure, etc...

On to more uplifting subjects, I tried Goya's Chick'n Filets last night and I actually LOVED them. I cooked one in the oven and ate it on a whole wheat roll with a slice of swiss and some veganaise (baby steps). It was awesome. Finally, a meat replacer that I actually liked! The veganaise was really good too which was a nice surprise. My mom tasted it when she came over and she liked it too. So no more mayo for me. I'm slowly replacing dairy foods as I find suitable plant products that I like in their place. Not sure if I will ever find a replacement for cheese, but just being able to cut out the majority of dairy will still help.

Ok, I've rambled long enough. Have a good Thursday guys!

 

[teri ket]

Hi Liann...First let me say how wonderful it is that you can be such a positive role model for your parents as far as leading a healthy lifestyle goes!! I think it is fantastic that you can help them make small changes to improve their health.

My mom was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and I was scared to death. Like you this and heart disease is rampant in my family. I had a long conversation with my mother and she actually asked for help with her eating because she said I was the only person she knew that actually tried to eat the right way. It made me feel great that I has a little bit of knowledge that could help her!

I am happy to hear you liked the chik'n product. I have tried the Bocca brand chik'n patty and I like it as well. I am also giving up dairy products sloooowly. I have been using a vegan butter...I do not like mayo so that has not been a problem. I just do not know what I will do about cheese. I love all cheese and rely on cottage cheese alot for protein.

The good news is I survived the bacon cravings at least until next month!!

Have a great day!

 

[materialsgirl]

Hey veggers!

Liann, that's awesome that your mom is interested in the veg lifestyle! I've read so many accounts of people who went veg and saw their cholesterol numbers drop dramatically. A good resource for her would definitely be Dr. Furhman's website, and his book Eat To Live. He is all about preventing and reversing disease (heart disease, cancer, diabetes) through healthy eating. It really works for a lot of people. I hope your mom doesn't get too overwhelmed by all the changes she'd have to make. If she just takes it in baby steps, it won't seem so daunting.

I'm glad you liked the chik'n filet and veganaise! I looooove me a Morningstar Farms chick'n patty on a ww roll with swiss cheese and mayo! :9 Not really very clean, but dayum tasty!

Terri, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's heart failure. I hope that you can be a role model for her too. Heart disease CAN be reversed through healthy eating - it's definitely not too late.

I would like to give up dairy as well, but like both of you guys, I *heart* cheese. And yogurt. And ice cream. I have tried vegan cheeses, but they just aren't the same. And soy yogurt is sooooo gross. Soy ice cream, however, is not half bad. Soy Delicious makes some pretty darn good ice creams!

And let's face it... pizza just ain't pizza without real mozarella.

 

[queenmaynie]

Hey you guys.

Liann: great for you to encourage and inspire your mom!! She can turn alot around by making even small changes. Over time hopefully she will feel better and may want to take things even further. see what all your hard work is doing?? Good for you.

Teri and Emily: I also love my cheese and anything that isn't real tastes pretty nasty to me. I do eat low fat cheese, but even FF cheese ( except FF Kraft Mozz. which I don't mind) is pretty gross. I am also unable to give up fish. I just don't know if I ever can. I have some health issues that require me to have more protein than the average person, and I know that I can get it from other sources w/o fish, but there are things I'm just not crazy about that I know I won't eat enough of to make up for no fish. Like, tofu, I can only eat it in certain ways but I tried to cook it and failed miserably and will try again... Beans are great, but again, I have certain issues and my tummy is a little different than the average person, so they make me so gassy it becomes pretty painful and very noticeably bloated. Even Beano doesn't help much. So, fish for me will likely be here to stay. Dairy products can eventually be weaned away, and that will be my next goal.

I have to say that the advice Emily gave a while back about "every little bit helps" has stuck with me and makes me feel better about the changes I am making. So, thanks Emily!!

Okay, off for now, have to go to the mall... my favorite place!

Have a great day!