The Kind Project - Day 3

First off, I am sorry to report that the 3-day juice cleanse to kick off this whole experience was a complete bust. I gave it a good college try, but it was just plain yucky. I have so much respect for those who juice large quantities of veggies and who get incredible results. Personally, I would much rather ingest my kale with a fork and a nice vinaigrette than through a straw. *see note

The first couple sips of my morning green drink were OK, then my stomach decided my brain had the wrong idea. It wasn't as tasty as I had initially tricked myself into thinking. I managed to finish the first bottle. The second bottle was worlds better - carrot, orange and cucumber with a little jalapeno kick. I made it through that one, no problem. Then came another round of the green. I got two-thirds of the way through bottle #3 for the day and had completely lost my willpower to continue. I had a handful of grapes thinking that I could rally for bottle #4. I took one sip and...

Nope!

Wasn't having any more to do with it! So, juice cleanse aborted. Don't worry though, I'm still following through with the vegan thing. ;) I'm also hoping to make vegan fruit snacks out of the remaining juice (check here for the recipe - I'll sub the gelatin for agar). So maybe it wasn't a total bust. I'll report back on how the gummies taste!

Secondly, vegan grocery shopping... whoa. After compiling an epic grocery list (I edited it down significantly after the first draft), I ventured out to my local Cub Foods to stock up my pantry. I was hopeful that they would have the majority of what I was looking for and I was pleasantly surprised at the results. I was able to find most of what was on my list for less than $100. I will note, however, that it took close to double the time to find everything than on a usual trip to the market.

Cub Foods has made things relatively simple by stocking a lot of their organic, vegan and specialty products all in one place. It's like a little market within the supermarket and it's quite handy. Vegan cheese, almond milk, whole grains, organic greens, etc. all can be found in one handy place. A few items on my list weren't so easy... I had difficulty finding non-dairy chocolate chips for less than $7/bag (I'm still debating the necessity of those. It may be worth it in the end.) Brown rice syrup is a bajillion dollars for a tiny bottle, and maple sugar was almost non-existent. There were also about a million different kinds of flour and whole grains. I mean, I love choices, but holy crap! It took 5 minutes to find chickpea flour and sorghum. Icarumba! I was so pooped out by the time we got to the checkout that I was starting to see little chickens and bowls of ice cream circling my head like stars after a knockout.

I was pleasantly surprised by the manageable cost of all this strange food. And my cart was definitely colorful - bright orange carrots, yellow squash, beautifully green kale, an assortment of colors and textures of grains. It was lovely. And my exhaustion waned once I was home and enjoying a recipe of avocado and bean dip from Alicia's cookbook. So tasty! And again, full of color and flavor.

After just a couple days of eating from the earth and laying off the dairy and the meat I feel lighter and a bit brighter. I've also slept like a rock the last few days. Not sure if that's a result of the diet or my pure exhaustion from the weekends activities but I'd like to think that the former is a huge factor. I am really excited about the next 28 days!

And thank you to those who have already chipped in some awesome recommendations and ideas! I couldn't be more thrilled at the support! Keep 'em coming!

*Note: For the record, I own a juicer and completely love it. I have discovered, through the epic fail that was this juice cleanse, that I'll stick to juicing things I know I like in combos I know I will enjoy! :)

The Kind Project

"Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." 

-Hippocrates

Inspired by conversations with one of my clients, I made the decision to spend the month of May as a vegan. I know it sounds extreme coming from the girl who always has venison in her freezer and whose favorite food group is macaroni and cheese. Real cheese, not that fake soy or tofu stuff. But I couldn't help but be intrigued by the positivity this woman spoke of her three-year foray into plant-based eating. Having been an athlete her whole life and spending time around healthy, active people, she decided to give it a shot. Despite some skepticism from her children, she managed to live as a vegan for three years! Her family continued to eat meat, but she got creative and found ways to cook for the whole family and stay on track herself. She now has adopted a kind of "practicality" policy. She chooses vegan or vegetarian foods when they're available and is realistic in knowing those choices aren't always an option. Her optimism and realism have strengthened my resolve to at least give it a shot and see how it feels.

She recommended a couple resources for me to scope out and I got to it right away. I ordered Alicia Silverstone's book, "The Kind Diet", borrowed a vegan cookbook from a friend and dug out my copy of "Eat, Taste, Heal", an Ayurvedic guidebook to nutrition and eating. After reading some pretty crazy evidence and based on my own common sense, I do believe that plant-based eating lessens our carbon footprint and also softens the mark we make on this earth (via farming, shipping, producing, packaging food, etc.). While I don't intend to become a vegan for life, I'm realizing that a more mindful approach to what I put in my body, where it comes from, how it got to my plate and how I go about savoring it can impact not only my health and well-being, but also the environment I live in. Food, along with being delicious, really can be medicine. If we're conscious and aware of how we nourish our bodies, we get to take full ownership of our health.

To kick-start this 31-day escapade, I thought I'd try the latest trend in plant-based eating - a 3-day juice cleanse. I researched a few different shops and ultimately decided on Truce - a locally-owned juicery in the Uptown neighborhood. Along with selling fresh juice by the bottle, they offer two cleanses. They prepare your juice, have it ready for pick-up in either one batch (if you're cleansing for 3 days or less) or multiple (for longer programs), and neatly organize for you which juices to drink when.

I started with my first juice this morning. It definitely takes some getting used to - I know that I would much rather chew my salad than drink it through a straw! However, I'm just trying to savor the experience. So many people testify that juicing makes them see colors brighter, gives them more vitality and energy, heightens their senses. I can definitely agree on those fronts. My tummy feels a bit empty but it's also nice to give my stomach and intestines a break from digesting all the heavy food that I eat. Imagine how I'll feel on day 3!

After my 3 days of juicing, I'll undoubtedly be ready for some solid foods and I can't wait to experiment with a few of the recipes in Alicia's book as well as some awesome recommendations from friends. I'm also stoked to try out the vegan menus of a few Minneapolis restaurants that I so enjoy - Cafe Barbette, French Meadow, Tao Foods. If anyone has more recommendations, please pass them on!

So here goes nothin'! The Kind Project. 31 days of eating from the earth, being mindful of and gentle toward the creatures that share this globe with us. I can't wait to see how it resets my body and my mind. Who knows, maybe I'll even end up enjoying vegan mac and cheese... ;)

I'll keep you posted on my progress!