I'm a Vegetarian: Days 6 and 7

By Abaries Farhad

Created:
01/25/09 4:22pm

Last updated:
01/25/09 4:22pm

2 comments

I did it. I lived an entire week as a vegetarian.

The foods that I ate the last couple days are:

Teddy grahams
Banana
Vanilla pudding
Raspberry granola
Orange juice
Silk vanilla soy milk
Vegetable stew with tomato, black beans, kidney beans, potatoes and corn
Taco salad with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, home-made guacamole, salsa, Morningstar “crumbles”
Asparagus
Home-made sweet potato fries
White rice
Tortilla chips
Home-made edamame dip
Asiago cheese bagel
Chocolate croissant
Vanilla pudding
Pringles
Rice cakes
Peanut butter
Granola bar
Sugar cookie
Lemonade
Cheese pizza
Ensure shakes

My last two days as a vegetarian were the most challenging. I left campus for the weekend and stayed with a friend. I spent an entire day on the road, traveling to and from a theater competition. Living with a friend, traveling and being out of a familiar environment all presented difficulties when trying to maintain not only a vegetarian diet, but a diet that is healthy and balanced.

Friday I was at home for a few hours before I left for my friend’s place. A trip to Meijer yielded a few ingredients for a quick homemade taco salad: an avocado, Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles (in the place of taco meat), salsa and shredded cheddar cheese. I followed the recipe from the Morningstar Farms Web site, www.seeveggiesdifferently.com, to prepare the “crumbles,” a vegetarian substitute for ground beef, then just added them to a salad made of the other taco ingredients. I topped it all of with salsa and homemade guacamole, which I prepared based on a recipe from allrecipes.com. I cut the ingredient sizes for the guacamole recipe in half as I was the only one eating it, and substituted lemon juice for fresh lemons to make it easier.

The entire meal took about 30 minutes to make and half that time to eat. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the vegetarian “beef.” While it did not taste exactly like real meat, which I didn’t find to be an issue, the texture mimicked that of meat and the veggie-based crumbles took on the flavor of the taco seasonings. This was my favorite meal I ate all week and would recommend that anyone trying vegetarianism look into the various “veggie burger” options available at local grocery stores. And as a side note, other favorite veggie-friendly foods I ate were prepared by my friend’s mom, who treated us to a home-cooked meal of asparagus, sweet potato fries (not at all like the greasier version served in restaurants) and edamame dip, which is similar to guacamole but made from edamame, or baby soy beans.

Saturday was much more difficult as I was on the road most of the day or at the competition. While my friend and I brought along a few healthy-ish snacks, such as rice cakes, peanut butter and granola bars, I have to admit I indulged in a lot of junk food because that’s what was available. Pringles, pudding and cookies, for example, weren’t exactly the highlight of my vegetarian week. Although I suppose most people snack on those kinds of foods now and then, I definitely didn’t feel that well after consuming empty-calorie, high sugar and high sodium foods. In the future, I will plane ahead more and pack a healthy lunch to take along.

I was proud of one thing on Saturday, though. In the evening, when all my friend’s were munching on pizza to satisfy their hunger pangs, I was dismayed to see one of my favorite kinds of pizza sitting on the table — pepperoni and mushroom. Pepperoni is the one exception to my usual no-sausage rule. That was the first time all week I was truly tempted to cheat and eat a slice. I really wanted to.

I’m proud to say I didn’t. Although it’s not the healthiest food in the world, I reached for a slice of cheese-only pizza instead. And that was the last meal in my week in the life of a vegetarian. Mission accomplished.

Living as a vegetarian for a week had its ups and downs, although I was surprised my experience was not as difficult as one might think. I never suffered regret or an intense longing for meat. I didn’t break down and give up. While I was seriously tempted one time, I overcame it. I binged on carbs and fat in the beginning, but gradually learned to increase my vegetable intake. I tried new foods, from veggie burgers to rice milk to edamame. I found the best place on campus to eat vegetarian-friendly meals, and I even survived a weekend at home and on the road without meat.

I have to admit, I feel healthier. With the exception of Saturday, my diet this past week was healthier than it’s been since, well, ever. Who knows, maybe my vegetarian life doesn’t have to end today.

Commentary

Add your $0.02, go to the comment form or follow the comment feed

Elaine Vigneault

(01/26/09 5:15pm)
Report

I’d like to see you go and stay vegan, but if you won’t, maybe you could do Meatless Mondays?

carolyn

(01/28/09 11:32am)
Report

Abaries, Good for you and for our planet! I’ve eaten a completely vegetarian diet with eggs and dairy for 15 years. Going vegan would be much more difficult for me, i love eggs and cheese! Your writing style is great. I enjoyed reading and hope to see more in the future!

About A Week in the Life

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step outside yourself and try something new? Each week, a reporter from the Features desk will be taking on a new lifestyle and spilling all the details on what it takes to live a week in the life of someone else.

This week, just in time for finals, entertainment reporter Daniel Luscombe will attempt to be more time efficient. He’ll document how he wastes the more time and find ways to thwart his procrastination.

Follow this blog in your feed reader

FEATURED CLASSIFIEDS: More classifieds »

In Employment:

In Apts. For Rent:

FALL/SUMMER 1-2 bdrm apt.

In Services:

SEND VOCALISTS to your Valentine.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:More reprints »

A firework display shimmers and shines above Cooley Law School Stadium Sunday night after the Lansing ...
Florence Welch, lead singer of London-based indie group Florence and the Machine, throws up a sign of ...
As deconstruction of the MSC smokestack continues, bricks pile up at the foot of the once iconic MSU ...
Paige Triezenberg, a global and area studies senior, uses a small trowel to clear dirt around an animal ...
Bournville, England resident Trevor Workman plays the carillon for the first Muelder Summer Carillon ...