My Food Journey

So.... You wonder why people can stand just eating Vegetables and Fruits all day long ?
Well, so did I :P

Here's my Food Journey.
ya ya ya... Long post.
If you wanna know what I'm eating now, just scroll down and find the word SHORTCUT ;p

Kid - Omnivore
When I was a kid I used to think that Vegetarians are weird people.
and I was annoyed when my mum told me to eat more greens, they're yucky and bitter.

hmm... just wondering, Have vegetables lost their bitter taste ? coz I remember that I hated veggies coz they were bitter, or Did I eat in Restaurants that serve vegetable rejects ? yea probably not, probably it's just my tounge. anyhoo.....

Teen - Omnivore
But growing up, I started to like the taste of Vegetables, they're not all that bad, and I still love food, I ate everything, gourmet food, junk food, exotic food, desserts, I've even tasted cow's brains, pig's tounge, cow's balls, yup, balls.
Then I went to Sydney, Australia to study and I had a lot of dairy and meat.
yep... Constipation attack.

Non strict Vegetarian
Then I had Vitiligo (skin condition) .
I decided why not try being a Vegetarian, who knows the Vitiligo might go away.
That's also when I started eating Organic Vegetables and juiced everyday.
So I stopped eating meat, but still ate dairy and eggs, and I wasn't very strict, I still eat vegetables from a Chicken soup, just not the meat. and sometimes I eat fish.
I was on a non-strict Vegetarian diet for a while, I can't remember exactly, but probably for about a year.

Flexitarian
Then I was back eating everything, but still eat a lot of greens and I've always loved fruits.
Plus if I eat too much meat, I didn't feel that good, kinda sluggish.
So I was a Flexitarian.

Adult - Omnivore
Then I went to Europe for almost 2 years and gained 8 kg / 16 lbs.
Haha.... cheese, bread, pasta, cakes, gelato, macaron, yummmmmmmmm.
I ate everything , was happy and felt good, probably coz of all the travelling and walking on foot.
But towards the end of my stay, I started having a few acne on my face.... :( probably due all of the desserts (gelato fritto) and fats (prosciuto , formaggio, pasta, pane) hohoho
When I got home, I couldn't fit to any of my old clothes, I even had to borrow my mum's pants !!! and it was tight.

Almost Vegan
So I started a healthier Vegan diet, no dairy, no eggs, no fried food, no carbs (rice/pasta) but I still ate Veggies out of a Chicken/Meat stew. So I was still taking meat, in a way.
Warm Water + Lemon every morning to boost my metabolism and Carrot + Fruit juice after 30 mins.
I also started exercising, almost everyday.
Motivation is key. I was watching Prison Break you see, and my motivation was Scofield.
D'oh right haeuiraherh aerh hueirheru
Anyway... I lost 8 kg / 16lbs in around 1 year, it was a slow healthy process.

Of course, I had to bring food everywhere.
Salads, slightly steamed vegetables, sliced fruits, etc.
I still eat out, but less, coz not a lot of restaurants offer Vegan food.
I also ate Vegan desserts, the traditional ones, non dairy, sometimes I bake my own bread.
whooo that doesn't sound right, It's more of a several one time experiments.
I'd bake a sweet potato bread, once only, then it was banana bread , again, once only.
All using organic whole wheat flour and brown sugar / palm sugar.

Raw food
There was a time where I was into Raw food and no meat at all.
I added Ground flax seed and Okra etc etc to my salad, all the good stuff.
Drinking Watermelon and parsley smoothie.
They are actually good, as long as the watermelon is sweet, you can't feel the parsley.
One time my niece was at my place, she was 6, and she (and her mum) watched me prepared my food, they followed me around and asking questions every 2 seconds, it totally made me feel like I was an alien. and then my niece blurted out "You're so weird"
Oh well, she was me when I was her age.
At that time I sometimes read people who blog about their Raw food diet and I thought people who only ate 2 bananas, 1 apple and a bowl of strawberries for dinner are weird.
Don't they get hungry in the middle of the night ?
But hey, apparently I'm the weird one now :) But surprisingly, I don't mind.

So I was "Almost" Vegan and for almost 2 years, (during which I was also "kinda" Raw) of course towards the end of that 2 years, I started eating Fried food again, Refined carbs, and white sugar.

Omnivore
So.............. after I got my normal weight back, and Prison Break started season 3, I kinda lost motivation. Ok... just ignore the Prison Break part ;p
But seriously, Find a strong motivation that will get you going.
Anyhooo..............
I started eating everything again.........
But I didn't really enjoy dairy ice cream as much.
and I started feeling sluggish again, The food were kinda "heavy" on the stomach, although I still eat my greens and fruits.
and my Vitiligo was spreading again.
So, after a year of being an Omnivore and eating everything.


SHORTCUT
Vegan + Raw
I'm now a Vegan again (since April 1st 2009)
This time, it's totally meat free.
and it's totally healthy (well at least according to me)
So...
- No meat whatsoever, no fish, no dairy, no eggs,
- No refined carbs (white flour, rice, pasta), actually I'm not eating most common carbs, including brown rice, whole wheat flour. but I do eat sweet potato, taro/yam, cassava.
- No fried stuff,
(update. It's month 3 now, and I occasionally allow fried food and refined carbs, :) still vegan though)
- White sugar is allowed rarely (I have a very very sweet tooth you see)
- Palm sugar is allowed moderately, for sugar cravings, mmm.. that reminds me to get maple syrup as well.
- Lots of fruits and veggies. Organic whenever possible.
- Coconut water and coconut meat is good for you.
- Seaweed, they're also good for you.
- Tofu and Tempeh....... yummmm............
and one of my favorite food is Fried Tempeh.... uhhhhhh.........but no fried food for now :)
- I don't eat processed Vegan food (chips, ice cream, fake meat, etc etc),
Why ? well, they're processed and also because they're not readily available here anyway :P

Grey area
- Honey... I haven't had honey since 1 April 2009, well, coz i haven't had a chance to buy it and coz it's not Vegan, but.............. I read about the healing properties of Raw honey where the enzymes are still alive, so I'm intrigued to try it, along with Propolis, Bee pollen and Royal jelly.
So I might give it a try.
- Mushroom, I once read that mushroom gets their energy from "dead" food, so they absorb the negative energy. So...... I don't know, I haven't had any since 1 April 2009, but I like mushroom :) I might have them in the future or I might not, I don't know.


so............
yup some days it's boring to eat alone, that's why it's good to read other people's blogs, to find more variations in Vegan food and find out what other people are eating.
Yes normal food still makes my mouth water, but I don't get crazy food cravings.
When I eat out, or even at home, I don't "envy" what others are eating anyway.
I like my food and I enjoy eating them.
and I never feel bloated or sluggish, not like when I was still an "omnivore"
I still wonder and am amazed at people's strong will at being a Pure Raw foodist.
and I feel sorry for those poor animal in Intensive animal farms.

Will I be a Vegan forever ?
I don't know.
I still love watching the Food channel on TV or reading people's Food blog, Desserts blog.... hmmm dessertss.... yumm
I even still love reading people's junk food blog. yuppp..... junk food is fun.
But I don't want to eat them anymore, at least not for now :)
And if I end up being a Vegan for life, I don't mind either :D

What I do know is, it doesn't matter whether you are a Vegan or not,
But
It's important to be happy while you're eating
It's important to enjoy what you're eating
It's important to not overeat, and eat everything in moderation.

(Nov 2009)
I'm no longer a strict Vegan
I allow fish, prawns, etc
but I still eat mainly Vegan food with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits :)

NOW NOW
It's time for THE HEALTHY LIFE DIET

So...........Eat well, Live well........ Happy eating !! ;)