Preparing for our launch into the gastronomosphere!

In T minus two days, we'll be vegan. We'll also be caffeine and alcohol free. For 30 days.

Six years ago, David chose to become vegetarian; five and a half years ago I followed suit. A year and a half ago, we minimally reintroduced fish into our diets for the simple reason that we missed it. In two days time, we'll adopt a new set of gastronomic rules ... we feel like we have to.

Both of us are predisposed to experiencing a number of health problems later (or sooner?) in life. We both have diabetes, heart disease, cancer and a number of other serious and life threatening diseases in both of our family trees. Sadly, this is the story of the typical Western -world family. We're going to try and encourage our branches to grow in a different direction. We're going to try and put some prevention in the mix. We believe that most every ailment out there is linked to choices we make - what we eat, our level of activity, our stress level etc. We're going to try making different choices. We're starting with a 30-day experiment. After 30 days we'll reassess.

Here are our rules:

1) No animal products. No seafood. No eggs. No cheese. No dairy, period.

2) No alcohol.

3) No caffeine. Well, no coffee. Given its benefits, we're allowing green tea.

4) Limited oils.

5) Lots of water.

6) At least two work out sessions per week.

We've both been making a concerted effort to drink a lot of water for a while now - for a spell, I was drinking a gallon every day, now I drink about three quarts. The other rules are going to take some adjusting - we love cheese, wine, coffee and olive oil. But, we have the rest of our lives to eat these things if we choose to, we can handle 30 days.

As far as two work outs a week ... we try to incorporate trips to the gym into our weekly routine, but it rarely happens - we have a million excuses, and most are well valid - but we HAVE to exercise more. Generally, we eat very well but we are so sedentary. We sit at our desks glued to our computer screens for 8-9 hours a day; at the end of the day, we're mentally exhausted ... not a healthy situation. So, two sessions a week - we don't have to go to the gym, we can walk in the park, do videos at home etc. But we have to be in "work out" mode - running to catch the train, or hustling to the bank and taking all of the stairs on the way doesn't count.

Our number one health concern right now is diabetes, so the vegan aspect of our 30-day experiment is based on a book we've started reading called "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes". I'm no expert, so forgive my simple definition but my understanding is that with Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes, glucose is overly prevalent in the body; it isn't processed by the red blood cells as it should be. Our pancreas produces insulin for the sole purpose of "escorting" glucose into our red blood cells, which then convert the glucose into energy.

According to Dr. Barnard, insulin serves as the "key" that fits into the "lock" in the blood cell; when you have type 2 there's "gum" in the lock, so the glucose can't get in - so it hangs out elsewhere, causing trouble. Having conducted extensive research over the course of his career, Dr. Barnard's theory is that the "gum" is animal fat. Yikes! Thus, he concludes that a vegan diet is ideal for diabetics. If you read the dust jacket, or even the first few chapters, you won't see the word vegan anywhere - he demonstrates the benefits of this lifestyle by describing one experiment at a time. His "subjects" have lost tons of weight, are no longer dependent on medication or are using far fewer medications, and have way more energy. As we read more, we'll share more. What we've read so far, though, is enough to drive us vegan!

So ... to prepare, we've been eating every-non-vegan thing in the house! No temptations or accidents-waiting-to-happen in our fridge! We've asked vegan friends to share their favorite recipes and have ordered tons of vegan cookbooks from the library - I've reached my limit on book requests, so I'll order more as they come in. So far, we've requested:

Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Have you ever heard of a cooler name for a cookbook? It came in yesterday and I've started reading it - looks like I might have to buy it! Thanks for the recommendation Amy W!)

How it All Vegan! Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet by Tanya Barnard
(wonder if she's related to Neal Barnard??!)

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Dishes from the Healthiest Place Under the Sun by Donna Klein

Vegan a Go Go: A Cookbook and Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road by Sarah Kramer

Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For - From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (I'm very excited about this one - we live for weekend brunch! See us buying this one too!)

Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World by Robin Robertson (Shout out to Liza B, formerly of Harvard Common Press!)

The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Vegan With A Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Vegan World-Fusion Cuisine: Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom From Our Hearts to Yours by Mark Reinfeld

Big ups to the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County for having all of these titles and more!! we heart the library.