The Transitioning Phase

About 6 months ago when I decided to clear out all the processed, meaty, milky, or eggy foods from my fridge and pantry I was totally gun-ho! Roughly 2 weeks into my new way of life I suddenly found myself in DESPARATE NEED of a cheeseburger, a craving I've come to know as "The Meat Sweats". One tiny moment of weakness un-did 2 weeks of healthy work!!! After a few more run-ins with "The Meat Sweats" I asked myself "What can I do to keep myself on track during times when I have Processed Food/Meat/Dairy cravings?".

I realized that while I didn’t want to rely on food to feed my emotions, I also needed to be kind to myself and my process so that I didn’t create restrictions that were so challenging to maintain that I'd end up falling off the vegan wagon anyway. To resolve my craving issues I began a hunt for alternative meats and was pleasantly surprised to find a vast array of yummy vegan goodies that are high in fiber and protein and successfully combat those viscious meat sweats.

Over the next 2 months I experimented with all sorts of different brands and was able to find a few tasty, and healthy alternatives (Vegan Gourmet cheese, Tofurky Italian Sausage and Deli style lunch meats, Toffuti's Better Than Cream Cheese and Sour Cream, Earth Balance Soy butter, Boca brand Ground Crumbles, and Gardein brand Scallopinis to name just a few) that I could incorporate into my everyday cooking should I so choose. I also found that reaching for foods or snacks rich in fiber, water, and nutrients left me satisfied and helped to alleviate cravings.
I've become a HUGE fan of THE GREEN SMOOTHIE:
2 c water
½ small tray wheatgrass
1 bunch beet greens
½ bunch curly kale
1 c kumquats (whole, with skin)
½ lemon (peeled)
1 mango
1 red pear
Combine in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Makes about 8 cups.

I'd like to wholeheartedly encourage ANYONE interested in going meat free to do a bit of research and find replacement vegan foods to better ease into your meat free lifestyle!