While I'm keeping up with the exercise (mostly), I've decided not to try to adhere to any specific diet plan this time around. I hate the feelings of guilt that come with every craving and every mouthful of non-approved food, whenever I'm on a diet. That being said, there are specific foods that I am trying harder than others to avoid:
- All animal products, but for environmental and ethical rather than dietary reasons
- Partially- and fully-hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening, etc.)
- All other oils when I eat at home, as they're all 100% fat, though I'm not as strict about this when I eat out because it's just too hard
- Soft drinks, both regular and diet (
boyziggy and I have read some pretty scary stuff about aspartame and other artificial sweeteners)
I'm still eating lunch out almost every day, but I have a set number of mostly-healthy and inexpensive vegan lunch choices at restaurants within walking distance:
- Tofu and vegetables over rice, at my office cafeteria: very tasty and filling
- Bean burrito at the restaurant across the street: tasty but not as filling, and may have hydrogenated oil in the tortilla
- Salad bar at the same restaurant as above: boring but healthy
- Footlong veggie sandwich at Subway: always hungry mid-afternoon after eating this; too bad they don't have hummus like Togos does
- Veggie sushi and cold noodle salad from Trader Joes: yummy but not particularly healthy with all the white flour
I just had labwork done this morning, so hopefully I'll have my latest cholesterol count soon. While I don't care about the numbers so much anymore when it comes to my weight, I can't judge my internal health as easily, so the numbers are helpful there.