It seems to be all the rage suddenly for all these fitness people to
'try-out' going vegan for a month...call me slightly cynical, but I
think that maybe they can see how things are starting to head, so
think they can maybe get a start over the others by dipping their toes
into the 'vegan pond', but they do not yet have the courage (or see
the revenue!) in going the whole-hog. I'm sure once a few more of us
appear you'll see this area expand vastly.
On Skwigg's blog there is a post about her month long vegan
experiment. I'll add the text below for those not wanting to surf,
but is sounds quite positive. Yes, meat & dairy can be addictions I
believe, just like you can crave ultra sweet, ultra fatty foods in
unhealthy ways, but if you look at her results, they are 100% positive
so far (the blood work isn't back yet, but from a subjective point of
view).
It also looks like Craig Ballantyne (the guy who sells 'turbulence
training') is starting work on a veg/vegan meal planner, he's also
planning on going mainly raw vegan & cutting out processed grains for
a month.
I do find it strange that these guys think they can learn it all in a
month, I mean most of us have been vegan for years (decades in many
cases) & we're still finding out new things & they believe they've got
it all in 30 days! It's one of the reasons I do suggest that when
finding someone to sort out your diet a vegan often understands 100
times better the actual issues than the average nutritionist as they
live it themselves.


Pete Ryan www.veganbodybuilding.org

http://skwigg.tripod.c is working on a veg om/blog/index.blog?entry_id=1923623

Skwigg's blog

I just finished up a month as a vegan. More important than just
cutting out meat, my little experiment required me to knock off the
cheddar cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter, milk chocolate, and
nacho cheese Doritos. I feel FANTASTIC! I was really hoping I'd feel
like dog poo, because then I could say, well see, it doesn't matter
what I eat. But no, I'm all lean, energetic and happy, my skin is
glowing and I'm sleeping like a lump. Damn it!! Cursed healthy monkey
food and all the annoying feel-goodiness...

I went to the doctor to get lab work done today. I'm curious what, if
anything, a month of no animal products has done to me. I would like
to say that following my fasting bloodwork I didn't drive straight to
Jack Stack Barbecue for a slab of ribs, but I totally did that!! OMG!
I don't even know what to do with me! Plant eaters will be appalled
and the paleo/primal eaters will be jumping up and down. The rib
craving started this weekend when, with my judgement clouded by
barbecue smoke, I began plotting a yard ninja operation to steal my
neighbor's 4th of July ribs out of his smoker. Luckily, I managed to
contain myself until I had the blood drawn for the vegan experiment. I
don't have the results yet but I'm ultra curious.

I've developed a baffling new interest primal eating and paleo diets.
I blame whoever sent me to Mark's Daily Apple a few weeks ago. I
totally love that blog! I went over there initially to see what mean
things he might have to say about vegans. Much to my surprise, he was
smart and funny and I agreed with nearly everything he said. I was
stunned by the number of vegans lurking over there. And I got the
biggest kick out of some of his posts like Escape from Vegan Island
where he got carted off to McDougall camp, and Spoutin' Off on
Veganism (Again) where he explains the obvious pitfalls of living on
soft drinks, soy pizzas, wheat crackers and Rice-a-Roni.

Here is what struck me. These modern cavemen who eat mostly
vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and meat are actually quite similar
to vegans who eat mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and beans.
In caveman terms, the vegans are just bad hunters. I think that people
tend to stereotype one side or the other and miss the common ground.
Not all meat eaters consume a junky, unhealthy Western diet. Not all
vegans live on sugar, processed carbs, and soy burgers. In fact,
comparing some of the primal and vegan menus I've seen, they're pretty
much identical up until dinner time when the caveman might club
something over the head and add it to his pile of salad greens. Both
sides are concerned about the food supply and the environment. Both
sides buy organic, support local agriculture, despise factory farms,
etc., etc.. As an outside observer, I found that interesting.

What does it mean for me? I don't know. Now that I've satisfied my
lunatic barbecue urge, I think it's right back to plant food. I like
it. I feel great. I have fun. Meat or no meat, I think my consumption
of cheese and sour cream was out of control and needed reducing. I've
broken up with Ben & Jerry. Still, I'm not calling any food off limits
or declaring myself a follower of any diet. The more freedom I give
myself, the better my choices become and the more I enjoy healthy
eating. Nobody could have forced me to follow a vegan diet for a
month. I could never have done it as a weight loss scheme, scare
tactic, or guilt trip, but left to my own devices and free to make my
own choices, it was totally fun. My new mantra is, "I eat whatever I
want." And I actually say that to myself A LOT. The more I say it, the
happier it makes me and the better I eat. Weird, eh?