If you are going to do a vegan detox, prepare yourself for the reactions of family and friends to be lukewarm at best. We had everything from people outright laughing at us (don't really blame them) to people accusing me of harming Emma by not eating properly while breastfeeding.
First things first, I checked with my OB and Emma's pediatrician before embarking on this detox. I wanted to make sure that both of our nutritional needs were being met. My OB's nurse looked over a sample menu for a week of meals and said, "If only everyone ate this well while breastfeeding!" My OB wholeheartedly endorsed it.
Emma's pediatrician mentioned that the increase in soy and other beans might increase Emma's gassiness. She simply said that if that happened, I should add another lean protein source in, like chicken or fish. I only noticed an increase one time, and that was after eating a soy burger, so I didn't eat one of those again.
The thing is that when people hear the word vegan followed by the word detox, they start making assumptions and don't really stop to listen to what we are eating.
I have to tell you, the very best our family has ever eaten is when we started this detox. Everything that I am making is made from scratch. Where I used to reach for a packet of this or a can of that, now I make it, myself, from whole food sources.
It does require some creativity, meal planning, and it would probably help if you enjoyed cooking, too. But that's what I am here for! I can inspire you to try new recipes, give you some knowledge on how to eat a bit better, and help you learn from my mistakes. I made some meals that missed the mark and weren't very good, to put it mildly. But I have to say, I also have made some meals that are amazing (I know, it sounds conceited, but seriously, when you make a healthy meal that tastes insanely good, it feels good, too!).
So, prepare yourself for the criticism and skepticism at first. Then watch their attitudes change as you start looking and feeling better!
Who is laughing now?
Oh I love the idea of this. We are vegetarian and I am always looking for new ideas. Now that I am pregnant I need a few more choices too because a lot of things don't appeal to me right now, lol. I will be reading along a LOT on here, lol.
ReplyDeleteI thought you might be interested in this from the Washington Post:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/05/AR2011010503153.html?referrer=emailarticle