Bye Bye Veganism

As my short experience with veganism draws to a close, I can't help but reflect on what I learnt from it: mostly, resilience.

The hardest part for me wasn't the not eating animal derivates, but having to inquire and do my research beforehand. Admittedly, the research was what I enjoyed the most at first, but it started getting tedious when I went out to places that I hadn't tried before. There, I had to ask a million questions, or research the menu beforehand. I became a bit of a nuisance for my friends, and couldn't spontaneously go to a restaurant and order whatever I wanted: everything had to be planned and researched beforehand.

That said, I do believe I learnt a lot about self-control and what I can do when I'm hungry (crying, mostly). Most importantly, though, I garnered a lot of respect for vegans, and commend them on a task that for me was almost impossible at times.

I lost exactly 1.2kg during this two-week period, but it probably was water weight, given that I cut back on sodium. I did keep up with my regular training and working out, and my sleep schedules stayed the same.

Here are some of the products I thought were really useful, rated in terms of flavor and convenience (for a college student constrained by a lack of space and proper equipment):

Nutritional Yeast: 

Red Star Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes, $8.18, Amazon

Ratings:

Flavor: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10

Nutritional yeast (nooch if you're from around here) is the vegan equivalent to omnivores' eggs, Nirvana (both the state and the band) and smooth jazz. In other words, essential.

 I ordered mine off Amazon, and didn't know what to expect: all the reviews said that it tasted "exactly like parmesan cheese", and was "delicious sprinkled on top of everything", and it is, if you're not faced by the initial fish-flake look and smell.

I tried it on top of chips, salad, in a quesadilla, and sprinkled it on pasta. I liked the pasta the best, because it helps balance the acidity of the tomato sauce, and it adds a nice umami kick to any dish. This product is a big hit-or-miss though, because it does have a slightly fermented taste to it. Personally, I loved it, but I can see why it might be an acquired taste to some people.

Perhaps the thing I liked the most about this product is its impressive fiber content: 4 grams per every 16, at only 60 calories. As a self-professed fiber junkie, I'm definitely keeping this around, even after/if I re-incorporate regular cheese back into my diet.

Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds, $4.59, Wegmans

Daiya Cheese Shreds:

Ratings: 

Flavor: 8/10
Convenience: 5/10

I was really excited to try Daiya's cheese shreds ever since I read about them in a recipe on Kimmi Kill Zombie's blog, and finally got a chance to try them.

Unmelted, straight out of the bag, the shreds felt waxy to the touch, and the flavor was only slightly reminiscent to actual cheese, which makes for an awful go-to cold snack. However, once melted, the shreds actually start to meld into the beautiful, ooey, goopy mass that melted mozzarella cheese is. When I made my vegan quesadillas (pictured below), I had to keep reheating them to make sure the cheese was completely melted, which took away points from convenience.

In conclusion, these shreds are good, but only if you have an oven that gets really hot, a pan, or an actual kitchen (none of which are allowed in my dorms).

The quesadilla I made using Daiya's shreds and Red Farm's nooch. As you can see, it's a bit grey, which took some points from the Daiya shreds. 

Annie Chun's Miso Soup Bowl

Ratings: 

Flavor: 8/10
Convenience: 9/10

At a surprisingly low calorie count (250 calories, for a packaged soup pack, is not bad), Annie Chun's Soup Bowl was a surprising find. I was never a fan of tofu, and had my reservations about this product, but it ended up being one of the most useful ones I bought during this diet. It's smooth, umami layers of flavor helped add a new dimension to what is essentially brown tofu water with noodles.

My only concern in respect to this bowl is its impressive sodium content- 830mg (around 35% of recommended daily intake). This meant that even if it was really convenient, I couldn't eat it as frequently as I would've liked it.


Next week, I'll be going Paleo, and I'd greatly appreciate any advice or recipes and tips on the matter, if you have any!