“Chin down.”

This is a phrase Aleta and I say to each other when someone is taking a picture of us. This means “make sure our fat sacks under our chins don’t show so it looks like we have a neck.” For those of us who gain weight in our cheekbones and neck, this is a perpetual challenge. Especially for guys like me who have big jawbones.

Chin down is the most critical for our annual Christmas picture inserted into those clever letters we send out. This year’s picture in our letter warranted lots of “Wow, you guys look healthy/good/young/thin.” We did not realize the difference all that much, but others did.

With that said, I’ll let the following pictures be proof of the benefits of our 6 month trek eating vegan. The first picture is from Christmas 2009 after 6 months of eating vegan. The second picture is before vegan, our meat eating days.

2009 Born Again Vegan

2008 Meat Eating Glory Days

No tricks or gimmicks or diet fads. We changed our diet to vegan and continued at our same activity and exercise levels like we always have.

We’re not so bent on chin down anymore.

Our American diet lacks fiber. Estimates are that we consume half the daily allowance of fiber required to maintain good digestive systems [google it]. There are direct medical problems that result from lack of fiber and also indirect. The most common are weight gain, high cholesterol, and all kinds of issues with your digestive system.

A friend of mine turned me onto psyllium husk a couple years ago. Psyllium is a native plant of Pakistan and India. It is much higher in fiber than oats or bran and is water soluble: to the tune of absorbing up to 10 times its original size. What does it mean for you? It provides soluble fiber that binds to triglycerides in your blood, helping you reduce your cholesterol. It also contains insoluble fiber which passes right through you. The great thing about the latter is that it literally will sweep through your entire digestive system and take anything it finds with it. Many cleansing products use psyllium as their base.

So, if you want a very simple way to massively boost fiber, go to any health foods store and get a container of it. Mix 2 teaspoons with a large glass of juice, follow up with another glass of water,  and start your morning off with it. The first day or so may be utterly shocking after a couple #2’s. Just prepare yourself. You will not believe you could make something that big. The good news is that you will start to feel better, keep stuff flowing, and not feel so bad about not eating that apple in the morning.

There are three things I like about eating vegan: I simply feel much better, my heart is the healthiest it has ever been, and I am back to my 25 year old body (with a couple nicks and dings). I achieved all of this without having to diet (verb) and worry about all of the hassle that comes with it: counting calories, “cheating”, starving, and obsessing on the scale. There is no fixed time period for a vegan diet (noun) with ‘goals” and an end. Aleta and I eat what we want and when we want it. The only thing we concentrate on is whether we ate enough balanced foods today. It is actually pretty simple: If you eat a vegan diet, you eat significantly less of all the stuff that makes you tired, unhealthy, and fat. The end result is you are more healthy and skinnier than before. I have already proven to y’all through my bloodwork that there are no adverse health effects (the “not enough protien” myth).

Eating vegan does not mean no fat. There is fat in a vegan diet, even saturated fat (the bad stuff). As a matter of fact, all fats (good or bad) have the same amount of calories per gram (9 to be exact). The issue is one of chemical makeup. Saturated fats kill your heart, while others protect it. Meat and dairy give you a one-two punch: they have 1. more dense concentrations of  2. bad fats than their vegetable counterparts. So, the more meat and dairy you eat, the more dense concentrations of these fats and corresponding calories you will intake. According to the American Heart Association, Americans eat 4 – 5 times the amount of saturated fat than their bodies can handle.

Here is a great primer from the American Heart Association on fat. The bottom line here is that a vegan diet (noun) takes all the guesswork and stress out of dieting (verb). If done with appropriate balance, your body (like ours) will naturally adjust to an ideal weight and health without you having to take drastic measures.

As a single guy, I ate the same thing for two years straight (ask my wife). Every week I made a pot of rice, beans, onions, and chicken. This was a recipe I learned from the Latino dishwashers at the restaurant I worked at for years. In addition to teaching me practical Spanish (including cuss words), they taught me this simple and sustaining recipe. I ate this for lunch and dinner (along with some steamed veggies). At the time, I did not care about the repetition of the food because: A. it was cheap B. it kept me lean (I was on the market). From the age of 21 to 28, I weighed between 180 and 185 lbs. I was able to tuck in my shirts and make a straight line and also had to wear a belt with all my pants.

Enter bacon, butter, and companionship (AKA marriage). Being from the South, Aleta introduced me to butter and bacon. I was aware of this food, but did not realize how many different ways it could be applied to the pallette. Couple that with our newlywed DINK (dual income no kids) status which essentially gave us the ability to eat out anywhere and as frequently as we wanted. During this time we developed a taste for prime steak (like $40 steaks), Brazillian steakhouses, and eggs and chorizo breakfasts at Mexican dives in LA.

By the time I hit 30, I weighed 200 lbs and my generally high cholesterol broke through the 300 barrier. This is not something to be excited about. We had a trail of great memories together in Sonoma, Maui, Big Bear, the Grand Canyon, the Texas Hill country,  Joshua Tree, and road trips through the great Southwest. During this whole time, I was exercising at least 5 times a week by running along the south runway at LAX (it is LOUD at 5 AM) or lifting weights with all the gangsters at the Inglewood Bally’s gym (I was the only white guy most of the time in the free weight section).

From 30 to 35, I hovered between 195 lbs and 215 lbs with my cholesterol between 200 and 315 (a personal “heart attack waiting to happen” record). In order to lose weight, it required me to give up all sugars, curb my portions to where I was always hungry, and cut my craving for meat/dairy in half. It would also take weeks to see results, having to stay on top of it all the time. This put quite a dent in the “butter and bacon” fun Aleta (and now our 2 kids) and I experienced together.

Enter the vegan switch this last July…

If you don’t know the reason for our switch, click here. A well balanced vegan diet (minus the political angst and hemp shoes) will bring about weight loss without any starving or sacrifice in taste. Being the computer geek that I am, I conducted a ton of research to ensure we were eating balanced diets and have wrote many posts like the “Super Foods for Vegetable Haters” series.

The short of it is that a well balanced vegan diet from my experience has the following 3 weight loss benefits:

1. 50% – 70% reduction in saturated fats. This fat is the BAD fat that makes you fat.I don’t have any “clinical reports” on this. I have been simply looking at the packages of the food I now eat and comparing them to traditional alternatives. Here is an example of a vegan cheeseburger vs. a fast food one.
2. Reduction in processed sweets – Almost all cakes, cookies, and candy have eggs and milk in them. That basically knocks out this whole category from a vegan diet. I do have a sweet tooth and found myself eating cereal, trail mix, or making Born Again Vegan Chocolate Chip cookies.
3. Massive intake of whole grains – Substituting whole grain versions of bread, cereal, tortillas, and pasta makes a huge difference in how much you eat. These are much more dense than the bleached flour alternative. They make you more full and pack much more fiber/nutrients than the white alternative. More full means less intake.

The end result (after 90 days) is that I now weigh 185 lbs again like I did when I was 25 and my cholesterol is at 160. I lost 7 lbs the first week and did not starve. For the first time since I was 25, I have the proper body mass index (BMI). The BMI is a generally accepted gauge for ideal weight for age and height.

I do not know if I will eat a vegan diet forever. The health benefits of it are irrefutable . I am enjoying fitting into size 34 jeans again comfortably and wearing medium fitted crew T-shirts from the Banana Republic. I also have a peace of mind about the fact that I am no longer a heart attack waiting to happen or enslaved to some drug.

I hope that this serves as an encouragement to you that a normal suburban father of 2 can eat a vegan diet and live the average American life. It feels good to weigh 185 at 35 like I am 25. Too bad I can’t have my 25 year old body back. It would be great if the vegan diet would re-grow my hair, fix my cranky back, and heal the weird clicks in my shoulders. Maybe I can eat some rice and beans again (minus the chicken) and hope for the best.

It has been almost 90 days since we began our vegan diet adventure. As you already know, Aleta has discovered ways to reduce her arthritis pain, I have reduced my cholesterol, we have both lost 35 lbs between the two of us, and we rarely have the heartburn and lethargic feeling after eating a steak. Many of you still have concerns about eating a vegan diet. Below I have compiled the 5 most common questions and answers from our experience.

1) Do you get enough protein eating a vegan diet?

If you don’t eat a balanced vegan diet, sure. If you eat a balanced vegan diet full of beans, whole grains, nuts, and soy products, you will have no problems getting all your protein.

2) Do you get all your nutrients eating a vegan diet?

If you don’t eat a balanced diet, sure (notice a theme here?). A plant based diet provides every nutrient you need for your daily intake. The only nutrient you can’t get in a vegan diet is vitamin B12. This is only produced in the digestive track of animals. We need vitamin B12 for healthy brain and nervous system function. We only need a couple micrograms daily. You can get vitamin B12 in soy milk and supplements. We take a multivitamin every day (as everyone should regardless of diet). Check out my post on my bloodwork before and after my vegan diet.

3) Do you have to eat salads all day?

No, you don’t. Aleta and I eat a small salad once a day for dinner. There are vegan alternatives to all meat and dairy products. There are also many vegan recipes out there that use vegetables, vegan meatless products, rice, and noodles. Just about every meal can be replicated in a vegan form. Check out our recipes.

4) How do you go out to eat?

There are many fewer options for dining out as a vegan. Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Mediterranean restaurants all offer purely vegan meals. Also, there is bound to be a handful of healthy restaurants in your hometown.

5) How hard is it to buy all this special food?

You can get 80% of your vegan food at any grocery store. Many of the meatless products can be found in most frozen food sections. You will have to head to a specialty store like Whole Foods to get a small handful of items: soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy cheese, vegan cold cuts, and vegan porklike products.

In continuing with our 60 day checkup, I wanted to share my full bloodwork and results of my physical from my doctor. Many of you have asked about whether a vegan diet provides enough nutrients (protein, iron, etc). You will see below that all my bloodwork AFTER 60 days of eating vegan is just as normal as it was BEFORE we started. I have lost 10 lbs while still maintaining my strength at the gym and for the first time since I was 25, I actually weigh what I am supposed to.

As you already know (or have yet read), I also have  high cholesterol. This leads to all kinds of bad things like coronary disease, heart attack, and stroke. Many of you reading this may be on high cholesterol medicine. I have resolved to never take that stuff because I believe (and you will see below) that it can be controlled by diet. For those who don’t know, any cholesterol level over 200 is BAD and of that, LDL levels over 130 are BAD. My record highest cholesterol count 3 years ago was 310 with an LDL of 200. That is a heart attack waiting to happen (in 10 years). My cholesterol is now in the very low risk category without an ounce of pharmaceuticals in my body.

My doctor was very pleased with the results and gave me 100% encouragement to stay the vegan course. The one thing I do need to do is raise my HDL level a couple points. HDL levels should be between 40 to 50 for men. Mine is now at 40. There are many ways to raise HDL levels in diet which I will incorporate.

After 60 days of eating vegan, my take is that it is the best health choice I have made in my life. It has been the easiest “diet and exercise” program I have ever been on. Aleta and I are not sure for how long we will do this, but for now we are Born Again Vegans.

All of you have been asking how things have progressed since we started this homeopathic vegan diet 60 days ago. I am pleased to report that Aleta has made a couple breakthroughs. Interestingly enough, we are finding that meat is not the causing Aleta’s pain. It is actually vegetables. Yes, that is right. Specifically nightshade vegetables.

These vegetables contain glycoalkaloids which are essentially poison. Most people can obviously digest these vegetables without issue. For those with rheumatic diseases, these substances can cause inflamation in the joints. This has yet to be proven medically, but there are many people on the Internet who have posted successful results of this homeopathic approach.

After 60 days of avoiding all meat and dairy, Aleta and I both have more energy, lost 15+ lbs a piece, have little to no heartburn or bloat, and simply feel better. However, Aleta’s pain did not fully subside. About 1 week ago, she did a hard cut on nightshade vegetables. Within days, her wrists and joints felt better. For the first time, she actually was able to be a couple days late on her weekly shot of Enbrel. Normally, she starts to get sore by day 6 of her weekly treatment.

The nightshade discovery has been the biggest breakthrough in Aleta’s treatment since she started taking Enbrel. Enbrel is not a cure, however, nor are all the treatments she has had to date. They have all been about pain reduction and not healing. Our vegan diet is turning out to be the best homeopathic healing choice so far. We are not throwing our hands up in victory nor are we returning to a diet of copious cheesburgers anytime soon. We are staying the vegan course.

Stay tuned…

The most common question people ask us about our vegan diet is “What about X, how do you get enough of it?” The “X” is usually protein or iron or some other critical nutrient. Here is a power drink that Aleta and I slam down every morning before we start our day. The shake has all the ingredients I talked about in the “Superfoods for Vegetable Haters” posts. The recipe is below:

• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp chia seed
• 1 tbsp hemp seed
• 2 tbsp flax seed
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

Pour the soy milk and water into a shakable container. Grind all the seeds in a coffee grinder and pour into the cup. Add the molasses last. Seal your container and shake until your arms fall off. Open the container and slam down. It will taste like a sugar/gingerbread cookie.

Below is a comparison of what you just drank to an 8 oz trimmed (1/8 inch) sirloin steak.  All I did in creating this chart was use the facts printed on the nutritional labels of all the food ingredients.  Obviously, this drink does not substitute the satisfaction of gnawing on a juicy steak over a bottle of red wine on a Friday night. Still, the nutrition speaks for itself. The one thing the steak has over the shake is the concentration of protein. Still, the shake gives you 25% before you start your day with 3 meals left and plenty of nutrients to get your brain engaged (think twice about coffee, this is a natural stimulant).

This is my 4th and final installment on really small foods that pack very large punches and avoid you having to eat 50 lbs of salad a day to get nutrition. I have previously talked about chia, flax, and blackstrap molasses. My fourth installment may sound kinda illegal, but it isn’t. Shelled hemp seeds. They can be obtained (legally) at your local health food store. They usually come in the form of a toasted snack or simply raw.

I prefer the raw seeds. They are tiny little guys and very soft. These seeds are considered a complete protein, a source of omega 3/6/9. One tablespoon is loaded with protein and significant nutrients (click on each to see why: vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and maganese). Grind these up in the coffee grinder and mix them in anything: smoothie, peanut butter, cookies, pancakes, etc. I buy Ruth’s Soft Hemp here at the Akins, the local grocer. An 8 oz. bag will run you $11. Much cheaper than the illegal alternative (or at least from what I remember in my college daze).

A common misconception about eating vegan is that you do not get enough iron or protein because vegans don’t eat meat. I have posted about this before (see iron and protein). The bottom line is that there are plenty of iron sources out there in vegan foods. Flax seed is not only a rich source of iron, but also omega-3 (for lowering cholesterol), protein, fiber, and antioxidants (anti-aging). This is one of the power foods I rely on every morning before I head to the gym.

You can buy flax seed at many grocery stores. You can either get whole seeds or ground seeds. If you get whole seeds, you have to grind them as the flax seed shell is to hard to digest and you will simply pass them out. Eating two tablespoons a day will give you about 40% of your iron intake, some calcium, and a good does of protein and fiber. You can safely throw it in anything. Mix it in your morning smoothie, peanut butter, oatmeal, brownies, etc. You can also use it as an egg or butter substitute in baking recipes.