Day One

One of the things I have discovered about vegetarian diets is that they do allow for the consumption of some animal products, specifically eggs and dairy. I was quite glad to discover this, as eggs (brown, grass fed, free range) are an excellent source of protein, healthy fats and essential amino acids. I also use supplemental whey protein for muscle recovery after more difficult runs. The fact that I can still include these things in my diet this week has eased my mind a little about maintaining the levels of protein that my body will need to recover from training sessions. I do not consume a lot of dairy, but at least I can have cream in my coffee and occasionally enjoy some feta or goat cheese crumbles in my salads.

So given all of this, I guess that technically speaking today can be day 1 of my veg experiment! My early breakfast (pre-run) consisted of a banana and some coffee. I consumed a genucan superstarch prior to a 2-hour/16 mile run. Recovery was almond milk with a scoop of whey protein. Lunch was scrambled eggs with diced red bell pepper, shredded sweet potato and an avocado. Snacks during the day were fruit - apple slices and a banana and a handful of nuts (almonds/cashews/pistachios/pecans). Dinner was sauteed zucchini, onion, red pepper, onion and celery over a bed of field greens with carrots and strawberries and a side of whole wheat pasta. (The sauce was from a jar but it was organic, had no added sugar and had only 5 ingredients.) A glass of red wine topped off the meal.

Dinner tonight. I will try to dress up my pics for the rest of the week.

So away I go! I have mapped out my plan for the next 2 days. I am going to take my meal planning in small chunks, 2-3 days at a time. I don't want to try to plan too far ahead since I can't buy fresh produce this far in advance anyway. To be continued.....