Nearly two years of eating a vegan diet: a futurist’s update and a giant menu

The past week has been a blur. Meetings, international presentations, two seminars with great students, a fine Future Trends Forum session, more family health problems, more planning the next book release, a stack of projects in various stages of realization, and meanwhile COP-26 staggers around with the human race’s future in its badly compromised hands.

I’d like to take a break from all of that in this post.  Instead, I’ll write about food and health as I prepare a batch of socca bread.  This isn’t a food blog, but perhaps the blog could use more cuisine and cooking posts.

Nearly two years ago I started eating vegan. It began as a part time thing, then grew into my entire diet.  Now it’s no longer an experiment but just how I eat.  Plant-based food is no longer a pilot project, but an enterprise system, if you will.

The results remain mostly positive. My weight loss has stabilized, down to around 217. Increased weight lifting* probably keeps total body weight from dropping any further.   The body feels better than it did two years ago. All evidence suggests the aging, sleep-deprived carcass is healthier.

Folks sometimes ask me how I feel, if I feel differently now. I’m never sure how to answer that, because I didn’t usually find myself affected by various types of food in the past. Well, other than feeling too full, or not full enough, or ill.  Some people report feeling energized by certain foods; I’ve never felt that by any kind of diet.  So I feel the same.

Nutritional supplements don’t play a role in the diet yet, besides nutritional yeast, which I sprinkle on different meals about one every two days. I haven’t felt weak or tired, except when there’s a solid and unrelated reason, like not getting enough sleep. The family doctor thinks I’m fine and hasn’t recommended any vitamins, etc.

I’m still learning how to vegan, which is exciting.  I know much more about some parts of the food system than I once did.  The differences between lentils are crucial, now: red for softness, French for their persistent shape and texture, yellow to produce a thick texture.  Onions, too: yellow versus white versus red, not to mention green and shallots, each with their tastes, preparations, uses.  I make more use of garbanzo beans that I thought possible, from hummus and falafel to cooking them in bowls or roasting ’em from scratch, with a big bowl soaking overnight once or twice a week.  I cook mushrooms every day, and while I can’t identify them in the wild, I now am cognizant of portobello vs shiitake vs hen-of-the-woords etc.

Usually I don’t miss my previous diet.  Usually.  I don’t reject those former foods with horror. Some items appear in mind as fond yet distant dishes, safely blocked off from temptation, like omelettes. The big one I actually miss is fried chicken (and I’m working on a fried oyster mushroom recipe to address that need) in all of its crunchy and juicy glory.  Well, I also miss cheeses.  Vegan cheese equivalents don’t do much for me.

Vegan “meats” actually work well for me.  Mock-chicken varieties do a good job of being chewy and carrying spices.  Plant “burgers” serve decently.

Two gaps remain in my vegan repertoire.  I’m low on leafy greens, still not finding the right way of spicing them.  I’ve been trying to add some kale to other dishes. Otherwise, greens feel like non-foods, or something medicinal.  And my meals are still too brown and yellow!  And smoothies still horrify me. I’m more worried about the leafy greens.

Garlic in nearly everything. Of course.

My biggest weakness is chips. Any kinds, made from potatoes or any other produce. The texture is irresistible.

I undertook this change focusing on learning and health, not from a moral or political drive to preserve animals. I haven’t acquired the latter yet.  No evangelical zeal has appeared, either. I don’t criticize people for eating meat or dairy, and I don’t have any interest in buttonholing folks to praise lentils.

I don’t eat out much, partly due to the pandemic. There aren’t too many options, surprisingly, especially given some of my non-vegan dietary restrictions: no tomatoes, no hot spices, nothing acidic.  Our region has a lot of animal-raising farms. Indian and Chinese restaurants offer the best options near where we live.  A lovely Ethiopian restaurant in town cooks a mean beyaynetu. A local popup cookery offers a nice range of meals using plant-based meats. When I’m elsewhere, options really vary.  Georgetown has some good choices, but Houston, Texas did not.  Then again, I don’t travel much, thanks to COVID-19.

Instead, I cook.  Currently I make 2-3 meals each day, depending on if I’m at home the entire day, and if anyone else home is making or ordering food I can eat.  As a learning process I research recipes every day, scanning books, YouTube, blogs, then documenting the results with photos and Google Docs.

That might sound solitary, and it usually is.  This is a personal project. My family is supportive, and various members will try some dishes with politeness and tact.  Beyond the house, I don’t know what a vegan network or community is.  If I post about vegan stuff on Facebook, sometimes some people will comment with cheer or recommendations.  That’s about all.  Maybe I need to look harder.

As a futurist, I find this fascinating, albeit on a micro-scale. I’ve successfully switched my role between two different, if overlapping food systems.  I can see the many changes in sourcing, prepping, and cooking.  I haven’t experienced psychological or cultural dislocations, which sounds like a limitation of a small sample size.

Now, from all of that research and cooking, here’s what’s on Bryan’s vegan menu now. I’m happy to share recipes; perhaps on another blog?

BREAKFAST Breakfast burrito Breakfast patties Crispy fried tofu Dal: red or yellow lentil Hash browns Mushrooms on corn tortillas

I make the tortillas fresh every time.

Quinoa with garlic Sweet potato hash Sweet potato and kale fritters Tofu scramble

SNACKS AND SIDES Baked chickpeas Baked potato chips Ethiopian lentils Fried chickpeas Fried mushrooms Fried shallots Green beans, skillet Hummus Peanut brittle Potato and sweet potato fries Refried beans Roasted chickpeas Tofu fingers Tortilla chips Veggie chips

BREADS Basic flatbread Gluten free drop biscuits Herbed biscuits

Lemon scones Socca flatbread

LUNCH AND DINNER Biryani Black beans and rice (moros y Cristianos) Channa masala Chickpea bowl Chickpea curry Curried cauliflower soup Curried potatoes Ethiopian stew Falafel Fried rice Garlic quinoa General Tso’s tofu Ginger sweet potato stew Lentil meatloaf Mujadara

A staple, especially since one big match can yield a bunch of meals and sides.

Mushroom stir fry Mushu veg Mushu tofu Orange cranberry crisp Red beans and rice Red lentil “kebabs” Rice with chickpeas Rice with lentils Roasted veggies: brussel sprouts, potatoes, carrots, peppers, onion, squash, shallots (master menu) Spicy lentil soup Tofu in lettuce wraps Tofu with cashews and snap peas Vegan general Tso Veggie noodles Yellow rice

That’s all for now.  Happy to say more.

*All of my weight lifting takes place at home, since I hesitate to hit gyms during the pandemic. I’ve got a range of weights plus a pull-up bar.