Vegan Diary

The lowdown from:
Donna Caputo
Age: 45
Occupation: Bookkeeper/administrative assistant/English instructor/waitress
Home: South Euclid, Ohio

Donna's been a vegan since April 1994, and she agreed to take a little time out of her busy schedule to give iVillagers a taste of what it's like to go meat- and dairy-free.

What's being a vegan all about?
Our basic philosophy is that we don't want our diets to be a burden on the earth. I get the nutrients I need without the exploitation of animals. But there are also health reasons: Animal protein takes a long time to digest, and food that takes longer than three or four hours can make you sluggish and interfere with your natural cycle of ingestion and elimination. Meat and carbs eaten together generally take up to eight hours to digest.

Avoiding dairy products also has health benefits. It helps minimize mucus accumulation, and the calcium in raw nuts and leafy green vegetables is easier to absorb than the calcium in dairy. Eating vegan also helps me hydrate my body enough to keep it healthy: I eat 50 to 70 percent high-water-content foods (vegetables!) rather than drinking lots of water.

How did you decide to become a vegan?
I'm an animal lover, so I never liked the idea of eating animals. But I used to think that vegans were taking the vegetarian thing too far. Then I edited the book Fit for Life for a computer company that put it on disc. I was often tired, and the way the authors explained how our bodies use a tremendous amount of energy to digest food made sense to me. Make it easier on the body to digest, and you increase your energy level.

I had never thought I'd be able to eat this way, but it turned out to be easy for me. I guess my body was just ready. The first couple of weeks were difficult; my body went into detox, and I got congested and sick. This is natural, however, and my body felt so much cleaner once the toxins were out of my system. When our bodies work properly, we're more alert, energetic and healthy looking and feeling.

Has anyone criticized your diet?
People have said that I can't possibly be getting enough calcium or that I must be lacking in certain B vitamins. But my friends had no problem with it, since many of them are vegetarian. My dietitian sister was concerned for a while, but she sees I'm healthy. Other family members may have seen this diet as a big pain in their butts because they had to figure out what to cook for me when I was there for dinner!

Has the diet changed the way your body feels?
The best thing is how clean my body feels. Initially, I did have more energy, but my life is such that I still get tired at times, mostly from lack of sleep. I have stopped having menstrual cramps, and my periods are much lighter than when I was eating meat. And I don't get colds anymore. The only times I've gotten congested since I've been vegan have been when I've broken the diet and eaten too much milk chocolate!

What can't you eat? Do you ever feel deprived?
There are so many substitutes for meat out there that I never really miss it. I missed cheese for a while but don't at all anymore ‑- and there are vegan cheese products. I was a big fan of ice cream, but I enjoy soy ice cream now, and fortified rice milk eliminates any cravings for milk. I have to say I do eat chocolate, which sometimes contains milk. I like sweets, so it's been difficult to give up.

How do you manage eating with other people in your life who aren't vegans?
My daughter is not vegetarian, but I quickly learned to adjust my cooking to accommodate us both. For example, if I make pasta, I might sauté a piece of chicken for her in one pan, and veggies for me in another, and then make salad for us both. Since there are only two of us in the house, it's not a big deal.

Being from Nepal, my sweetheart is used to a diet very similar to mine. He eats lots of veggies, and he didn't grow up eating much meat ‑- mostly lentils or dal for protein. So he eats the food I eat, and he often cooks wonderful meals that I can happily eat. But I don't mind when other people around me eat meat or dairy. Diet is a very personal thing.

What about eating in restaurants or at parties?
It is sometimes difficult because I have to make sure that the base for broths or sauces isn't chicken or beef. I also have to make sure there's no cream in sauces. Some restaurants cater to vegetarians, but many others rarely have much other than salad or fries that I can eat. Not fun.

Have your shopping habits changed?
Even before I became vegan, I shopped at our city's food co-op, which has lots of natural foods. They have many, many foods that I could eat, so that wasn't a problem. What has changed is my need to eat lots and lots of fruits and veggies. When my food budget is down or I don't have time to get to the grocery store, I begin to wilt as I start to run out of all the leafy greens and juicy fruits and veggies that I love to eat. I feel dehydrated.

Do you plan to follow this diet for the rest of your life?
Yes. It's an experiment, though. I wonder sometimes what the verdict will be when I'm old. Will I suffer from osteoporosis or anemia? I rarely go to a doctor, so I don't really know. But when I have gone, my blood pressure's always great.

What's the number one reason you stick with it?
Because I love animals and I feel great.

What's your advice to women thinking of trying a vegan diet?
It's not as weird as you think! And it is possible to live without cheese (your stuffy nose would appreciate your giving it up anyhow). Be aware that your body will probably go through a detox period. But stick with it ‑- once the detox is over, you'll feel better than you did before. Finally, know that there are lots of products out there to satisfy any craving.

A day on the diet
Breakfast: I have juice or fruit every morning, always on an empty stomach. For a few years now, I've broken from the natural hydration part of my diet by eating sweet bread or something with herbal tea after the fruit's digested because I'm just too hungry at work waiting until noon to eat a meal.

Lunch: I eat all kinds of things ‑- Boca burgers with lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms; soup (most often canned, but I read the ingredients); veggie sandwiches; tofu salad; vegan frozen foods; leftovers from dinner. I just try to balance the number of carbs and vegetables at lunch and dinner so that their ratio is near 50/50.

I also try to eat a big salad every day, with lots of leafy greens and a variety of raw veggies. Raw nuts should be part of my diet at least a few times a week for calcium and protein, but I sometimes forget to incorporate them into my meals. Another source of protein is beans.

Dinner: I also eat lots of pasta, and I load it up with sautéed vegetables or tomato sauce with mushrooms. I eat stir-fried veggies a lot, too. I work at an Indian restaurant on the weekends and love the vegetable curries there as well.