HOW TO EAT 247
Glenn is an associate of mine who, until recently, was a dedicated
meat-eater. In fact, he was recently on the Atkins diet, lost some
weight, but dropped off it when his cholesterol went through the
roof. He's forty-two and overweight. I gave him a draft of the man-
uscript for the China Study and he agreed to take the one-month
challenge. Here are a few of his observations:GLENN'S TIPS
The first week is quite challenging. It's hard to figure out what to eat. I'm
not much of a cook, so I got some recipe books out and tried creating
some vegan dishes. As someone who would swing through McDonald's
or heat up a frozen dinner, I found it annoying to have to cook meals
each evening. At least half of them were a disaster and had to be thrown
out. But over time I found a few that were fantastic. My sister gave me
a recipe for West African peanut stew that was incredible and like noth-
ing I ever tasted. My mom gave me a vegetarian chili recipe that was
great. And I stumbled on a great whole wheat spaghetti dish with lots
of vegetables and a faux meat sauce (made from soy) that was amazing.
I challenge anyone to know that this was a vegan dish. But all of this
does take time.
I'm rediscovering fruit. I've always loved fruit, but for some reason
I don't really eat much of it. Maybe it's not eating meat, but I'm finding
that I'm enjoying fruit more than ever. I now cut up a grapefruit and eat
it as a snack. I really like it! I would have never done that before; I actu-
ally think my tastes are getting more sensitive.
I was avoiding eating out-something I used to do constantly-for
fear of not having a vegan option. But I'm getting more adventurous
now. I've found some new restaurants that have some great vegan side
dishes, including a wonderful local Vietnamese place (I know that most
Vietnamese food isn't strictly vegan, since they use a fish sauce in many
dishes, but for nutritional purposes it's very close). The other day I got
dragged into a pizza place with a large group; there was nothing I could
do, and I was starved. I ordered a cheese-less pizza with lots of veg-
etables. They even made it with a whole wheat crust. I was prepared to
choke it down but actually it was surprisingly good. I've brought that
home a few times since.
I'm finding that cravings for meat products are pretty much gone,
particularly if I don't let myself get hungry. And, honestly, I'm eating