A (not-so-typical) Day in the Life of a Vegetarian - November 2011

Over the years – make that decades – lots of people have asked me a multitude of questions, concerning Vegetarianism.  One of the common queries concerns my daily routine.  They have asked, for example, for me to describe my “typical” day, as a Vegetarian.  Like one actually exists.

Let’s take a look at what might be considered relatively commonplace – at least, for me.

I start out my day like many other folks:  One eyelid opens first to check the surrounding area and make certain that it’s safe to open the other lid, before getting up. It also allows me to determine the hour and decide whether it’s time for me to venture forth, out of the warm confines of bed.

All things considered safe enough, I then crawl out from under the covers to greet the morning...and Diesel, our small horse, a.k.a. Bull Mastiff/Boxer cross. The next step – literally – is made, heading toward the kitchen area, namely to the refrigerator.  Stumbling my way to the aforementioned area, I remove a container of concentrated green foods (in powder form).  To the filtration system I then proceed, to fill up a drinking glass with good, clean, healthy drinking water.  To this, I add a full scoop of greens, and then proceed to down this as my first drink of the day.

Next, and after the greens “sludge” has settled, my stomach begins to let me know it wants more.  This is when I retrace some steps to the refrigerator, where the rice milk is kept.  This cool liquid is added to a bowl, already containing a few handfuls of organic oats.   This, while not cooked, is allowed to soak for a few minutes before consuming.  Such non-cooking maintains more nutrients, while preventing this mixture from getting all gooey, as oatmeal tends to become when cooked.

After pouring on a sufficient amount of organic maple Syrup, (which will differ, depending on personal taste) I consume this, usually as though I haven’t eaten in quite some time. 

Should I feel a need to consume further nutrients, I then resort to more rice milk.  This time, however, I add it to a “shaker cup”, along with a scoop of protein powder.  After some pretty vigorous shaking (the cup, not me), the protein drink is ready...and so am I. “Down the hatch” it goes.

This takes up much of my morning time, making sure I begin the day by consuming enough nutrients – especially protein – to give my blood sugar a good boost.  The last thing I want – okay ONE of the last things – is to have my blood sugar roller coast on me. 

Lunchtime will present an entirely different scenario, depending on where I am.  For example, should I be talking to others about their health trials, oft’ times this brings several challenges to yours truly. For example, waiting until one is famished is not the most ideal way to appease blood sugar levels; it makes for too large an appetite, generally causing one to consume more than necessary at one sitting. In contrast, it is a good idea to eat smaller, more frequent meals, as hunger first begins, rather than after it has taken over.

David's Bio: For over 40 years, Dave Dixon has been a devout Vegetarian. During this time frame, he has become certified as a Nutritional Consultant, worked as a Fitness Trainer, a certified Reflexologist, Deep Muscle Therapist as well as Quantum Biofeedback Practitioner in the South Okanagan area. Dave currently has a biofeedback practice in Summerland ~ 1-778-516-1198. - Email