Chick’n Fillets, Tofurky and a “Cheese-Style Wedge”?

Wow…speechless.

Not just about the ingredients of the following three vegan pseudo meats, listed in order below, corresponding with the title, but about the fact that I, too, used to partake of them for a full two years, back in the days when I was a vegan.  Even then, I must admit, it seemed odd in a way, almost an oxymoron, to include foods that were supposed to look and taste like meat, while simultaneously eschewing the idea of using animals in any way, shape or form. (Oh, yes, I was that kind of vegan!)

Have a quick skim of all the ingredients and see if they seem like good, natural things to eat.

• water, soy protein isolate*, vital wheat gluten*, expeller pressed/canola oil, organic ancient grain flour (kamut®, amaranth, millet, quinoa), yeast extract, modified vegetable gum, natural flavors (from plant sources), sea salt, potato starch, organic cane sugar, onion powder, vinegar, garlic powder, pea protein, carrot fiber, beetroot fiber, extractives of paprika and turmeric. breading: water, wheat flour, leavening (baking soda, cream of tartar), sugar, yeast, salt, extractives of paprika. gravy: water, vegan butter (soybean, palm, canola and olive oils, water, salt, natural flavor) corn starch, yeast extract, less sodium soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, alcohol, vinegar), vital wheat gluten*, soy lecithin, natural flavor (from plant sources), onion powder, garlic powder, spices.

• Water, vital wheat gluten, organic tofu (filtered water, organic whole soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), expeller pressed non-genetically engineered canola oil, natural vegetarian flavors, shoyu soy sauce (water, non-genetically engineered soybeans, wheat, salt, culture), non-genetically engineered corn starch, white bean flour, garbanzo bean flour, lemon juice from concentrate, onion, carrots, celery, salt, calcium lactate from beets.

• Filtered water, tapioca flour, palm fruit oil, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or pressed safflower oil, pea protein, coconut oil, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, vegan natural flavours, gum arabic, lactic acid (vegan, for flavor), annatto, titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), natural smoke flavour, vegan enzyme.

I truly thought, at the time, that begin vegan was the healthiest way to eat, the kindest way to regard our animals and planet and the least likely to ever make me sick.

Gosh, was I wrong.  

If you haven’t read my story, the long and short of it is that I had stomach issues, to say the least, for my entire life until I found Paleo.  It’s worth mentioning that my diet growing up was extremely healthy, according to the USDA guidelines, that is; loads of fresh produce and a fair amount of protein but also, unfortunately, plenty of grains, legumes and dairy.

The vegan phase for me occurred about three years prior to Paleo and I cannot help but wonder if the huge consumption of gluten (via TVP, along with whatever breads, pastas and vegan treats I ate) helped tilt the scale of what I call my gluten tipping point so far off balance that I went from being mildly affected by daily GI distress to severe daily distress including trips to the ER and several gastroenterologists (not that they helped…at all!).

I supposed one might argue that this was actually a blessing in disguise as perhaps if I never became so ill that I feared to be too far from a restroom on a day to day basis, I may have viewed Paleo as being too radical and never gave it a try.

Needless to say, I am extremely grateful for having found Paleo as well as to Dr. Cordain for all his work, and now I only wish that so many people I know that aren’t Paleo would give it a try.  

Likely, you, too, know at least one person who may be in mild to severe distress over a health issue that could be at the very least alleviated by going Paleo to possibly completely remedied.

It’s a common question: how does convince someone else to change?   Sadly, there is no quick answer that I’m aware of and I’ve found that the best approach is simply to continue to lead by example and hopefully those close to you will be intrigued by your great energy, your glowing skin, your lean physique and your strong immune system.

Like this blog topic, all we can do is provide info to try to educate whomever might be interested and then leave it to them to decide if and when they’re ready.