As some of you know, I've been using the second half of my stay in NYC to try to eat a more vegan diet. I was never strict with it and ate non-vegan foods on several occasions (like during my trip to LA - no need to be that diva on set who needs her own special vegan everything. If it's good enough for the rest of the talent and crew, it's good enough for me).
But though I've eaten dairy and eggs here and there (I never really included honey as a non-vegan food, as I really don't believe that it's bad for the environment, or the bees, to eat honey) I've mainly avoided dairy and eggs in the interest of forcing myself to try new things and not just stick to my usual favorites.
I've definitely discovered some new faves, and had some fun thinking outside of the box, but I'm returning to lacto-ovo vegetarianism. While I'm going to try to include vegan foods more, and rely less on dairy (as in, not eat dairy four or five times per day), at this time I do not believe in the social restriction that's currently a given with veganism.
While a vegan diet may not be, in and of itself, restrictive in terms of food (though people often do use it as a mask or tool for restriction), it is unarguable that it does entail social restriction. If you're eating with your parents, going out with friends, in the dining hall, eating on an airplane, or heading for catering on a set, getting a fully vegan meal (that isn't just salad and fruit) requires special accommodation and is a heck of a lot more awkward/isolating/a hassle to yourself and others than if you eat a lacto-ovo diet. And, like anything else, I don't think the veg*n lifestyle needs to be taken to extremes - even just eating more vegan foods helps the environment and animals, you don't need to go whole hog.
So for me, trying to be a little more aware of eating as cruelty-free and carbon footprint-minimizing as I can, without inconveniencing others, is currently the best plan. Thus I will try to be aware of my dairy consumption, but I won't cut it out entirely (eggs, on the other hand, I think are easier to avoid and, though I'm not going to be extreme about it, I'll try to avoid them as much as possible - I'm not a fan of how they're produced).
Moving on...
I found a tasty new bar!
Sorry, Zone Perfect Bars (at least the Dark Chocolate Almond flavor they sent me to try) are not vegan, but they are lacto-vegetarian!
And pack a filling 12g of protein, as well as good amounts of several vitamins and minerals.
I was quite pleased when I opened the wrapper to find this super-dark chocolate bar inside. No chalky 'chocolate flavored protein bar' business here. This isn't chocolate flavored - it's actually chocolate.
And I was pleased the the outer chocolate coating had melted a bit in the heat (I think that soft, slightly melted chocolate tastes the best - just like slightly melted ice cream).
It's filled with more chocolate, crunchy soy nuggets, chocolate cookie pieces, and big almonds - YUM. The flavors are all spot on and it's a delightful treat.
These aren't the protein bars our parents grew up with. Because seriously? With bars like these there's no way protein bars would have that (persistent) reputation that they have of being less-than-delicious health food. With that reasoning, these taste so bad for you.
Have you tried Zone Perfect bars? What's your favorite flavor?
What are you most excited for this week?
What's your favorite nut? Almonds are pretty high up there for me, especially when paired with delicious dark chocolate!
Don't forget to enter my coconut oil giveaway!
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