Apologies for taking so long to get back to the site, but we do plan to start to put some regular posts up that we hope will be of interest to you, our readers. Since the flood we have continued the diet and have remained almost completely compliant to the low fat vegan path. At home we are completely oil-free, and we seldom eat out except when traveling. We’ve found that, for us at least, a certain amount of stress ensues when at a restaurant trying to maintain the completely oil-free profile. After worrying about this for a few months, we decided it might be OK to just make the healthiest choice available. What that translates to is almost always completely vegan and trying to keep the oil, if any, to a minimum.  (Remember: This is a narrative about our choice – not a recommendation!)

What we are finding is that there are more and more vegan choices on menus every day. Not all are suitable, of course. We try to stay away from anything with high calories, especially, and we always ask about oil and if any the type of oil used. Some recent studies have come out that would seem to indicate that the type of oil makes a lot of difference. Specifically, it appears that the amount of processing the oil has undergone may be very important.

But it is important to remember that even vegans can be unhealthy. There are choices, and they are choices. We may be somewhat saved by the fact that we seldom eat out (especially with COVID!), but we did lose a little ground during our 2019 trip overseas when we were “settling” a bit too much. Like anything in life, you have to find that happy balance that keeps you out of trouble but doesn’t take the fun away!

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We love to travel and do so quite often, so we were a little nervous about how to make the diet work on a trip. Our recent trip to Cleveland was a perfect test case to see how things would work out.

First, the breakfasts: Most hotels now offer complimentary breakfast, usually a breakfast bar with lots of choices, but sadly most are not on our low fat plant-based diet program. However, we found that it was possible everywhere we stayed on our recent trip to find fresh oatmeal or at least a good cereal that could be enjoyed with a little almond milk. Fruit varies, but most chains have at least some fresh fruit, and of course tea and juice (just be careful with the sugar!), so it is usually possible to get enough to eat that will get you off to a healthy start.

Lunch/Dinner: This is a hit and miss process. What we recommend is that you speak with the cook – or at least someone who can get your message across. We had enjoyed a good Mother’s Day lunch a few weeks before at Eclipse di Luna in Atlanta, where the chef prepared a special meal to our specifications. So the trick was to find similar places with an easy to deal with kitchen staff.

Dr. Esselstyn had provided us with some tips around the clinic, and we found a great meal at the California Pizza Kitchen in Lyndhurst to get started. Over the weekend, we had another good meal in Medina and found an extremely helpful chef at Coastal Taco in the Cleveland Flats. We ended the trip with a brunch at The Root Cafe in Lakewood, a trendy vegan restaurant where they are happy to comply with an oil-free diet.

Bottom line: even a chain will sometimes work with you. We recently explained our situation to the manager at the local P.F. Chang’s, and they created an amazing dish for us!

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Our previously flooded dining room.

Our worst fears were realized when our son went to check things out and found the entire main level of our home sitting in 4″ of water. No more writing for us – our days were consumed working with the insurance company and various contractors, picking out new flooring, paint, cabinets and a whole host of other totally unexpected tasks.

We stayed in temporary housing, kept long and unhealthy hours and and ate off schedule. Finally, we are back at home, an almost new home after repairs totaling over $165,000! Kudos to Allstate Insurance, who handled everything with hardly a hiccup.

But, how about the diet? Even with all the turmoil, we were able to stay pretty closely on our diet throughout it all. As the old saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way!”

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