one Vegan day 2018 has ended. Thanks to everyone who joined in!
My 40th birthday is coming up on October 19th, and I decided I want to use it to have an impact. As I’ve shared before, I’m plant-based (aka Vegan), and have found it to be so valuable for my health, not to mention my wallet. As I approach my fourth year of avoiding eating animal products, I have also come to understand and value the ecological and humane aspects of my dietary choices, too. So it was sort of a no-brainer that I would choose being Vegan as my focus for the challenge I’d like to put out there for my birthday.
Here’s the Ask
On October 19th, 2018, eat nothing that comes from an animal.
That means no meat (I mean that broadly, whether that is beef, pork, poultry, fish, etc), no dairy (yes, all you Bulletproof Coffee lovers, that means no butter in your coffee), no eggs, no honey, no gelatin (for example, no eating Jell-O).
You could ask, if I care about it, why only challenge people to do it for a day. Well, there are two reasons. First, I don’t know many people who would accept the challenge for the rest of their life cold turkey.
Second, and most importantly, this is how I became Vegan, and how my book, Do a Day, got its name. See, I was reading Rich Roll‘s autobiography, Finding Ultra, and he challenges the reader to try it. I had been making all kinds of excuses about why it would be too hard, but in that moment, I realized I could do anything for a day. And if it was too hard to do for a second day, then I wouldn’t. But whether it was or wasn’t hard on day two, three or 4,000 wasn’t relevant to whether I could do it on the first day. So I said out loud, “I can do a day.”
Boom.
Share it on Twitter!
Let There Be Prizes!
If we get at least 40 people to participate, I’m going to make things exciting with prizes! I’ll pick three winners from the best food pics to choose one of the following great books:
- Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
- Eat & Run by Scott Jurek
- Run Fast. Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky
And each winner will get a personally-signed copy of my best-selling first book, Do a Day, from me.
How to Play
If you want to participate, here’s what you need to do:
- Enter your name and email address below
- Don’t eat any animal products on October 19th
- Take photos of your meals that day and post them on Instagram, tagging @bryanfalchuk and use hashtag #doaday
Sign up is now closed as the event has passed.
Here are Tips to Make it Easier
Soup!
Breakfast
- You can have cereal with almond, soy, cashew or coconut milk (for example. I always suggest people get the unsweetened variety as these milks can be very high in sugar (as can regular milk). I also love vanilla versions of it for an added bit of flavor. Works great in coffee, too! My go-to brand is 365 Organic, Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.
- Like bagels? Most plain bagels are vegan. Love cream cheese? I’ve tried a bunch of vegan ones, and my absolute favorite is Kite Hill, which comes in lots of great flavors (I love the Jalepeño version, if you’re up for a little spice).
- Are you a breakfast meat kind of person? Hilary’s makes some great vegan breakfast sausage.
- Or just go for fruit. Pick your favorite fresh fruit(s), and go nuts! Literally. Have some nuts, too.
- If you like protein shakes, know that most are not vegan. A couple of vegan brands you can check out are Garden of Life and Vega. I personally use Garden of Life and a brand called Skoop.
Lunch
- One of my go-to meals (for all three meals, actually), is what I call Quinoa Lentil Veggies. It’s not creatively named, but it’s easy to make, nutritious, filling and tasty. Basically, take a half cup of quinoa, a half cup of lentils, two cups of water (and another splash for good measure), then throw in whatever veggies you have around and want in there. I often add mixed frozen veggies. Add whatever spices you like (I often add sea salt, cayenne and some herbs), and simmer it until the quinoa is cooked. You’ll have at least 2-3 servings. If you want to take it up a notch, add in some kimchi.
- A great place to go for lunch if you have them around you is B.Good. My friend Chris Fuqua is the CEO, and he is in on this challenge (Hi, Chris!). They have some great bowls, salads and veggie burger options.
- I’ve actually found most restaurants have vegan or vegetarian menus or options if you ask. If they’re vegetarian, just be sure to skip the cheese, and ask that nothing is cooked in butter.
- Staying home? Hilary’s also makes fantastic veggie burgers. if you want a meat-like burger, there are two incredible options, the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat.
Dinner
- My lunch options all work well for dinner, too.
- I love roasted veggies. They’re yummy, filling and SO easy to make. Just clean them, cut them, rub them in olive oil, sea salt and herbs, and roast them (often 350-375 for 30-45 minutes). I often go with sweet potatoes, zucchini portobello mushrooms, onions, carrots, Brussels sprouts and beets. Check out this post I did withs some pics of the finished product.
- Some fun side-dish options are rutabaga chips and kale chips. Check out my recipes with those links.
