We've talked about veganism and raw food here on Vitamin G, and I've admitted to dabbling my toe in the water a bit. I could never be a full-fledged vegan, for many reasons, but a part-timer? I think, yes. Turns out, there's a new eating trend that more people are embracing. It's called before-dinner veganism...

The Times Online recently reported on a new trend, which was hatched, in part, New York Times columnist and bestselling author Mark Bittman (who I happen to think is pretty much genius) in Food Matters.

Here's what he says about his vegan-before-dinner plan: "You don't eat any, or much, in the way of animal products or processed food during the day. At night you eat what you want," he explains. "In some ways it's stricter than veganism in that there's no junk allowed. In others it's easier--in coffee is acceptable, and breaking the rules occasionally is okay. The basic line is this: no matter how you do it, you [and the planet] will benefit if you eat a higher proportion of plants and a lower proportion of everything else."

It's an interesting concept, isn't it?

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a low-fat vegan diet can lead to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, and that's without exercise. But let's face it, very few people can manage to go full-fledged vegan (and, many health experts have concerns about purely vegan diets--see what Body by Glamour nutritionist Rachel Beller had to say on this topic), so that's why I like Bitman's plan. It's a doable and non-rigid way to eat more whole foods during the day.

What do you think of part-time veganism?

More thinking on raw and vegan:

*The stars that go vegan to lose weight

*Alicia Silverstone's tips for eating raw


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