Gastronomy and Going Vegan
By Faiza Zia Khan
Newport Beach, CA
After the holiday season allowing excessive gluttony settle down in my body was a task of epic proportions. I also experienced withdrawal symptoms that made me crave all the yummyiness my body endured during that time. The desserts, the gourmet food, the treats. Ah! Bring back the holidays. Okay enough with the reminiscing – this is 2020.
While we enjoyed the holiday feasting I found a few friends bringing on to me some piece of news that was surprising and refreshing at the same time. They had decided to go Vegan. For some this may not be a life-changing event, but for those who thrive on meat as a staple in their diets - it is revolutionary indeed. I asked them being of Pakistani heritage how are they coping with this major lifestyle change as the Pakistani culture prides itself on being a meat-based culture. They said it was an uphill battle but with discipline and consistent efforts they want to stay the course and continue with the changes they have made. More power to them as it is a good step towards wellness.
In India and other South-Asian countries there exists a diverse range of cultural eating habits depending on geography, ethnicity, religion, and economy. Broadly, the different variations in styles of diet are: meatarians, pescetarians, vegetarians, vegans.
There is a huge push towards Veganism in California. With fast food franchises touting plant-based meat substitutes such as Beyond Meat, Gardein, and Impossible burgers veganism is revolutionizing the way we eat meat.
In my search to solve the myths surrounding these gastronomical trends not in any particular order, I discovered there are five types of Vegans: ethical, plant-based, raw, High Carb Low Fat (HCLF) and environmentally conscious. Vegans do not eat dairy products, eggs or any other products that are derived from animals. There are different types of vegetarians such as the Lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but avoid eggs and ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy products. Pescetarians consume “Fruits-de-mer” or fruits of the sea which is primarily seafood in addition to plant-based products. Meatarians, well the name explains it all - everything that is edible goes and sky is the limit.
Why is there a sudden drive towards these gastronomical trends? With food becoming a science instead of a means of survival and the focus on health and wellness there is a major shift in the thought processes. Instead of losing weight and becoming slimmer or thinner the focus is more on becoming healthier and fit, both mentally and physically. I remember the time when the Slimfast shakes in late 80s were the ultimate diet plan. The 90s saw the advent of the Atkins diet (no carbs, all protein) and then we lost track with the onslaught of juice cleanses, the Paleo diet, the Gluten-free diets, the Ketogenic/Keto diet, and more recently, the intermittent fasting diet. In tandem with the focus on healthy eating there is an increase in wellness methodologies.
I personally attended a wellness weekend at a posh resort just a few miles from my house where I checked into the program Friday evening and left refreshed, rejuvenated and reinvented on Sunday evening. I will give you a short synopsis of what I experienced during the wellness weekend and as I had never been to one went in with low expectations. Previously, I had visited yoga retreats/ ashrams locally and in Thailand where waking up to a sunrise and performing yoga on the beach with the sound of waves as background music out was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. I thought this would be something along the same lines. The chosen venue for the wellness weekend was at a local scenic resort overlooking the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. I personally chose a wellness weekend exclusively packaged for females only. Choice offerings for wellness weekends generally include men and/or couples only, but I opted for the female only choice.
When I checked in the resort on Friday evening I was showered, hair and make-up in place with a nice smart casual attire and sensible mules on my feet. There were 300 female attendees from all walks of life and all female staff that ran the wellness weekend. The instruction booklet provided prior called to pack for at least five changes of athletic and active gear and have two pairs of either running shoes or converse and beach shoes. There were no specific instructions on what to wear outside of the wellness activities so I packed semi-casual attire.
Once there I learned this weekend was not about looking pretty on the outside as it focused on making you beautiful on the inside. After the first activity my makeup bag was shoved far into the hotel dresser and did not see light of day until I came back home and unpacked. Over all there were 350 wellness activities to choose from. There were sleep enhancement modules, deep calming rituals, Acutonics, fitness, and, of course, weight loss modules. From Acupuncture to Metaphysical activities including tarot card and clairvoyant reading were on the menu. It felt as if I was in a Wellness Disneyland for the fitness enthusiasts. I could do all 350 activities should my body and mind allowed me too or none at all and just sit in the luxury of my beautiful hotel suite - the choice was mine. What really blew me away was the way food and nutrition was structured. There was a vegan buffet that included all delights from appetizers and soups to desserts and aperitifs all in Vegan mode. A vegetarian buffet, a pescetarian buffet and a full meatarian buffet to cater to the palettes of the meat lovers. Once there I found that personally I was not drawn towards food albeit there were over-the-top varieties and quantities available at all times.
These wellness weekends could get pricey depending on the location. If it is a fancy resort then expect fancy resort prices and add the price of the wellness to those prices. Overall I was very impressed with how motivated I felt after this experience and highly recommend this to everyone to try this at least once in their life time.
(Faiza Zia Khan holds a Master’s in Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has collaborated with news media outlets including Global National and actively volunteers for several community investment projects for the Red Cross, United Way and the Breast Cancer Foundation)
