Making Love in the Kitchen

Become a vegan for five days and have better sex. That’s just one of the many advantages suggested by Meghan Telpner, certified nutritionist and author of ‘Making Love in the Kitchen’, a column on the National Post’s The Appetizer blog.Telpner is encouraging readers to take up that aforementioned challenge and try out her online vegan program from September 15th to September 19th. It may or may not make you skinnier but Telpner believes it will make you healthier and educate you on how to improve your lifestyle by making better food choices. Below, she discusses the benefits of eating whole foods and how you can join her program.

Q: Why are you encouraging people to go vegan for five days?

A: For one, it’s better for their health and the environment. It’s not to convert anyone; it’s just about incorporating more vegetables into their lives. Five days is a manageable amount of time. It’s not too little, but it’s enough so you get to experience how to be a vegan at work and when you go to a restaurant.

Q: Basically, vegan means not only a meatless diet but no animal by-products either like dairy and eggs. Are you asking people to essentially eat like a rabbit for a week minus the pellets?

A: It’s not salad for every meal as some might imagine, it’s really satisfying food and it’s food that’s high in protein. You eat things like beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. I also encourage people to use lots of spices.

Q: How does this five-day vegan program work?

A: It begins with a tutorial I provide participants with on-line. It costs $12 and you receive a link where you can download the guide – an e-booklet of 40 plus pages, which includes the full program. It discusses reasons to go vegan, meal plans, shopping lists, recipes and exercises. The recipes I provide are not complicated.
Throughout the five days, I will be blogging about vegan food, and I’ll be addressing challenges like eating at restaurants. As well, I will coach through Twitter, giving tips on vegan food. It’s group supported, so people can post comments and give each other ideas. I’ll also be responding to people’s posts. Having a group makes people more accountable. Click here to find out more about the 5-day vegan tutorial.

Q: What’s the goal of this vegan challenge?

A: I want people to come out with an awareness of how much meat they consume and how it makes them feel. I want them to know what a meat-free meal looks like. I think we’ve been raised with this idea that a meal needs some sort of meat.

Q: For people who love meat – what’s in it for them? Why would they want to go on your diet?

A: First, I never refer to something as a diet. I’m simply educating people towards a whole foods lifestyle that’s as unprocessed as possible.

Q: What are the benefits of this non-diet, vegan lifestyle you’re recommending?

A: People should notice more regular bowel movements. An increase in plant-based foods means more antioxidants, phytonutrients and fibre. What they will get is boosted immune function, more energy and more hydration. They will also have clearer skin and better sex.

Q: Are you saying vegans do it better than carnivores?

A: I’m just saying you have better sex because Word WorWoyour blood flow is better when you’re a vegan.

Q: What sort of challenges can people expect to face taking on a diet of this kind?

A: Some people will probably have cravings – even if it’s just something like cheese. The biggest craving is likely to be salt, especially if you’re used to processed food, which contains a lot of salt.

Q: Why do people need to do your program at all? Can’t they simply stop eating meat and try it out on their own?

A: A lot of people don’t do vegetarian properly. They eat pasta, bread and cheese. We’re accustomed to food being instant but it can take more planning to eat well. People need to make sure they’re getting enough whole grain like quinoa, brown rice and millet.

This interview has been edited and condensed.