When I decided to transition to vegan eating, I knew there would be questions, and eye rolls, and comments about the healthiness of eating this way. I'm am surprised, however, how quick people are to judge or discredit this way of eating. Being vegan is nothing new - at least not to me. I have a few friends who are vegetarian and two who are vegan, and it's always intrigued me as to why people become vegan.
The question I get most often is "why vegan?" Firstly, it's not like I just woke up one morning and said "I think I'll be vegan today." I will agree that it's a pretty extreme way of eating - at least to meat eaters. My journey started in 2015. My mother in law was losing weight at a rapid rate, and I wondered what she was doing. She introduced me to the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Her chiropractor introduced the book to her. Dr. Fuhrman believes that we should be eating the most nutrient dense foods in order to live our healthiest life possible. His diet is referred to a Nutritarian diet. The basic principles are to eat two pounds of vegetables per day (one pound cooked, one pound raw), four servings of fruit, one cup of whole grains or starchy vegetables, one cup of beans or lentils, a small amount of nuts, and flaxseed. The diet does not allow for eating meat, dairy, processed foods, oil, caffeine, sugar or salt. He recommends following this strict regime for a minimum of six weeks, and then you can reintroduce some occasional meat (chicken/fish), if you so desire.
At the time, I was feeling really badly about the way I physically felt and looked. I wanted to lose weight, and this seemed easier than counting calories. The six weeks seemed to take forever, but I did end up losing 20 pounds by the end. My meals consisted of a breakfast smoothie (filled with fresh and frozen fruit, 100% fruit juice (no sugar added) and unsweetened almond milk), the worlds largest salad (no dressing) for lunch, and a plate of steamed veggies for dinner - sometimes with a side of sweet potatoe or whole grain rice. I was never hungry, I will give him that... but, other than the smoothie, I pretty much hated everything I was eating... as did my stomach and bowels. I also developed serious TMJ issues with my jaw, as a result of the extensive amount of chewing. At the end of the six weeks, I gave up and reverted back to my old way of eating.
Since then, I've continued to struggle with my weight. Earlier this year, I decided to look into a few different diets, and in April I landed on trying the Keto diet. It worked really well. The weight and inches just fell of, and I loved the food I was eating. Something just didn't feel right though. I was never at peace with how I was eating, and I constantly worried I was harming myself more than I was helping. I read testimonials from people who cured all their ailments through Keto, and who felt amazing. I never did. I felt ok.. until I didn't. My stomach did not like the increased amount of fat, and eventually my hair started falling out. In July, my husband and I planned a quick vacation to Las Vegas. While I was determined to stay Keto, it became apparent very quickly that Keto was going to be a difficult lifetime commitment. I also noticed, as I reintroduced carbs to my diet, that my stomach issues resolved. When we got home, I switched to a Carb Cycling diet where you alternate low-carb and high-carb days, and have a "free" day every Sunday to eat whatever you want. This seemed appealing to me, as it seemed to offer some flexibility in what I ate, and having a specific "cheat" day allowed me to have things I was craving that may otherwise be off diet. I followed this until the end of August when we went on our family Disney vacation. What happened then? Disney = food... lots and lots of food... lots and lots of not-good-for-you food.
Once again, I found myself eating badly, lacking in motivation to get to the gym, and, quite frankly, depressed about the way I've been taking care of myself, or lack thereof. I'm tired all the time, my stomach hurts, and I have a headache mostly every day. I find myself eating healthy all day until I get home, and then everything falls apart. I needed some motivation and then it hit me. Two of the healthiest people I know (my co-worker and my massage therapist) are vegan. Maybe this was the solution I've been looking for? I started reading books, watching documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Earthlings (don't watch this unless you plan to never eat meat again)) and listening to podcasts (Oprah's Super Soul Conversations). Things started to click. I started to notice that my stomach hurts after eating meat or cheese.
I decided to come up with a plan to ensure my success. I decided to cleanse my body by starting with six weeks of Eat to Live, followed by a vegan (whole foods plant based) diet. I hated Eat to Live before, but it's because I'm not a great cook and wanted things easy. This time around, I am trying to make it better by meal planning. Sundays will be my cooking/prep day where I will make a large batch of soup or chili for my lunches during the week, and make some sort of casserole that can be reheated for my dinners. I want things to taste good, otherwise it will be torture and I'll give up.
I will admit, while my decision to move to vegan was initially a health-based decision, after watching the documentary Earthlings, my decision is becoming more and more about the animals. I recommend watching it if you're having trouble committing to a vegetarian or vegan diet. I also recommend the Oprah's Super Soul Conversations podcast on the 8 Pillars of Health. Both of these may change your life.
~ Alisa ~
