Hi, friends! Today I’m excited (and oh so nervous) to share with you something that’s been on my mind heart for the last few months–my decision to change to a primarily plant-based diet. And while I was initially hesitant to share too much about it on the blog, I’m so glad that I decided to finally put all of my thoughts and feelings onto paper and to share them with you here. It’s actually been quite liberating to use this space as a source of inspiration and reflection, so I hope you’ll indulge me in this somewhat longer-than-normal post.
Before we jump into the content I want to clarify that my intent with this post is not to convert anyone to a plant-based diet, nor am I speaking out against meat. And I’ll be the first to tell you I’m no expert in the field of nutrition. However, as you’ll read below, as I started digging into some areas of health and nutrition for my own benefit, I began to realize that I was somewhat oblivious to the choices I was making in my diet and how those choices were affecting myself and others. So please go into this post with an open mind, and treat it as only one person’s account of the information out there. Use this post as encouragement to dig for and find your own answers, and to decide for yourself what kind of lifestyle change (if any) you want to make. Thanks for taking the time to read!
THE STORY // on how this happened.
This journey of mine with food and weight and health all started (unknowingly, I might add) when I decided to write my 101 in 1001 list earlier last year. As a part of my healthful goals section, I added “Eat the recommended serving of vegetables every day for 2 weeks” not thinking much about it, other than just wanting to feel healthier. I started my journey the same way every other person finds information nowadays–on the internet, by googling: What is the recommended serving of vegetables each day? And what I found surprisingly lead me down a path of more questions than answers.
The first hit brought up the traditional food pyramid, exceedingly similar to the one we were shown as kids, just with a slightly different delivery (a plate versus a pyramid). But what I wanted to know was: What really drives these recommendations? Was it nutrition and health? Or was it something else? And what about meat and dairy? I’ve always heard that Americans eat way too much of it, but the food pyramid didn’t seem to demand a change in this tendency. So something didn’t seem to add up and I just had to know why! Being a scientist, I dug a little deeper to find the answers out for myself.
Backing up a moment to a few months earlier, I had read a post by Jillian Harris, detailing her reasons on going vegan-ish. In her post, Jillian talked a lot about the influence Erin Ireland had on her lifestyle changes, which led me to watch this TEDx talk. In the talk, Erin discusses the bias in food media today–citing some pretty shocking statistics. In addition, she highlights just how serious of an issue our addiction to meat is in the Western world and how this addiction is adversely affecting several major issues we face as a human race–including disease and global warming. After watching her talk, I had to wonder, was there more to this debate that needed uncovering? And if so, why aren’t more people aware of it?
Fast forward to about a month ago when I had my annual physical. While at the appointment, I had the chance to ask my doctor about my personal health, as well as his thoughts on leading a more plant-based diet. Turns out, he had already made the change to a plant-based diet several years before! Knowing I was an engineer (and scientist at heart), he recommend I read The China Study and watch Forks Over Knives (available on Netflix), rather than just taking his word for it. I went home that night and immediately bought the book and qued up the documentary to watch. And I haven’t looked back since.
So why change? What’s the point? Turns out, plants are powerful healers. As you will find in The China Study (if you read it), the consumption of animal products (including dairy) is highly correlated with the major chronic diseases plaguing our world today, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. After careful consideration of their results in what is known as “the most comprehensive study of human nutrition ever conducted”, the authors concluded that leading a whole foods, plant-based diet has the ability to not only reduce the development of several of these diseases, but to even reverse their growth all together! Powerful, no? I mean really powerful. Let’s just sit on that for a moment.
In addition to the health benefits, there are also countless benefits to the environment and overall well-being of our Earth. I won’t get too much into animal cruelty and other environmental effects here, but after watching Forks Over Knives, I was hooked and went looking for even more documentaries I could watch to inform myself of the issues at hand. Mind you, I was well aware that most of these documentaries would be heavily-biased, but kept an open mind that I could still learn something from them and gain a new perspective from the experience. Luckily, Erin Ireland has a whole post dedicated to her favorite documentaries. I watched Vegucated and Food Inc. on Netflix next, and they only solidified my desire to change.
Again, I should qualify this entire post by saying I am not an expert, nor do I intend on becoming an expert. I just simply want to challenge you to ask the tough questions concerning diet, environment, health, and to be aware of the resources out there. I want you to find the answers for yourself and to decide what’s best for you and the world you hope to be a part of. Because after I stopped and asked myself the same questions, did a little digging, and saw how my choices were actually affecting myself, other people, the animals, and the environment, change was an inevitable next step for me. I’m not saying that everyone will change, nor that everyone should change. I’m simply asking that we start asking questions and becoming aware of how we affect this place we call home.
THE CHANGES // that I’ve made.
The changes I’ve made have been (honestly) pretty minimal, which was very surprising to someone who thought vegetarianism (no meat) and veganism (no animal products) were so very radical. Truth be told, I wasn’t a huge fan of meat before I started this journey, so it may have been easier for me than others. But I am a lover of chocolate and cheese, so those things have been harder for me to cut out of my day-to-day meals.
For me, it all comes down to minimizing my intake of meat and animal products. I’m under no illusion that I can completely eliminate them from my diet over night. From the start, I have aimed to make deliberate and practical changes to my diet and lifestyle that are sustainable (and not fleeting like most diets we see in today’s world). My thought process was as follows: If I really wanted to change the way I interacted with food (and indirectly the Earth), I needed to set myself up for success, even if that meant just aiming for little success along the way to larger ones. And so I took little steps here and there. And I’m still taking strides towards my final goal…and figuring out what that “final” goal looks like! Because honestly, what is “final”? Life is a journey and we are constantly learning and growing as we go along, right?
In my opinion, minimizing my impact on the environment and maximizing my health comes down to a decision, really. When given a choice between something with meat and something plant-based, I simply choose to order (or prepare) whichever option is plant-based and loaded it to the brim with fresh vegetables. For me, phrasing the decision as a choice between two delicious options (one with meat and one with plants) takes away the feeling that I’m eliminating meat from my diet. Instead it is phrased in such a way that makes me feel as though I am getting exactly what I want. (Like choosing between chicken and beef, but instead between chicken and heirloom squash!)
To make this transition easier, I stocked my fridge full with a good variety of vegetables and fruit, and my pantry with plenty of whole grains and nuts. That way when I’m hungry, I only have whole-grain, plant-based foods to choose from, instead of the highly processed snack foods most of us are accustomed to. I’ve also started to drink more water on a daily basis, which keeps me hydrated and full between meals, as well as helping to remove any toxins from my body.
As an added challenge, I’ve started going out on a weekly dinner in the city with some of my best girl friends to try as many new restaurants as I can while in Houston. To keep me from choosing options which may be more firmly rooted in habit than in actual desire (e.g. choosing chicken fajitas because it’s what I always get), I look up the menus ahead of time and scope out all the best plant-based options. If I am truly craving something with meat, I look for ways in which I can make these meals more heavily-weighted toward plants by adding in all vegetables sides or only asking for 1/2 the meat. And if a veggie entree is sprinkled with bacon or another meat, I simply ask for it without and save on the calories! When I’m looking for some extra protein, I add in boiled eggs or quinoa instead. Unhealthy options shouldn’t be made because you didn’t have the time to make an informed decision given all the options (not too unlike informed political voting, but let’s not get into that here :P). If I do want meat (and I occasionally will eat it!), I just make sure that I really appreciate every morsel of it and don’t waste any of it. Love the environment and appreciate the sacrifices that were made to feed you.
I’ve also made it a goal of mine to try new foods when I have the chance, and switching to a plant-based diet surprisingly makes that so much easier! Cactus salsa, yes! Butternut squash and spinach enchiladas, yes yes! You won’t know if you don’t like something until you try it. Adding variety into my plant-based diet has been the saving grace of sticking with it. It gives me excitement and energy when approaching each meal as the next best thing I’ve ever tasted.
THE RESULTS // that I’ve seen.
So after all this talk of going plant-based, what results have I seen? Well for lack of a better way of putting this…overall, my body just feels better. Healthier. Lighter. More at peace with itself.
I haven’t seen a huge loss of weight (darn!) but just in general my body feels happier (if a body can feel so). I’ve also been much more regular (if you know what I mean), which has been a HUGE issue for me since as far back as I can remember. After seeing several doctors about my digestive issues (with no lasting solution in sight), eating a more plant-based diet has actually been one of the most helpful solutions yet! Eating beans (and carrots with hummus) on a daily basis has made all the difference, and is something I would highly recommend trying if you have similar issues.
I’m also planning on getting another blood test at the end of the summer to see just how well (and fast) a plant-based diet can change your health for the better. As a scientist, I’m not one to simply take other people’s word for it. I’m particularly interested to see how my cholesterol and overall vitamin levels are affected by the change.
MY THOUGHTS // overall.
Overall, given all the facts and changes I’ve been able to make in a little over a month, my goal is to simply minimize the burden on my body and on the Earth. That means that I’m not delusional in thinking I can cut out all meat and animal products over night, or that I even want to. It’s just that I want to be more intentional about what I am putting into my body and also how these choices affect other people, animals, and the health of our home (Earth). So while I won’t be giving up cheese any time soon, I will actively seek to minimize my intake of it and to truly appreciate and cherish it when I do choose to have it. And especially to not be wasteful with it. Can you believe that 10 gallons of milk go into making 1 lb of cheese. Think about that!!
I’m also aware that I can’t completely cut out my meat cravings after 26 years of fostering them. So when I was craving a beef taco the other week, I minimized my impact by ordering 1 beef taco and 2 vegetable tacos instead of all 3 with meat. And you know what?! My craving was satisfied without needing all the extra meat. Another life hack on minimizing meat intake? Order half the meat and double the veggies on your sandwich at the deli. You’ll still get the same flavors you are used to, but with a fraction of the meat.
One of the recurring thoughts I had while watching each of these documentaries was: How big of a difference can I really make? I’m just one person on this Earth. If I cutout meat, there are still tens of thousands of other people who are consuming ALL the meat! So what could I do to change anything? And as if the producers could hear me from the other side of the screen, my question was answered within the next 10 minutes. Think about it this way: Every time an item at the grocery store crosses the scanner, you are making a vote. A vote for what products you support and what kinds of products you want to see more of. So every time I’m at the store, I’m voting for better animal treatment and a higher variety of vegetables. And that vote counts! Just look at how quickly the organic sections are growing at your local super market. The companies are listening, they are! We just have to take initiative and voice our opinions every time we go.
At any rate, if you’ve made it this far in the article, (thank you for reading!) I hope it’s given you some food for thought (pun intended). I’m excited to see where this journey takes me and how my thoughts and perceptions about food and the food industry continue to evolve. Again, I am by no means an expert on any of this, but thought that by sharing my insight and my journey with you here that it may inspire others (you!) to learn and research a path that works for them as well. I’ve linked all my favorite resources to date below if you are interested in reading more!
What about you? What are your thoughts on going plant-based?
THE RESOURCES // that I’ve used.
Books – The China Study, Eat To Live
Blog Posts – Erin Ireland (her story, TEDx talk, best documentaries), Jillian Harris (her story part 1 and part 2, tips for vegetarian beginners, tips for going plant-based)
Recipes – Minimalist Baker (Cookbook), Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. (Cookbook), What’s Gaby Cooking (she’s got some insanely good salads)
Some of my favorite recipes:
Watermelon-Avocado-Cucumber-Salad
See my Plant-Based Pinterest board for more inspiration.
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