Friday, September 27, 2013

plant based diet....aka Vegan.

so...I'm contemplating a change......a change in the way that I eat, and eventually maybe even the way my family eats.
for awhile know I've been looking into plant-based eating/raw foods....and for a girl that grew up on a dairy farm-I never thought I'd see the day.

I've always had some sort of animal on my plate, and I've always been told it's good for me.....but is it?

there are so many reasons to avoid animal consumption...the main ones being personal and environmental health. the animals we have available to eat now are not the same as years ago....evolution of the food chain....but does it really benefit us in the long run? big food companies have invested large sums of money in R&D in the hopes to produce inexpensive foods but still sell them at a high cost....bottom line is profit...and those big companies want it ALL!

in a nutshell they have found cheaper ingredients that aren't only void of any necessary nutrition for the human body...but these ingredients have the ability to trigger cravings in our body....almost mimicking the same effects as most hard drugs.

sickening isn't it?
....and what's even more disturbing....most of the meat we ingest is rotting inside your body as it's waiting to be digested! yum...?

now...don't get me wrong....i love steak, bbq chicken and ham at Easter...it's what i grew up on (especially being in a dairy farm) and what we perceive as "normal".

I'm trying to change my state of normal....I'm sure it will be a very hard thing to do....withdrawals from sugary and processed foods are much like withdrawals from drug dependency...headaches, low will power, irritable and so on....especially since I'm a "food addict"

a little while ago i watched a documentary called " Fat, sick and nearly Dead"...a man decided to document his journey from being fat,sick and nearly dead into a slim,healthy person....he did this thru juicing...for 60 days he did nothing but juice his "food". i was so inspired, i grabbed out my blender that had been gathering dust in the cupboard and went at it....though i only did it for 5 days....it was amazing......I was honestly impressed!

my skin looked better,clearer...i had energy....and the best thing wad i didn't have any major withdrawal symptoms that i thought i would have by only juicing.

people are kind of scared with juicing/vegan concept....
how do you get enough protein? simple...all veggies and even fruit contain protein....honest they do !
spinach contains 49% protein in a serving!....it's just plant protein instead of animal based...and this protein is much easier for your body to break down.

am I getting too much sugar? Yes and No. The sugars I'm getting are pure, unaltered sugar in it's natural state("white" sugar is bleached..)...but my juices are mainly veggie based...the fruit is just to add sweetness to the drink so it will be more palatable..
what about the fiber? I get fiber too....the "juicer" I use is a juicer/blender combo...so I still get some of the pulp into my juice...plus, I do eat other food...just going to be decreasing the processed kind...

The post above was one I started in the spring....I was sluggish, overweight (still am;) and feeling awful because of my food choices.

I would say that for a good portion of the summer, I remained a steadfast "vegan" (about 80/20)....for most/all of the day I would eat a full plant based menu...quinoa, greens, juices, salads, almonds, etc...but then once I started making my family dinner (which usually comprised of meat with veggies and such) I caved and had meat.
What I notice though, is that after the meat dinner...I am sluggish, tired and my tongue has a weird fuzzy feeling to it (honest!) and I usually have a headache......after my plant based meals...I wasn't "full", but I wasn't hungry, I had a ton of energy, my head was clear and I just overall felt great.


BUT...then WHY....when I know all this information about plant eating and how it makes me feel.....DO I GIVE IN AND EAT TERRIBLE! ugh....(as I sit in a chip and ice cream coma...yup, that's right)

So...for the MONTH of October I am going to try to go 100% VEGAN! Yup....I'll be going 31 days without eating meat, meat products, dairy, eggs (which is OK b/c 2 out of the 4 of the people in my house can't even EAT eggs due to allergies..)...luckily my family loves fruits and veggies, so the only thing I'll have to steer clear of is their dinner....

So....yet AGAIN I'm going to try and keep up with "tracking" my progress, with posts here at least twice a week!!
~happy (vegan) health~

Do you have any questions or thoughts about being Vegan?