Plant-Based Diet

Food science fascinates me. I love to watch all of the food documentaries. The first one I ever watched was "Forks Over Knives".  I only watched it because my brother recommended it to me, but once I watched it my outlook on food completely changed. And this was just after my mom had her heart attack and I decided to make a change in my diet.

That night I told Alex all about what I learned from the documentary. He decided then and there to give up meat. This was a huge deal for him because he loves steaks and burgers. Well, it's been 3 months since he made that decision and he hasn't had any beef, chicken, turkey or pork. He still eats fish every once in awhile. Can't give up that sushi.

The kids and I still eat chicken, but I no longer buy or cook beef or pork. This is a major lifestyle change for us. I used to buy pork chops in bulk and we'd eat it about 2-3 times a week. I'm not against the kids eating beef or pork, we just don't have it at home. Since we stopped eating so much meat I've felt so much healthier. I used to get stomachaches quite often but they've since stopped. I made a huge mistake last week when I foolishly ate a polish sausage at a social event. Ugh. Lesson learned.

It's a process trying to figure out how to eat a mostly plant-based diet. Luckily for me I have knowledgeable vegetarian/vegan friends who have been extremely helpful. I've discovered some great vegetarian recipes, bought a juicer and am figuring out the best way to get protein outside of animals products. Yesterday I made a vegetarian chili with lentils, red bell peppers and kidney beans. It's delicious. And we didn't even miss the meat.

A few days ago I watched, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". Once again I found it on Hulu and was intrigued because my mom just bought us the juicer. This is where I discovered the "Plant-Based Dietitian's Food Guide Pyramid". I'd been looking for something to base my diet on, and I truly believe this is the kind of diet that is best for me. I knew that consuming mostly grains would be bad for me. 

What I love about the changes we're making is that we can still eat delicious foods. I feel healthier. My kids are eating healthier. We are making better choices in general in our diets. Veggies actually get eaten instead of going bad in the fridge. We are also eating less processed food. It was a gradual change, like we didn't even notice it. One thing I did notice was that since we've been eating better we've had less garbage in the bin. Less processed foods, less boxes/containers.

Today I watched "Vegucated". I have no interest in becoming vegan, but I do believe in the plant-based diet. And though I do agree with a lot in this documentary, my reasons aren't about ethics, though the footage definitely turned my stomach. So don't worry. I'm not on a mission to get folks to stop eating red meat. Mostly because ribs are delicious. :) And if you had asked me 5 years ago, or even 5 months ago, if I could ever give up red meat, I would have laughed at you.

Now I have to take down my "Eat More Bacon" sign in my kitchen. ;)

Here are some links if you're interested in more info:

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead
Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritarian Pyramid
Forks Over Knives
Plant-Based Diet for Beginners