As some of you know, it has now been about a year and a half
since I went to a mostly plant based / vegan diet. When I first started I kept it pretty
modified and still ate most dairy items and still had eggs though I cut the
amount down. But the last 8 months I
have cut out milk and eggs and have cut down even more on cheese. I am continually cutting the cheese down even
now and plan to go completely plant based.
Sometimes it can probably be a nuisance for family and
friends when we get together because they are concerned what I will
eat. I have found it not difficult at
all to find food no matter what the situation is. Many times I will offer to bring food with
me to help reduce their “stress” and when we go out there are always options…
sometimes you just have to be creative.
Even now I still get the “Wow! Why?” or the “I could never do
that.” or “How do get protein?” I will
admit when I first contemplated making the move to plant based all of those
were thoughts I had and specifically I was concerned about my protein
intake. I weigh generally around 210-215
and feared I would not get an adequate amount of protein to suit my lifestyle. I did a lot of research before committing and
was surprised how many fruits and vegetables contained protein. Not to mention beans, legumes and nuts which are loaded with protein. Getting my daily protein needs met has never
been an issue since making the switch.
So why did I do it?
The answer to that question is actually pretty simple. I was going through some medical issues and
was tired a lot. My wife was talking
about trying it out as well, so having my spouse joining, made the decision an
easy one (misery loves company right). I
remember we decided on a Sunday and for dinner that night cooked up all our
remaining chicken in the freezer as a one last hurrah meal. The original plan was to try it out for 3-6
months but as 3 months past and 6 months past I continued to feel great and
wanted to continue. Little did I know that
on that particular Sunday, I would be changing my lifestyle forever.
The “I could never do that” honestly held me back from
trying it sooner. I had contemplated
trying it for months before actually making the commitment. I was under the belief that I could never
give up my chicken or fish and I made protein shakes with milk daily. This just wasn’t going to happen and I would
not enjoy eating. Well, I can say that this has turned out completely opposite. I love food and I love eating and I love it
more now. I have tried foods that I
would never have before and foods that I thought I didn’t like have become some
of my favorites. I have never missed any
meat nor do I feel like I am missing out on anything either.
And those medical issues that got me thinking about this in
the first place are more structural and the way I am built. Sadly neither diet nor exercise can change it
but I will say that my blood pressure has dropped several points and my resting
heart rate has lowered. According to my
eye doctor my eyes have improved both in vision and internal physical
appearance. He was able to lower my
prescription that I have had since I was 18.
Physically the dark circles under my eyes have improved. It however has not changed the amount of grey
hair in my goatee (I thank my children for that).
Overall I would say I feel awesome. I have more energy than I did when I started
and I recover faster from my workouts. My
sleep has been deeper and less restless as well. I am not here telling you that you need to
convert to a plant based eater but rather share what I have experienced. I would however recommend giving it a try and
see for yourself. If you truly can’t, then
I ask you to at least give it a try once or twice a week.
Let me know how you feel if you do try it.
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