action plan

Last year we began our journey by introducing more plant based foods into our diets. We also made an conscious effort to stay away from genetically modified foods, packaged/canned foods with all kinds of preservatives, chemicals, unnatural flavorings, BPA, and all the other things your body has no idea what to do with. We also didn't want the extra hormones (to make animals grow fatter faster) and antibiotics (because the conditions are so bad the animals are sick), both ingredients commonly found in mass produced animal product.

Through our learnings we began eating more and more of a plant based diet. Not all the time, it was more like a here - and - there approach. We looked at it like a game, another a challenge for us.

We knew we could never follow strict vegetarian diet because we loved it all- meat, fish, poultry. And there was no way a total vegan diet would work for either. We loved milk, eggs and especially cheese. We were not going to deprive ourselves, after all life is short enough and you have to enjoy it while you can. Well once again, I have learned, to never, say never.

We tried many new foods we never heard of, and had no clue what to do with (quinoa, tempeh, kale, sea veggies, flax seeds, rice milk). We were having a blast - wow, this stuff was yummy. We tried meat substitutes, vegan cheese, and always bought a ton of produce. We weren't perfect and still ate burgers and cheese, but at least we were trying. That had to count for something. We noticed by the year end we ate less animals product...it just kinda happened.

So, this is why in January 2010 we decided to make a more conscious effort to eat a plant based diet 90% of the time. It's amazing that someone like me who loves burgers, fried food, and generally grew up trying to avoiding all veggies, has switched to a plant based diet. And to be honest, it wasn't really as difficult as we thought it would be - maybe because we wanted it so bad. It's true - the more healthy food you eat- the more you crave it. I actually enjoy dehydrated kale, and the other day I couldn't get enough quinoa beet salad.

At this point I'm not saying I will never have steak, milk or eggs again. Who knows, maybe one day I won't, and in a few years I will be consuming a plant based diet 100% of the time. I guess only time will tell.

the plant based diet

This blog is dedicated to a new way of life for my husband and I - consuming a diet of plant based foods. I dislike the word “vegan,” as people just look at you as if you are totally insane. I was one of those people. Why did people throw a label on themselves saying they were “vegetarian” (eating no meat, poultry, fish, etc) or even worse yet, those “vegans” (eating no animal product whatsoever - meat, milk, eggs, cheese, diary, etc.). I thought these people just needed attention in one way or another. And come on, living on that type of diet just couldn't be healthy. Where do you get your protein? We need tons of protein, right? And all those "got milk" advertisements - we need milk or how else are we to get our calcium? I was like the rest of the population - uninformed and uneducated about a plant based diet. What I was about to learn in the next year drastically changed my beliefs.

According to some people, being a true vegan is just not eating a plant based diet itself- it's an entire life style change. No leather shoes, no make up that has been tested on animals, no animal based product in any household item - period. That's just not me - I'm not claiming to be a hero by any means.

I think most vegetarians/vegans have a huge compassion for the welfare and treatment of animals. This plays into major part of why they choose this way of eating. God bless those souls. Again, that's just not me. I now have a greater awareness of the unnecessary animal cruelty that exists in the US - and believe me it is unimaginable. Most Americans have no idea what goes on with our food behind closed doors while the government willingly turns it's back.

So, for me the main reason why I have chosen to try to eat more of a plant based is purely for the health benefits. I am just a typical girl in the midwest, who was raised on diary and meat. At this point I don't consider myself a vegan, not even a vegetarian. My ultimate goal is to eat a vegan diet, perhaps one day I will be able to say that. It's a tough journey, but one I am enjoying.