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.