It's Not Right

When I searched a popular health advocate's website to find out about the newest craze, an oil that will burn your fat away, I had to stop and say "This is ridiculous." Many people are chasing that elusive magic bullet to cure them of their chronic diseases and get them to a healthy weight. The problem is that it does not exist. The best way to sustained weight loss and better health is through change. Start exercising and eating healthy food for good. Not sexy. A year ago when I started my plant based journey, I dutifully searched out random ingredients to make the next recipe. It was a lot of work and most of the recipes really didn't taste that good...but I was committed. When I finally bought a Happy Herbivore cookbook, Lindsay S. Nixon's simple recipes changed my life. Suddenly I was learning new techniques and cooking nearly everyday all thanks to her approach on cooking, which happens to be very low fat. Now I could see a path to plant based living day in and day out. At the new year, I started online yoga classes to get fit. Ten days of yoga in a row helped me find a new obsession and had me looking forward to working out. Score. The teacher, Esther Ekhart, said one thing that struck home with me more than anything else. She said always listen to your body. Everyone has a different approach to yoga and slight variations on positions so if it doesn't feel right to you, then it's not right. It's not right. Consuming calorie bombs of oil daily (roughly 120 calories per tablespoon) in an effort to lose weight does not make sense. Yes, those are not the exact words used, I believe it was more of "helps burn fat." But seriously, when someone who is desperate to make a change hears "helps burn fat", that translates to "will help me lose weight." Then a tablespoon of oil becomes two tablespoons and suddenly you are gaining weight instead of losing it. Dr. McDougall has it right, "the fat you eat is the fat you wear." The next time you hear about the latest weight loss miracle, examine the claims and run it through your own filter. Look into the science behind it and see who is supporting it (and their own affiliations.) If what is being said doesn't ring true, then it's not right.

Why I Chose Plants

If you would have asked me a year ago if I could ever give up meat and dairy, I would have told you never. Why would anyone give up bacon, eggs, and cheese? It just didn't sound like a fun way to live. In November 2011 I completed my first half marathon. I limped to the finish line but I did it. In an effort to fuel my body for this event and afterwards, I had focused my attention on increasing my protein levels. I was eating two eggs per day, two protein bars as snacks, and a lean protein based lunch and dinner. With all of my research, I had convinced myself protein was the key. You would think with all this protein I would feel great, right? Wrong. I felt sluggish. I couldn't shake the feeling that what I thought was the right thing for performance was simply wrong and possibly doing more harm than good. I had heard of the China Study and Forks Over Knives but I didn't know much about them. At the very least I thought the China Study would be a good read. Over the course of the next week, I read the China Study and watched Forks Over Knives and was amazed. This was my "aha" moment. All of those nagging questions in the back of my head were actually answered here and had scientific data to back it up. Like, if our diets are do much better now than 100 years ago, why is cancer so prevalent? Why is our nation so grossly overweight compared to the rest of the world? It was then I decided I would no longer eat animal products for my health. I've been plant based for ten months now and I love it. In that time I have become a better cook, learned to like kale, and have dramatically reduced the amount of processed food myself and my family eats. I have been open about "cheating" with dairy (cheese) and occasionally good seafood. I needed those things to be gradual and give myself time to adjust to a new normal. When you are used to planning meals around the animal protein (chicken, pork, fish), it's very strange to scrap that notion. In my search for this new "normal", I realized it was more about the food memories a particular meal evoked than the actual flavors of the dish. Eggs and bacon? Happy memories of mornings with my husband and kids. Tacos and other Mexican food? Happy memories with my parents and brother. The trick for me was creating new food memories based around plants. So what does breakfast with the fam look like now? Waffles with fresh fruit. My kids routinely proclaim my waffles and pancakes are "delicious" and "the best ever." I invite you to join me on my plant based journey filled with imperfection and failed recipes. Enjoy!