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!