The cost of meat is heart-wrenching
I went vegetarian in 1995 after a friend shared some startling facts about factory-farmed animals. I made the conscious decision then and there to cut out all red meat, chicken and fish. Fast forward a few years and I’d briefly reintroduced fish and chicken into my diet. However, a horrible bout of food poisoning quickly had me omitting chicken for good. Without knowing the terminology, I’d become an ovo-lacto pescatarian, meaning I ate eggs, dairy and fish.
In February 2011, I decided to embark on a 30-day vegan challenge. I’d been toying with the idea of going vegan for quite some time, but my full-fledged addiction to cheese had me hesitant (did you know that cheese contains casein, a dairy protein that releases casomorphins, which are compounds that trigger dopamine production in your brain and makes cheese addictive?). At that point, I was off milk, but was still consuming copious amounts of cheese, products containing milk (milk chocolate, sauces and processed foods), eggs and a bit of fish here and there.
The 30 day challenge came and went, and I felt amazing! I had more energy, I was less bloated, my bowel health was better than ever (as in, I was going regularly) and I felt lighter and less sluggish. In addition, my complexion was clearing up (after years of suffering from unsightly acne), my debilitating headaches were coming on less and less, and I seemed to be bouncing back from workouts more quickly. As a result, I decided to keep going with it and ultimately, never looked back. I’ve been vegan ever since.
My decision to adopt a plant-based diet was purely based on ethics. At some point as a vegetarian, I realised that while I was taking some animals’ welfare into consideration (meat cows and meat chickens), I was still compromising others’ (dairy cows and layer hens). This was, and has continued to be, a strong enough reason why I consciously chose not to consume or use animal products. As time passed, I also started to appreciate the benefits that a plant-based lifestyle has not only on overall health, but also the positive impact it plays from an environmental perspective. For instance, did you know that greenhouse gas emissions from the methane in factory-farm cattle’s waste is the number one cause of global warming? Research suggest that these emissions will go up 30% by 2050 due to the world’s meat-heavy diet.
If people ask, I’m happy to share my experiences and learnings, but I try not to be pushy or preachy. Some people hate labels and are very put off by the word “veganism”. For those, I use the term “plant-based”. Others find the idea of being vegan very limiting and say things like, “So, you can’t eat XX?” Let’s be clear: I can eat whatever I want. However I choose not to partake in animal products.
It’s far less about restriction and much more about choice.
All that said, I appreciate and respect the choices of those around me. For instance, I love that my husband - while he still consumes animal products - is learning more about plant-based nutrition and has consciously started reducing certain foods that negatively impact his cardiovascular health. Similarly, I recently took time to chat with a longtime friend about his decision to adopt a more plant-based lifestyle. His choice was as a result of his training regime and the heart-related limitations his meat consumption was placing on him. You won’t want to miss what he has to say about his phenomenal results!
For anyone who’s curious about the benefits of adopting a more wholefood, plant-based way of living, I encourage you to do your research or reach out to me for more information.
#wholefoods #plantbasednutrition "#veganism #veganlifestyle
