Exactly four (4) years ago, I decided to make a change with my diet. The first change I made was cutting out all meat. You see, I didn’t decide to eat a plant-based diet over night. I started by making small changes, which is what I encourage everyone to do. Small, daily, consistent changes are what will benefit you in the long run!
When people ask me for advice on how to begin switching to a plant based diet, I always recommend starting with cutting out meat. Then, you can cut out fish and dairy. For me, it was easier to ease into the diet change. I started out doing it for health reasons, and not only did I lose my final 15 of 60 extra pounds of baby weight, but I gained SO much energy. A year into my diet change, I cut out caffeine ( I was a serious coffee addict ) and I have the most energy I have ever had in my entire life. I am happier, healthier, and I am proud to be helping to better the Earth and our future generation.
Even though I started my plant-based journey for heath reasons, I am happy that my choice is making a difference on a much bigger level.
As Americans, we eat way too much meat, and it is bad for the animals and the planet. Our meat consumption is also exacerbating the health crisis in our nation ( cancer and heart disease ). If vegetarianism is not your jam, that is fine. I do however, think that everyone can TRY to cut back on meat. The United Nations has said, meat production is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”
The most common question I receive is, “where do you get your protein? ” PLANTS HAVE MORE PROTIEN THAN MEAT! Think about a cow….what do cows eat? Grass, plants, veggies. So, cut out the middle person ( the cow! ) and just eat the plants yourself because you truly don’t know what else is mixed in the cow’s digestive tract (hormones, diseases, bugs, etc ) “The American Dietetic Association (ADA) says that vegetarian (or vegan) diets are “healthful, nutritionally adequate, may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain disease,” including heart disease and cancer.” A vegetarian diet, according to the ADA, is appropriate at all lifestyles, including during pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets are naturally low in saturated fats, high in fiber, they provide cleaner food options for a more sustainable environment, and are much kinder to animals!
I tell my children that we love animals. Burgers come from cows and nuggets come from chickens ( which by the way did you know chickens are man made? They are not natural ) and we LOVE animals, just like we love our family pets. Just because they live in a barn and not a home doesn’t make them less of an animal. We believe there is no need to eat a dead animal carcus when you can eat beautiful vegetables, fruits and grains from the Earth that provide MORE nutrition and MORE protein!
There is no such thing as humane meat. Animals do not willingly offer themselves up for our momentary palate pleasure. To figure out if something is humane, we must first ask ourselves if we’d want this done to us or our loved ones. If we love pets (dogs, cats, etc.) and say we love animals, we need to stop eating them. All animals feel pain, fear death and want to
live, not just the animals that we in Western society view as pets. How arrogant must we all be to believe other animals exist for our personal use.
Aside from the morality of killing animals for our temporary pleasure, research has led me to believe that humans are anatomically meant to be herbivores. That can be backed up by research that looks at a human’s intestines (10-12 times their body lengths) compared to a carnivorous animal’s intestines (3-6 times their body length). It’s very hard to get meat through a human’s digestive system, which means it can sit in pockets for years, causing internal disease. Also, our dental structure is aligned with other herbivores and frugivores, not with carnivores. Finally, the strongest animals upon Earth (elephant, rhino, gorilla, horse, etc.) are all herbivores.
Humans don’t even like the taste of meat. If we did, then why do we change the appearance (look, taste and smell) of meat before we eat it? We skin it, cut it into small objects, take the blood out, we cook it to take the slime out of it and make it firm, and then we cover it in plants (herbs & spices) to make it taste good. We don’t really want the rotting animal tissue the way that carnivores actually consume meat. If we really think it’s natural for humans to eat meat, then we should be eating the entire animal with no cooking, no seasoning, no sauces, etc.
Additionally, only plants make protein. No animal makes protein. Any protein found in animal meat is recycled protein. Diets that rely heavily on animal protein are typically also much higher in compounds that contribute to cardiovascular disease, such as saturated fats and cholesterol. Even lean sources of meat are still filled with additional hormones and antibiotics, as well as bacteria, parasites and carcinogens.
Processed meats (bacon, turkey slices, etc.) are Class 1 carcinogens, the same as tobacco products and asbestos, per the IARC. The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization of the United Nations. It’s role is to conduct and coordinate research into the causes of cancer.
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The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.
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Just as doctors and medical experts at one point stated that smoking cigarettes was not dangerous to one’s health, there was finally enough evidence to sway public opinion around 50 years ago that cigarettes were actually very unhealthy and caused cancer. We’re on the cusp of such a turning point with the meat and dairy industry. (https://www.cbsnews.
In order to change our lives for the better, and ultimately attempt to change our world, we believe we must start by examining our own thoughts, our
beliefs, our assumptions and expectations about the way the world is, and the way things are meant to be. We must challenge our beliefs and adopt new ways of thinking and acting if we are to change our world.
I grew up presuming dairy and meat were healthy choices for over 30 years of life because 1) that’s what I learned from my parents growing up and 2) that’s what mainstream society/media continually informed us.
What we believe to be true, is it true? Or do we just believe that it’s true because we were taught that its true and never looked any further?
I never really loved the taste of cow’s milk, so switching to plant-based milk, butter and cheese was not a huge deal for me. Once I did the proper research on dairy it only further confirmed my decision to quit dairy.
Dairy Milk: Debunking The Milk Myth: Why Milk is Bad for You and Your Bones:
I know it can be a joke, but humans are the only species on Earth that drinks the milk of another species. I literally have no idea why it became a normal thing for humans to consume the baby formula intended for another newborn animal.
Check out this video:
Why Drinking Milk is Rocket Fuel for Cancer:
- Casein in cows milk is the most relevant cancer promoter ever discovered.
- Calcium from cows milk is poorly absorbed compared to plant-based calcium.
- Lactose doesn’t digest properly, leaving people chronically bloated, gassy and sick.
- Cows milk is packed with saturated fat and cholesterol, increasing cardiovascular disease risk.
- Plant milks are 100% cholesterol free.
You don’t have to completely agree with my meal choices, but I will ask you to at least examine your own beliefs and assumptions on the topic.The fact remains that processed meats (bacon, turkey slices, ham, etc.) are classified as Class 1 Carcinogens, the same as tobacco products and asbestos, per the IARC. Eating meat for nutrients is like smoking for oxygen. If you wouldn’t give your kids cigarettes to smoke, why give them processed meat sandwiches to eat?
There are around 350,000 plant species in the world, and about 80,000 are edible for humans. So why would anyone “need” to kill an animal and eat decaying flesh for food? If we aren’t eating animals for health (we’re not), and we don’t need to kill them and eat them to survive (we don’t), what are we doing this to them for?
When you choose a plant-based diet, you give up nothing. You simply stop taking what was never yours to take in the first place. The only argument one can have against a plant-based diet is that they just don’t care.
Four years ago, my ex-husband and I decided to take responsibility for what we put in our bodies and our kids’ bodies. What you eat either harms you or heals you. Let food by your medicine and medicine by your food.
You can believe that because dairy and meat have always been a part of your life, it should continue to be, and as well as for your childrens’ lives. However, I have a feeling that mainstream society will eventually view plant-based diets as the norm. History will not look kindly upon us for the manner in which we consumed animal products, as well as treated other sentient beings, all while physically destroying our environment/Earth.
I never intended to make a lifestyle change. When I cut out meat, I was only doing it to lose weight and for health reasons after my third baby. However, I simply examined my own beliefs and assumptions, and decided to better understand why we have a certain viewpoint on a topic. That’s why I made the informed choice to have a plant-based diet and that’s why my ex-husband and I are raising our girls to do the same in our homes.
If you’re interested in examining your own beliefs on this topic, the following list are some thought provoking documentaries that can possibly help you understand if what you believe to be true, is in fact true.
Forks Over Knives: A health focused documentary that establishes a strong correlation between degenerative diseases and meat-based diet with some solid, statistical proof. The film features a team of doctors and researchers to highlight common pains and sufferings like obesity and diabetes that have become the fate of most Americans today, and asserts how it can be alleviated by adopting a plant based diet.
Vegucated:
A socio-comical documentary about 3 omnivore New York guys who plan to go plant-based for six weeks for weight loss and other health benefits. But during their journey, they uncover the dark side of animal agriculture, and all of a sudden find themselves against the very industry they patronized a few weeks before.
A socio-comical documentary about 3 omnivore New York guys who plan to go plant-based for six weeks for weight loss and other health benefits. But during their journey, they uncover the dark side of animal agriculture, and all of a sudden find themselves against the very industry they patronized a few weeks before.
Earthings: A documentary film by Nation Earth that portrays the pathetic treatment of animals. The documentary uses hidden cameras to bring to you shocking footage of what goes on behind the closed walls of the meat and dairy industry.
The Game Changers: A 2018 documentary film about the benefits of plant-based eating for athletes. It covers multiple success stories of plant-based athletes, references scientific studies, and touches on other arguments for plant-based diets that extend to non-athletes.
I would never ask anyone to change their lifestyle. I simply encourage others to fully understand their thoughts on this particular topic, as well as examine their own beliefs and assumptions, and decide for themselves why they have a certain viewpoint.
January 31, 2021 @ 9:18 am
Hi