“What can you eat?”
“How do you get your nutrients?”
“But you can’t get any protein!”
And the one question, the one word that is always asked…
“Why?”
And without trying to sound like a total smartass (ok so it’s hard sometimes!) I simply reply with…
“Why not?”
I then go on to rattle off some benefits.
You’re greatly reducing your intake of saturated fats..which pretty much benefits your health in every way AND helps you shed that pesky extra lbs you may have collected over time.
Vitamin world! No not that place at the mall where people go to buy 643 different supplements. By eating a plant based diet...you get a powerhouse of vitamins! When you’ve cleaned your body of all of the nasty animal products...a banana alone becomes an energy bar! Oh yea...and bye bye doctors visits! (Hello saving money! More on doctors later).
Disease prevention! Everyday we hear about diseases and other health problems. We all know people who have dealt or are dealing with these health problems. In my family alone...just about everyone who has died has died from a form of cancer. This scares the hell out of me. I’ve watched so many loved ones suffer. Here are just a few things that a vegan diet can prevent-
Cardiovascular disease
Type 2 diabetes
Many cancers including prostate, colon and breast
High blood pressure
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
And the list goes on!
Physical benefits!
As I mentioned..you drop the extra pounds!
A massive boost in energy! Before I was vegan..even vegetarian...I had NO energy. I was always tired! Now I have so much more energy and don’t get tired as easily! In today's world...who doesn't need more energy?!?!
Healthy skin- get rid of nasty animal stuff...get rid of nasty skin. As simple as that! My face looked like an italian entree in high school. While my face isn’t completely clear...it looks SOOOO much better than it did, and let me tell ya...there is definitely some added confidence there.
Bad breathe/ bad B.O.- getting rid of meat and dairy reduces the nasty odor rolling off of you AND your breath. Going vegan means smelling good!
Hair/Nails- Many people report that their hair and nails become stronger while on a vegan diet. While I have heard this from many people...I don’t pay enough attention to notice personally. Though I will say this...as a baby I had very curly hair, then from about the age of 4-18 my hair was completely straight...not a wave in sight. Now my hair looks like something straight out of the 70’s...as in mega wavy and curly. Now, this doesn’t mean it has anything to do with a vegan diet, but it does make sense!
PMS- Ladddiieeeees! This is for you. Apparently studies have been done that show women have much lower or no signs of PMS at all. Now there are a lot of women in my family and most of my friends are of the female gender...I have experienced the wrath….spare us.
Allergies-I have heard time and time again that switching to a vegan diet has greatly helped those who suffer from allergies...I am one of them. As a child I had tests run on me and the docs told me I was allergic to everything but dogs. I was pretty miserable at certain times of the year! But now I hardly have and problems at all! Sure a sniffle here or there...but that’s it!
Migraines- Just about my entire family suffers from migraines, including me. Or at least I did. Since becoming a vegetarian and now vegan, I have had ONE migraine, and that was stress induced. I had been given medications by doctors, and none of them worked. That is one of the many things I am greatly thankful for with becoming vegan.
As you can see...I could go on and on and on. Adopting a vegan diet not only improves your health and your life SO much, but it helps the planet in many many ways! (I will save veganism and the planet for a whole separate post.) When I tell people of all of these benefits, I usually don’t go into detail about all of them, I let whoever it is take control of the conversation from there. If they want to know more, I tell them...if not, hey I tried! I have talked to so many people who say
“I get it, but it’s not for me” or
“I could never do that” or
“It’s too expensive”
The excuses go on and on.
It is for everyone. Yes you can do it, you owe it to yourself, to your family and friends and to this planet.
And do some math...take what you spend on meat and all the processed nasties you buy...now add up how much it would cost you to buy nutritional, organic, cruelty/animal free products. It’s not that big of a difference. Trust me when I say I live on a very tight budget. I’m lucky if I can gather up $100 a month for groceries, but I make it work. I make it work because I don’t give myself any other choice.
Over the next week or so my posts will be focused on answering the questions I stated above, all of the concerns people have about being vegan and what all it really means. Usually by the time my conversation ends with the person asking me the question, they ask me where they can find vegan products and certain ingredients. This has happened many times at where I work, and it makes me feel amazing because I know they are doing themselves and the planet a huge favor. As always, thank you guys for all of the feedback you give me...keep it coming! I hope the next week or so proves to be at least a little inspirational! And if you have any questions, comments or concerns...fire away!
Be kind to yourself and each other...and ask yourself…”Why not?”
Most excellent post! Like you say, it's not what you can eat but rather what you cannot eat.
ReplyDeleteI recall seeing a challenge somewhere out there in the blogosphere. Challenge your carnivore inquiring friends to take one pound of their favorite meat, boil it in plain water for one hour, and then eat it. If they still like the taste of their meat they can then ask you about your veganism. It's not the meat that has the taste, it's the herb, vegetables and spices which it is cooked with that provides the true flavor.