1-Year Vegan-versary

Today is my 1-year Vegan Anniversary.  Ha! And they said it couldn’t be done! If you watched my yo-yo diet history, honestly, that’s a fair statement. ;-) Trying to stay on a diet, or even a new eating lifestyle, is virtually impossible without a retraining of your brain and all your cultural conditioning. The statistics are not encouraging: 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. Which explains my health crisis. 

I read an article by Paul Bragg when I was 18 on the benefits of clean water, sunshine, eating fruits and veggies with live enzymes, exercise, and ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) long before it was mainstream.  Something inside of me was intuitively curious about eating so closely connected to the earth. To get more information, I wrote to Shape Magazine (we didn’t have email or the internet back then). They sent a brochure of books by Paul Bragg. I bought them all.

I always wanted to be vegan. Something inside of me felt bad about all the animals abused so I could eat cheeseburgers, beer brats, and yogurt. I used to love cows when I was in my 20s. Even had a little cow collection. I’d beep the horn or wave to them when I drove past a field. Then I’d feel incredibly guilty for eating a juicy steak. Rich was the only person who really knew my secret desire to be vegan. Knowing my radical tendencies, there were a few things Rich prayed I’d never do: 1) Ask him to train with me to run a marathon; 2) Go vegan. 

I had a few failed attempts at being vegan. Before I declared I was going to go vegan in July of 2016, I had a lot of pushback from friends or family (mostly mocking or questioning how I’d survive). I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn’t live out my convictions and my intuitive eating desire. My body always felt fantastic when I ate vegan (even if it was only for a week or two). How could I love animals so much and go against my inner principle of Ahimsa (non-harming)? I admired vegans for eating that way and sticking to their convictions. It took a health crisis for me to break free from my fears of what others think, a culture of unhealthy eating, and emotionally conditioned eating. It was like when I had to go gray because I was allergic to hair dye. It always takes something drastic to move me out of my fearful, complacent self. But a year ago, Rich sat with me in shock after my doctor told me the results of a CT scan. I had severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I was told that I was high risk for a stroke or heart attack. I was pre-diabetic. My fat burning metabolism no longer worked. And my kidneys were not working well because my liver was so damaged. My only hope to reverse the liver and kidney damage was to commit to a whole food plant based no oil eating (WFPBNO) diet.

I need to thank a few people for making being a vegan a whole year possible: Rich, our friends and family, and Chuck Underwood from Brand New Vegan.

Rich:
This guy amazes me. He rolls with all my crazy ideas and adventures. He’s been my partner in crime in bad yo-yo- dieting. We’ve struggled with emotional and celebratory eating for decades. He’s also been my food drug enabler when I’ve gone through hard times. He hates to see me sad and would come home with Twinkies and baloney bandwiches and Sara Lee Cheesecake (all on the same day). I blame my hips on him; he brought me food instead of jewelry or puppies.

This time around, my sweet hubby was dedicated to helping me heal my liver through a whole food plant based diet. This was the guy who hates veggies and fruit. He never ate them unless it was chopped up into micro size pieces or I’d put it in a smoothie without his knowledge. 

But this time was different. We’d pick out recipes and give them a try. If they were good, they went into our favorite vegan meals recipe folder.  Rich never faltered. He watched all the health documentaries with me on Netflix or ON DEMAND. I’ve been telling him for years, but he finally saw how most of our health issues in our country were because of our poor diet. He’d tell you that he was inspired to take care of his health too as a 61-year-old guy. He’s been blessed with good genes and no health issues so far. But he’s buying his time. He knows all that bad eating was going to catch up with him in a decade. Rich’s favorite food was cheese pizza and eggs and bacon every morning. He was floored to learn that 1 slice of cheese is equal to 8 slices of bacon in saturated fat content. I used to tease him and say, “The first heart attack is gonna change you.” He feared what his arteries may look like on the inside and never looked back. And he makes a killer BLT with rice paper as the bacon. Oh yeah, we’re that radical. 

 I’ve never been so proud of Rich. And I don’t have to feel guilty because I make him eat this way. He eats and cooks vegan because he wants to. He’s a good vegan chef too. When he’s out of town, he eats vegan. That’s is hard to do if you’re traveling. (Kudos to you, Hon for learning how to accept fewer options and eat simply while on the road.) Rich has made conscious choices to learn all he could about how our planet is impacted and soils and water reserves depleted by eating meat products 3x a day. And learning why eating a whole food plant based diet can heal the body (and heal my body). I have a wonderful eating partner. And when we cheat now, we cheat vegan (something that’s more processed or sugary or oily).

The first few months we went vegan I’d ask, “If I died tomorrow would you go back to eating meat and meat products 3x a day.” He said, “Definitely!” His taste buds had not fully changed yet. He had not become consciously competent at how to eat vegan in all situations. He had not yet lost 30lbs. Now, without prompting, he tells about every other day, “I love eating vegan.” I’m so glad. Thank you, Rich for being my constant soul mate on this amazing journey during our one and only life.  Thank you for caring more about my health and helping me heal (emotionally, physically, and spiritually). I love you for so many reasons.   

Friends and family:
I know we’re the weird friends and family members (for more reasons then eating vegan). But you have been so gracious to support us. When we’ve come over, instead of panicking about what to feed us, some of you have looked up something vegan to cook or just brought out the veggies and fruit trays. Some of you felt nervous about meal planning. So we took the burden away; you allowed us to bring all the ingredients and let us prepare a vegan meal in your home. Thank you. We love doing that. You’ve offered to go to vegan restaurants (to give it a try). Nobody has gotten defensive as we explain our reasons why we have to eat this way. Everyone has been curious and supportive. And if you eat meat or meat products in front of us, we don’t get offended or grossed out. We won’t throw blood on your leather shoes like PETA or call you a baby calf killer. We each have our own health journey. We honor you. Thank you for honoring us.

Chuck Underwood at Brand New Vegan:
I found Brand New Vegan on Facebook. Chuck and I were in the same McDougall Friends Group (a bunch of plant based, no oil, starch eaters). Chuck had been a whole food plant based no oil comfort food blogger. He would post all of his recipes in our closed FB group. Because I had to give up oil (because it’s processed, and fat was now in my liver cells), I had NO IDEA how to sustain cooking vegan without oil. Thankfully, I found this group and Brand New Vegan. Chuck is a regular guy who mastered how to cook vegan comfort food that Rich and I love. He’s so helpful too. If I had questions, Chuck would answer them. He had been a part-time food blogger. This past year he went full time. His food blog is so helpful. He’s a great writer too. (I have food and writers envy.) He has his own FB page and private community. I feel like we should invite him to Thanksgiving or something. I hope to meet Chuck someday because he probably saved my life. Without Brand New Vegan’s encouragement and step-by-step meals, I don’t think I would have been able to stay vegan for a year. Thank you Chuck for following your passion. http://www.brandnewvegan.com  

People ask me, is it hard to give up meat and dairy? Not really? I miss a few things, but Brand New Vegan makes a yummy brat and gyro that does the trick. I had the hardest time giving up fish. I loved sushi. We watched A Plastic Ocean Documentary and that helped me do it for the planet. I still go to sushi restaurants at least once a week. I just eat veggie sushi now. And once in a while, I’ll cheat and have a mushroom veggie sushi with truffle oil. YUM! 

When Rich watched The Last Heart Attack by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, it changed his life. You can't unsee what you've learned. If you love animals and want to understand how the food industry has impacted these creatures and our planet, there are fascinating, informative documentaries. And don’t feel like you have to change your lifestyle overnight. I gave myself a year to transition. Vegan eating isn't for everyone. But making conscious choices that serve the planet is for everyone. 

 
I’m vocal about things that matter to me on Facebook. My page. My opinions. My digital record of what mattered to me long after I’m gone. I’ve been cautious about posting any vegan benefits or animal cruelty facts or memes. I don’t want to make people feel guilty for not being vegan; eating is so personal. However, I wonder if I should educate on the subject? Before I went vegan, I had no idea what food was doing to damage my body. I had no idea how mass industries were affecting our planet: soil, air, water. I talk to people all the time that are struggling with inflammation, joint pain, or other health issues. I wish people would know how eating meat and dairy 3 times a day is truly affecting their health and the planet. They have options. And if you're like me, about to be put on meds or given a drastic diagnosis, it's possible to heal your body eating whole food plant based. 

So this one time, I’m going to share what I’ve learned. I’ll leave it up to you to do your own research. 

Even though it took a shocking health crisis for me to face the silent killer of liver disease, I’ve always said, ‘The Body Wants to Heal.’ I believe that to the core of my being. All my numbers came down within 4 months. I lost about 30-lbs too. I’m no longer pre-diabetic. Inflammation is gone. We can’t control a lot of outcomes in life. However, we can control what we eat and how we consciously interact with everyone and everything on the planet. 

This has been a fun year of learning new things and trusting my body to heal. And for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m living in alignment. My next goal: 2-years vegan. Make some easy how-to vegan recipes on YouTube. 

IF you too feel intuitively curious to heal your body, lessen animal abuse, and heal our planet, these are the documentaries that we watched, books we read, and restaurants that we went to below:

The Last Heart Attack. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnj0nmtwVbI

Netflix:

What the Health (2017)

Forks Over Knives (2011)

Earthlings (2005)

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Speciesism: The Movie (2013)

Vegucated (2011)

PlantPure Nation (2015)

Food Choices (2016)

The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue (2011)

Live and Let Live (2013)

Hungry for Change (2012)

A Plastic Ocean (2016)

Food Matters (2008)

Food Inc (2008)

Why NO OIL: Processed Oil damages your endothelial cells, the protective cells that line all your blood vessels and are responsible for producing nitric oxide which moves blood and nutrients through your blood vessels and blood flow. (*ahem* nitric oxide...this has to do with blood flow baby). 😉  At a dense 120 calories per Tbsp, and with NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE, there is no reason to include any oils in my diet. Healthy fats, yes...but those are found in plant foods, and are abundant in nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives. 

Books:
The Cheese Trap        (Dr. Neal Bernard MD)

How Not To Die        (Dr. Michael Greger MD)
The Starch Solution  (Dr. John McDougall MD)

The China Study       (Dr. T. Colin Campbell PhD, Thomas Campbell MD)

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (Dr. Cadwell Essalstyn MD)

   

Happy Cow: App to show where the closest vegan or vegan option restaurants.

Favorite FL Restaurants:
Darbster’s—West Palm Beach
Sammy’s Mediterranean—Vero Beach
Ethos—Winter Park
Cider Press Café—St. Pete
Rawk Star Café—Oldsmar
Ozona Pizza—Ozona
Casa Tina—Dunedin

Pisces Sushi—Dunedin
Ohana Café—Dunedin

CA:
Sanctuary in Berkley—great owners. GREAT food. I’m jealous Rich can eat there while in CA on business a few times a year. Best nut-based cheese.

Philly:
Vedge—BEST Vegan Restaurant we’ve been to yet (small portions though). I’d fly there tomorrow. Just to eat there.  BEST vegetable based cheese fondue.

IL:
Purple Sprout Café-Wheeling