What prompted us to become vegan?
My husband Martin was increasing his reading material and had ordered a lot of different books from Amazon and it just so happened that The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Gould Schurman and Thomas M. Campbell II was in this particular batch. Once he’d read it, he came to me and said we really needed to change what we were eating. I was very open to the idea and so we immediately watched Forks Over Knives (a diluted version of The China Study in film format) and agreed whole heartedly that our lives needed to change.
We ditched the meat and dairy from our diet and yes, to begin with we were focussing on our health, so we were more along the lines of ‘Whole Foods, Plant Based’ than vegan, then we watched Earthlings. There really is no coming back from that. Well, there shouldn’t be any coming back from that, although I have had people I know watch it, acknowledge it’s contents but carry on regardless, which is one of the hardest parts to get our heads around.
After Earthlings, it was a triple whammy, we were changing our lives to ensure that not only were we doing all we could to safeguard our health, but we wanted to also safeguard animal welfare and our environmental impact.
So we must be real animal lovers?
Erm, no, not really. I’ve never been a big fan of pets, I’m allergic to female cats, was terrified of dogs, don’t swim in the ocean because, you know there’s a shark out there hunting me etc. However, I had a real connection to watching Earthlings and I knew that it was important, no, vital, that I cease to be the reason that an animal had to die, be it for my dinner plate or for the shoes on my feet, in this modern age there is genuinely no need for us to continue exploiting animals for our own personal use and entertainment.
Did we see any changes?
Within the first 3 – 6 months of changing how we ate, we saw significant changes in our bodies. Martin lost around 28 pounds and I lost around 14 pounds, just that little extra weight that we had been carrying around with us for a few years. It’s a real cleansing experience as your body gets rid of all the toxins and nasty stuff lurking around in your body and gut, I felt lighter (physically and mentally).
I had suffered with eczema and atopic dermatitis since I was 3 and had tried pretty much everything, well I thought I had, once I made the switch to vegan, my skin completely cleared up and there were no further outbreaks, 6 years on and it’s the same, it’s been truly amazing.
Hitting my 30’s I found that I was becoming quite lethargic, really lagging in the afternoon and feeling drained. Again, within the first couple of months my energy levels soared and, we’ve discussed this many times, we feel amazing, buzzing really.
I think a point to make here is, these changes didn’t happen because we went vegan, this was down to changing to a Whole Foods, Plant based diet. At the time we went vegan there were very limited choices in food alternatives, there wasn’t this plethora of foods available in the supermarkets, which is fabulous if you are transitioning but need a little help to get there, ie cheese and meat alternatives. But the health benefits came from eating non processed, healthy foods, from fruits, vegetable, legumes and nuts and seeds. Check out some of the Daily dozen challenges on youtube to get some great ideas on meals.
Is being vegan hard?
No, especially now when there is so much information out there. Once you have made the choice to change, there is so much support out there. Find a local or national vegan facebook page to join so you can catch up with other vegans and ask important questions, like where to shop, what’s good to eat, which restaurants have vegan options etc. The hardest thing for many people is “giving up” some of their favourite foods, but there are so many alternatives and healthier ways to make most of your favourite dishes. Plus, once you’ve changed how you eat, your palate changes and you eventually stop craving particular foods. So really, just give it a go!
I think it’s important to mention that one of the few things that may be hard, is friends and families reactions to this change. There are many people who have been discouraged because of negative influences, family members who don’t understand why you no longer want to eat the same way they do, that you must think that you’re “better than them” in some way, that you are attacking them for their beliefs and lifestyle choices and many immediately go on the defence. But this will eventually pass, once they realise you’re still you, but choosing to live a different lifestyle, and you may even find that after a while they come to you asking more questions, like the questions I’ve mentioned in this post, that their interest has been piqued.
Is being vegan expensive?
It can be, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. Just like your Instagram feed and Youtube lifestyle blogger favourites can be flooded with those who promote only high end “luxury” goods, the same can be said of vegan products. Fashion in particular (in my own opinion) can be outrageously expensive once you’ve put the term Vegan on it. But most of the stores that I shopped in before have perfectly wonderful apparel free from wool, silk, leather and fur and I have had zero problems in finding things to wear.
When it comes to food, this is the cheapest that we have ever lived, groceries wise. No expensive meat or cheeses to buy, we are very fortunate to be in places that have wonderful local fruits and vegetables and as such have small price tags on them. We always buy what’s in season and base our meals around that.
We also practice zero food waste, we do not throw anything away, which is definitely not what we did before when our fridge would be filled with unused meat, out of date eggs, milk that’s gone off and of course the sad, shrivelled vegetables hiding in the recess of the fridge that we would buy to accompany a meat dish that we just never bothered using – sound familiar?
What now?
If you are interested in veganism or perhaps you’re looking to adopt a wholefoods, plant based diet or you just want to make a few changes to your lifestyle, then here are just a few links to get you started. This includes information on health and well being, how to make great vegan meals on a budget, food substitutes for those who love to cook, and for those who still love a little fried foods and decadent desserts the Bosh team have you covered.
The important thing is to become aware, to see the world how it really is and to live kindly and with compassion to other humans and animals alike.
The China Study Book
Forks Over Knives Documentary – available on Netflix
Forks Over Knives recipes
Earthlings Documentary
Vegan Recipes from Bosh
Health and wellness articles and podcast from Dr Gregor
Inspirational Vegan Everyday Stories
Fantastic Resource of documentaries and short films from Plant Based News
Those interested in building strength and muscle, this guy is great!
For daily inspiration and ideas go to Youtube and search for Daily Dozen Challenge
