Why Plant Based?

Why plant based??

My journey to becoming vegetarian and eventually vegan goes something like this...

I first gave up eating meat because I had lost my appetite for it. It just wasn't tasting as good as I thought it should. One too many over cooked, flavorless chicken breasts and fatty steaks, I guess. My wife had been cleaning up her diet and my youngest son (he was 10yrs old at the time) had also been pressuring me to stop eating "dead animals"! So, on a bit of a whim, I decided to give it a try. 

It just so happened that I was training for my first marathon at this time. It occurred to me, after declaring my intention to become vegetarian, that maybe this was not the best time to give up meat. I decided to do some research. What I learned changed how I look at fitness and nutrition completely!

Not only could I train and successfully complete a marathon, I could exceed my expectations through faster recovery and stronger lean muscle mass. Gone were the days of sore, inflamed muscles and overall body fatigue after long workouts. I felt amazing! I had more energy and mental clarity of purpose than I could remember ever having before. These feelings were further enhanced when I stopped eating dairy products going entirely vegan. 

As if that wasn't enough reason to truly believe in this lifestyle, and it is a lifestyle, not just a "diet" or temporary "cleanse", it became the catalyst for a nearly wholesale change in my outlook towards almost everything in life! As my palate shifted and matured, so too did my attitude towards my marriage, family, work, knowledge and community. I am much more open to new ideas and to operating outside my comfort zone in order to learn and live a fuller more satisfying life. 

I can't attribute all of these changes directly to a plant based diet, but it was definitely the catalyst for change in me. Allowing myself to NOT accept the "status quo" and to change some of my bad habits was not that difficult. All I had to do was make the decision. Draw a line in the sand and stick to it. 

I'm so glad I did!