I cut out beef and pork in 2009. I don’t miss it and I won’t ever eat either again. (I miss bacon in the abstract, but not enough to eat it.) Beyond Meat makes outstanding vegetarian burgers that remind me so much of hamburgers I don’t miss those at all. And there are really good vegetarian sausages too.
Three months after that, I cut out chicken. Then three months after that, fish. I added seafood back in because I missed it and H was struggling with a vegetarian diet.
I added poultry back in 2014 as it was easier to cook for a family of 3. Since then I’ve occasionally been vegetarian or vegan, but I keep coming back to the ease of poultry. I feel great either way.
I will say right now I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been on a diet that consists of lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, Greek yogurt, and poultry and seafood. I try to cook at least three vegetarian or vegan meals a week and avoid processed foods. (Although today I had two salted dark chocolate caramel squares.)
I think, though, any steps you make to eat less red meat, more local and fresh foods, and lots of veggies and fruits, will benefit you from a health perspective, and the planet too.
I cut out beef and pork in 2009. I don’t miss it and I won’t ever eat either again. (I miss bacon in the abstract, but not enough to eat it.) Beyond Meat makes outstanding vegetarian burgers that remind me so much of hamburgers I don’t miss those at all. And there are really good vegetarian sausages too.
Three months after that, I cut out chicken. Then three months after that, fish. I added seafood back in because I missed it and H was struggling with a vegetarian diet.
I added poultry back in 2014 as it was easier to cook for a family of 3. Since then I’ve occasionally been vegetarian or vegan, but I keep coming back to the ease of poultry. I feel great either way.
I will say right now I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been on a diet that consists of lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, Greek yogurt, and poultry and seafood. I try to cook at least three vegetarian or vegan meals a week and avoid processed foods. (Although today I had two salted dark chocolate caramel squares.)
I think, though, any steps you make to eat less red meat, more local and fresh foods, and lots of veggies and fruits, will benefit you from a health perspective, and the planet too.
I'm mostly plant-based - I will very occasionally eat chicken or fish when there's not a good veg option, and maybe do eggs or cheese once/week. I feel better when I eat more fruit/veg. I feel MUCH better when I eat more whole foods. I feel better when I avoid dairy. You can definitely still eat a lot of junk and stay vegan - so I look for ideas that incorporate whole grains, lots of veggies, fruits, etc. In addition to above suggestions, I follow trackingisthenewblack on Instagram - she's a Weight Watchers ambassador, but recently switched to mostly plant-based meals. She has some great ideas for easy snacks and quick meals. I will say...just starting to eat vegan really opens up your eyes to being a more conscious consumer. Even if you're doing it for health initially (which I was), I've become a lot more aware of the sustainability and morality of our consumption choices. I think it's a great step. Good luck!
1. Has anyone switched to this kind of diet and noticed any positive or negative changes to their physical or mental health?
2. What diet do you follow and why?
3. How did you adopt this diet (gradual vs. cold-turkey), and what was the hardest part? What foods do you miss?
4. Any good books for normal people (ie:non-crazies) that could help with adopting this kind of diet?
5. Anything else I need to think about or consider?
I try to eat mostly plant-based. I'm not a strict vegan/vegetarian (I do eat some cheese and eggs occasionally, but try to steer clear of meat). I have severe endometriosis and I have found that a plant-based diet works best for my symptoms. I also try to stay away from refined sugar, processed foods, alcohol, soy, and gluten. Which sounds fucking terrible and it is HARRRRD sometimes but like I said, I'm not crazy strict about it. I just try to stick with it as much as possible.
I really like the Veganomicon book, as someone mentioned above. One of my favorite resources right now is Mamaeatsplants on Instagram. She has a blog as well. There are several vegan/plant based accounts on IG that I follow and I love them!
Post by textbookcase on Apr 16, 2018 11:13:06 GMT -5
Oh, and the hardest part is eating differently than the rest of the family. One of my daughters is a pescatarian. The others are solid meat eaters! The whole family eats plant based meals probably 2-3 nights a week but the rest of the time I tweak portions for myself or cook an entirely different thing. I freeze a lot of stuff so I can just pull out a single serving for myself.