Hello Everybody!
I know that some of you are reading this title in horror. Giving up meat and dairy? The outrage is going to be real for this post, but don't worry I've done my research and have some facts to share with you. Now most of you, that know me personally, will know that I do suffer from IBS...that's not a topic most people would enjoy discussing, but long story short its like being allergic to everything all at once, and then not at all. Some days I can eat a cheese burger and be perfectly fine and then the next day eat the exact same cheese burger and be put through hell. I have tried several "fad-diets" over the years to get this under control enough to maintain it, and they do work for a short period of time. I've been dairy-free, gluten-free, tried juicing, detoxing...it all works for a short period of time. I started researching a plant-based/vegan diet after stumbling upon Freelee the Banana Girl on youtube, and listening to all the health benefits from it. A vegan diet has been proven to reverse/prevent/and even cure numerous chronic life threatening diseases.
Well-planned plant-based diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. The plant-based sources of these nutrients tend to be low in saturated fat, high in fiber and packed with antioxidants, helping mitigate some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Did you know that 387 million Americans suffer from Diabetes, and that number is projected to reach 600 million by the year 2035? Did you know that roughly 1 in 3 American adults suffer from high blood pressure? I'm not going to write about the obesity factor, we all know how bad that has gotten in this country.
Does going plant-based mean you are giving up meat?
No, not entirely. Going plant-based doesn't necessarily mean you are required to "give up" meat. Some versions of a plant-based diet do allow from modest amounts of fish and lean meat. If you are going vegan based on the ethical treatment of animals this option is not for you, for obvious reasons.
I've complied yet again another list, to show case some of the major benefits of this lifestyle.
(1) You will lose weight: plants are typically low in calories, and high in nutrients. This means that you will eat less, need less, and feel fuller.
(2)Digestion though: Like mentioned above raw plant foods tend to be very high in nutrients, this means that your body will have little to no work to do in order to digest it.
(3)Energy, on energy, on energy: are you are morning person? Because I am certainly not. Thanks to the high level of nutrients, and low amount of digestion time that plants require, the nutrients are deposited quicker into our blood stream like a little energy shot.
(4)Maybe she's born with it? Maybe it's a plant based diet: Your hair, your eyes, your skin, your nails — everything starts to glow as you gobble down plants. The detoxifying effects of plants, mixed with the elimination benefits of plants, combined with the easily-digestible aspect of plants means less internal toxins giving us acne, less stuck matter giving us baggy eyes, more nutrients to make our hair shine and less time spent on digesting and more time spent on beautifying. Plus, fruits and veggies themselves contain beautifying vitamins, such as the vitamin C in sweet potatoes (which boosts collagen and smooths wrinkles) and lycopene in tomatoes (which helps protect skin from the sun).
(5)Fear not insomniacs: Eating a diet filled with a rainbow of fruits and veggies is your key to getting balanced nutrition, and balanced nutrition is crucial for getting stellar sleep. Constantly getting a steady and diverse supply of nutrients provides our bodies with the materials necessary for replacing aging cells with new, lively cells and also helps lower our cortisol levels which helps us relax into deep sleep easier. Plus, balanced nutrition helps manage cravings, so we’re not consuming as many sleep-inhibiting stimulants like processed sugars and caffeinated sodas.
(6)Anxiety, is that you? Feeling stressed? Fear not, plants provide us with serotonin, melatonin and tryptophan, three neurotransmitters that are known to help reduce anxiety and boost relaxation.
(7)Feel better soon?: It's been proven that are immune system is linked closely with our guts, a healthy gut means a healthy human, more or less.
These are just a few of the reasons to even consider this lifestyle change. I am typing this post as a way to hold myself accountable as well, I mean I just told 200 sometimes people that read my blog that I am going to be starting this journey...so now for the follow through, please understand that making this transition is going to be a slow process As an added bonus to this post I will be testing vegan/plant-based recipes and sharing the best ones I can find!
So here's a quick update on where I am so far in my weight loss journey. I am down another 10lbs in total, I will be the first to admit that I have been majorly slacking off when it comes to the gym, but that is also about to change. I need to do this for me this time so making such big changes is going to help. I have used the steps in my Detox water post to increase my water intake, and it's really helped as well!
If you have any tips/tricks/comments/questions/or concerns feel free to contact me or leave a comment below!
As always thank for reading!
Check out FreeLee here: Freelee The Banana Girl Youtube
