Have you ever considered going vegetarian or vegan? Have you ever tried it even for a day? Back in 2008 until 2013, when I became pregnant with Sasha, I was vegan. Last weekend, while making insanely delicious meatballs for my family, I watched the Netflix Documentary Game Changer. I was captivated within the first five minutes!
The Game Changers
The Game Changers tells the story of James Wilks — elite Special Forces trainer and The Ultimate Fighter winner — as he travels the world on a quest to uncover the optimal diet for human performance. Showcasing elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes, what James discovers permanently changes his understanding of food and his definition of true strength.
I was floored
I was floored by the athletes and their stories about changing over to a plant based diet. I wasn’t surprised though, because when I was eating a plant based diet, I had more energy than I knew what to do with. I was running anywhere from three to eleven mile runs, three to four times a week, training for half marathons. I was also in the gym six days a week training with weights. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. When I would go for my annual physicals, my doctor once called me to give me my results and told me to go live my life and start having some fun. When I asked why, he answered: “I have never seen cholesterol levels so perfect, your EKG is perfect! Go celebrate!” To see the athletes in this documentary thriving on a plant based diet is unbelievable unless you’ve done it yourself.
Here’s the thing
If going Vegan is something that seems interesting to you or if you wonder whether or not you can do it and survive, I am here to tell you that you most certainly can! The one important factor you must have is an open mind! What sparked your interest? Was it animal cruelty? Was it that you don’t feel well? For me going vegan back then was a combo of me and my serious stomach issues all the time no matter what I ate and the fact that I saw one PETA video and I was done! DO NOT watch those videos if you don’t care where your food comes from!
When I was Vegan. I was hardcore. Things like Seitan grossed me out. Seitan is supposed to replace your chicken or turkey. I had it once and I was done. No thanks! I decided if I was going to go vegan, I would do it without having to eat anything FAKE. I didn’t want the vegan diet that was mostly processed foods, unhealthy fats or refined sugars. This mama ate a TON of veggies and fruits! A TON!
Educate yourself
This step is huge. I started off by reading and following Alicia Silverstones book The Kind Diet. Alicia Silverstone shares the insights that encouraged her to leave the meat and dairy behind her forever! She beautifully outlines the amazing benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin, off-the-chart energy, and smooth digestion. She explains how meat, fish, milk, and cheese—the very foods we’ve been taught to regard as the cornerstone of good nutrition—are actually the culprits behind escalating rates of disease and the cause of dire, potentially permanent damage to our ecology.
I love how she also explained that going meat- and dairy-free doesn’t mean suffering deprivation; to the contrary, The Kind Diet introduces irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level. She made it so easy and smooth for me to transition into a plant based lifestyle. After following her plan and recipes in the book, I became hooked. Day after day feeling better and better.
Some advice
I’d say that if you are looking to maybe get yourself and your family to eat less animal protein, grab some cookbooks read some studies, educate yourself on the benefits. In the beginning as with any lifestyle change, you should never give up. Some days may be easier than others. Remember, eating eggs and having cheese and yogurt all your life has become a habit. You may screw up a few times before your body starts to reject those animal proteins! I would start small. Perhaps you don’t want to give up animal protein permanently, maybe just scale back a little and that is fine too. Do what’s best for YOU and your family, don’t follow any trends or IG models that LOOK like they are perfect!
For one week
For the past week, after watching that documentary, I decided to see how I felt without any animal protein in my body. Let me just tell you that it was very hard for me NOT to have my protein pancakes. It was hard to NOT have ground buffalo meat sauce. It was VERY hard to not have my Nutra Bio Grass Fed Protein powder! I live on these proteins. It was hard to stay full after my meals, even with two pounds of green beans or five bowls of salad.
The Good News
The good news is that I was able to stuff my face with so many veggies throughout the day. Broccoli was my best friend for five days! My workouts didn’t suffer one bit. My strength was awesome, my energy levels were great and I was overall happy.
The Bad news
I have a very long history with eating disorders, which lead to extreme stomach and digestive issues. Too long of a story, but long story short, I still struggle with certain food triggers which leave me to leave the dinner table and go over to the couch rolled over in a ball in excruciating pain.
I’m smart enough to know my body. I know what supplements work and don’t work. I’ve been doing lots of reading and researching and reaching out to the right people. I was told when I was twenty three that I had IBS. Back then I was so clueless, that it went in one ear and out the other.
I think I still struggle with IBS but I feel like there is more going on. I get crazy triggers when I eat the most healthy veggies like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, apples! Can you imagine?
SO!
The vegan experiment was good and I think we should all take a week and relax here and there with the red meat fish and poultry. For me, that won’t work. I’m working on my food triggers over the next week. I will be figuring out what causes these flare ups on my stomach.
As I always say
NO ONE knows your body like you do. If you feel off, my first piece of advice would be to keep a notebook on your counter and start writing down everything you eat. Write how you felt before and how you felt after. Take notes on any discomfort or bloating. Do that for a week. You will QUICKLY learn what YOUR food triggers are!
I will keep you posted! Have a great week!
