Meat-Free, Protein-Rich

Where do you get your protein?  You need protein, especially when you are pregnant–don’t you know that?  You are going to be weak and dizzy if you don’t get your protein from meat while you are pregnant. Protein is important for the development of your baby during pregnancy.  You’re nursing and not eating meat?!? Where is your child going to get her protein? You’re not eating dairy? What about your calcium? You’re going to have brittle bones before you’re forty.

Ever heard these questions?  STOP THE MADNESS!!!   I am not a true vegan, I may never be able to call myself a true vegan, but I am eating to live, not living to eat.  I take my health very seriously and I truly care about my quality of life from now until I die, hopefully as a very old lady. It is important to me that my children have a role model that portrays that a life can be lived to the fullest at any age. And that is why my friend I have chosen to live meat, fish and dairy-free.   There has been an enormous convergence of evidence and the message is crystal clear: to optimize your health, eat more plants and less meat, dairy and processed foods.

Vegetables
Vegetables / Martin Cathrae / CC BY 2.0

Two and half years ago I was diagnosed as having a condition known as hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid. This makes it difficult for one to lose weight, sustain energy, etc.  I decided that this was not going to rule my life. It is especially risky to have this condition when you are pregnant, so I was tested often. While pregnant,  I reversed this condition by incrementally reducing and pretty much eliminating meat, fish and dairy and by increasing my fruit and vegetable intake. It was important to me during these life-changing steps that I continue to educate myself about a plant-based diet.

Luckily for me, a good friend of mine provided me with the documentary Forks Over Knives and continues to provide me with a plethora of resources to eat up (so to speak), explaining  all the scientific evidence that a plant-based diet is a delicious path to health. Reversing my hypothyroidism with a diet rich in plants proved to me that I was on the right track. Now my baby is five months old and I am trekking towards my ideal weight. It’s a journey, so stay tuned and join me for adventures in living well…without meat.