Transitions

After quite a bit of research and consideration I have decided to transition to a plant-based diet. It’s becoming abundantly clear to me that it is not possible to be truly healthy while consuming the traditional American diet of meat, dairy, and processed foods. I know that many out there will question my decision to begin eliminating these foods, some may even call me crazy. If it’s crazy to want to be healthy, to avoid developing heart disease and diabetes, to lose weight, and to eat whole, natural foods, then yes, I’m crazy. As much as I would love to say that I’ve embraced a future completely devoid of meat, dairy, and processed foods, I realize that it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to completely avoid these foods entirely. I will however make every effort to avoid them, and they will definitely no longer make up the bulk of my diet. Instead, my diet will mainly consist of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. In fact, I’ve already begun changing my diet to reflect this, and I’m loving it. My crazy cravings for sweets and greasy foods have completely stopped, I’m somehow enjoying foods that I’ve never liked before (I’m looking at you avocado!) and I can actually notice a spike in my energy level after eating, while I used to just want to curl up and take a nice long nap after eating a big meal.

Plant based tacos

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though, I started experiencing tell-tale detox symptoms today. It sucks, but I know the headaches, stomach discomfort, and body aches will eventually fade, and until they do, they’re a reminder that I clearly wasn’t eating the right foods before. This transition is going to be difficult, but I NEED to love myself more than I love food, which is a lot. I really love food.

Breakfast smoothie

If you’re curious about whole foods plant based diets and want to learn more then I highly suggest checking out Eat to Live by: Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Forks Over Knives by: Gene Stone. I also suggest watching the Forks Over Knives film which is free to stream on Netflix. If you have any questions for me then please leave them in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! I’ll be blogging about my experience with switching to a plant-based diet and any challenges I may face along the way so check back, and be sure to follow me on instagram! @goodbyehampants

Savannah