Whole-Food, Plant-Based Family

Are you a health fanatic? I wouldn’t call myself one but I think I’m getting there.  Which I am totally ok with.  I’m already pretty healthy.  I choose fruit over processed sweets. I’ll eat a salad multiple times a week.  I don’t eat fried food. I don’t eat beef. I rarely eat candy.  Although, during Easter is when I go a little crazy with candy.  That is the ONLY time stores sell Sweettart Jellybeans.  They are my favorite! I stock up so I can have some throughout the year.  That’s how much I love them.  See, I have a weakness.

January 2017 my husband decided to become vegetarian again.  We were vegetarian early in our marriage for a little over a year.  We rarely ate meat (chicken & turkey) so we figured vegetarianism wouldn’t be hard for us.  It wasn’t.  We ate lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains.  We were still eating processed food like chips and veggie meat.  I don’t remember why but slowly chicken was in the house again and ground turkey for spaghetti and burgers.

So back to January 2017.  My husband decides to be vegetarian.  When he announced his decision I was thinking, “PLEASE don’t try to include the kids in this.” Our son, Bryce, is a PICKY eater.  He only wants turkey hot dogs and chicken nuggets for dinner.  I’ve accepted this and gave it to him because I think, “at least he’s eating something.”  I would always give him fruit on the side.  I try to give him a vegetable.  He eats it but sometimes it’s a struggle to get that to happen.  My daughter takes after her mom.  She will eat all vegetables in sight.  I have this girl eating okra.  OKRA!! What kid likes okra?? It’s my favorite vegetable and hers as well.  I didn’t join my husband on his journey right away because Wendy’s had a grilled chicken sandwich that I enjoyed that I didn’t want to give up yet. lol I wouldn’t cook meat at home for me.  We ate vegetarian meals.  I didn’t mind going without meat but if out and I wanted that chicken sandwich I stopped.

May 2017 I decided to give up my Wendy’s grilled chicken sandwich.  Around April or May, my husband bought me a magazine called Forks Over Knives.  I like the magazine a lot.  It talks about starting a whole food, plant based lifestyle and the health benefits.  There are testimonials about people reversing the most common diseases from starting this lifestyle, recipes and an interview with tennis professional, Venus Willams, who eats a whole-food, plant-based diet.  I was excited to try out recipes.  Some we loved.  Others, not so much.  I made 1-2 planted-based meals for us weekly.  Slowly easing into it.

This month, July 2017, I FINALLY watched the documentary Forks Over Knives.  Very informative!  I can go on and on about it but really you should check it out for yourself.  I also watched the documentary, What The Health. Mind Blown!  After watching it I thought, “we are about to have a whole-food, plant-based diet including the kids.”  I want them to be just as healthy as me if not more.  How will I do it though with my PICKY eater?? Lord help me! Everything will be JUST fine!

What is a whole-food, plant-based diet?
It’s centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants.  It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes.  It excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.  Did you know that animal protein is a major contributor to weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and cancer?

Here are 7 things that happen when you stop eating meat
1.  You’ll reduce chronic inflammation
2.  Your cholesterol will plummet
3.  You’ll have a healthier gut
4.  You’ll change your genes
5.  You’ll get the right amount of protein
6.  You’ll reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes
7.  You’ll improve the earth

I’m not a dietitian, nutritionist or doctor.  I’ve just done research and feel this is the best for me and my family.  I don’t look down on people who eat meat or dairy.  Neither do I try to push this lifestyle on them.  We’re making our way to being a completely whole-food, plant-based family.  I have the Forks Over Knives Cookbook so I can have more options for meals.  They even have a recipe for nuggets that I’m going to try out for our son.  (We’ll see how that goes) Here are some pictures of a few of the recipes I’ve tried and liked from Forks Over Knives.

Anyone living a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle or trying to get there?  Have any of you watched the documentaries, Forks Over Knives and What The Health? What were your thoughts?