Why vegan?
There has been a substantial amount of research done showing that animal products aren't good for our health. On a list of the most nutrient-dense foods, meat is at the bottom with very small scores for nutrition. Unrefined plant foods on the other hand are all at the top of the list. The animals we eat get all of their fat, protein, and carbohydrates for energy from plants.
If you simply look at a chart comparing cancer with animal product consumption, the higher the animal product consumption, the higher the cancer rates are. Which is why areas of the world that eat high amounts of plant food, such as Laos and Thailand have significantly lower cancer rates than us. Root vegetables do the opposite, they prevent cancer and disease. Unrefined plant foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans are powerful cancer protectors.
Many people think it's pointless to be concerned about cancer and heart disease when a child is only 1 year old. When in reality, childhood exposure has the largest impact on adult health. A sixty-year study of 4,999 participants found that those who consumed more fruit in their childhood were 38% less likely to develop cancer as adults.
In Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child, he shows a list of nine diseases with strong links to cow's milk:
1. Allergies
2. Anal fissures
3. Chronic constipation
4. Crohn's disease
5. Childhood-onset (Type-1) diabetes
6. Ear infections
7. Heart attacks
8. Multiple sclerosis
9. Prostate cancer
Those are enough reasons for me to want to limit dairy in her diet to practically none.
Aren't you worried about you and Grace being deficient in protein and iron?
As long as you eat a plant-based diet that's full of beans, grains, nuts, seeds, and veggies there is no concern of iron or protein deficiency. Since Grace and I eat refined, high-salt foods so rarely, we both enjoy eating lots of beans. Grace's favorite is kidney beans. She stuffs a ton of them plain in her mouth for lunch everyday. Your tastebuds adjust to whatever foods you are eating on a regular basis and that's what you begin to prefer and crave. Our current favorite is Dr. Fuhrman's lemon-lentil soup, which has cashew butter in it and lentils are amongst the highest beans in iron. Grace also starts out every day with a bowl of oatmeal which contains iron as well. She also loves kale/fruit smoothies.
Grace's pediatrician initially objected to the idea of Grace getting her protein and iron from beans because she said kids don't generally like beans. Wrong. If a child isn't eating high-salt, processed foods that kill your ability to enjoy the natural flavor of plant foods, they will enjoy the healthy stuff. The pediatrician was then a bit surprised when Grace's iron test results came back and her iron levels were perfect.
Then why did we evolve to eat meat for all these years?
In the documentary "Vegucated", Dr. Milton Mills, M.D, explains that when there wasn't crops available year-round, we literally had to survive off meat in the winter. It then became a part of our culture and once something becomes a part of our culture, we no longer question it. In some areas of the world they still need meat to survive and they should not be deprived of it. But since we have endless amount of plant food available year-round, we don't need meat to survive. Just like we don't need animal fur to survive anymore either.
Not only because it's bad for our health, but it takes a substantially less amount of energy to produce plant food than animal products. It's better for us and the environment.
One of Grace's favorite ways to have beans is with some tomato sauce and avocado
Yes, I do love burgers.
But! I still have them! A lentil burger, black bean burger, or any other type of veggie burger on a bun with lettuce, tomato, ketchup and maybe some cheddar soy cheese is just as enjoyable, or even more so than a hamburger. Oh and cheddar soy cheese is delicious. Even BurgerKing has a veggie burger on their menu (pretty exciting).
Going vegan is surprisingly easy.
I very often hear "I could never give up meat", "I could never give up cheese or milk". I was one of the people saying the same thing not so long ago. Thanks to the growing population of vegans/vegetarians, there are SO many options out there. You can even buy a meatless roast with gravy and cranberries and be pretty shocked it isn't made with meat. Or if you love chicken fingers, there's delicious meatless chicken fingers. Although, it can be challenging at certain restaurants that don't cater to vegans whatsoever. It's generally the fast food and chain-food restaurants that are nearly impossible. You just have to get creative with what plant foods they do have.
The internet is my cookbook for endless vegan recipes. I prefer vegan desserts because I don't feel bloated or overwhelmingly full after having them, I feel good. Not to mention, most of them are much healthier.
Being vegan is not a religion or cult.
I don't believe that meat-eaters should be looked down upon. I know that meat and dairy is a giant part of many cultures. For me, it's not about going a certain amount of time without eating a specific food group. It's about reducing, not necessarily eliminating. If you can completely eliminate, that's awesome, if not, I wouldn't kill myself over giving into something smothered in cheese once in a while. Minimizing is key.
This is probably my favorite vegan dessert so far. Talia Fuhrman's peanut butter coconut chocolate truffle recipe I made last night. Incredible!
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