Healthy eating has become both a journey and a challenge for us since scientists became aware of the actual connection between food and health. I was privileged to spend my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood with access to a variety of food in abundance. Some of it was healthy because I happened to love vegetables, but most of it wasn’t.
I never considered my health when as a seventeen-year-old, I rolled into Jack in the Box and routinely ordered French fries and a milkshake for lunch on my way to tutoring elementary school children. Since childhood, my favorite food was fried chicken. In fact, I convinced my grandmother to make it for me every day for a week that summer I spent absent my parents and siblings in Detroit as a homesick seven-year-old. For me, trips to the corner store for chips, candy, and soda pop was a daily occurrence. And I absolutely loved visiting my Aunt Ethel who could be counted on to serve us double sweet Kool Aide and Cokes on top of coffee loaded with several teaspoons of sugar and enough cream to change the color to a really light brown.
Eating was a pleasure. And enjoying skillfully made meals that included large doses of love, sugar, animal protein, animal fats, and animal products like cheese put a smile on my face. I grew up loving chitlins, pig’s feet, ox tails, fried chicken, steak, fried fish, bacon, sausage and vegetables cooked in animal fats. I loved macaroni and cheese and fried potatoes. When McDonald’s opened, I became a fan of hamburgers, especially the Big Mac and their French fries. Add cheese to just about anything and I was a happy camper. College introduced me to deep crust pizza, and it was then that I first encountered casseroles in the cafeteria. Desserts have always taken second place to potato chips for me. However, I was especially fond of cobblers, cakes, puddings, and pies. Although not my favorites, I didn’t say no to ice cream and cookies. On the flip side, I never cared much for eggs, pancakes, nor oatmeal. And I was allergic to coconut and boysenberries. This was how I grew up eating.
It should come as no surprise that all this bad eating eventually caught up to me in my thirties when I started to put on weight. I cut back on eating and exercised more and lost the weight. But then education and career changes required a lot more sitting, and the pounds gradually piled on, especially because I hadn’t changed my eating habits. By my mid-fifties I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and was pre-diabetic. My husband had his first bout of cancer in his colon. And that’s when we embarked our journey towards a sustainable healthy diet.
Doctors aren’t dieticians and finding a personal dietician isn’t easy. So, I started trying new things. There was Nutrisystem. Then there was eat less of everything, especially red meat. Then there was eliminating sugar and potato chips. Then there was eliminating everything white. Then there was the switch to low fats. Then there was the switch to low carbs. Then there was organic and moderation. Then there was Paleo that eliminated beans and night-shade vegetables. Then there was the cancer diet for my husband when he got lung cancer. Then there was intermittent fasting. And now we find ourselves on a plant-based diet. Some call it a vegan diet, but it’s doubtful that we will be fully vegan. I have nothing against honey and I’m finding that the inflexibility of veganism isn’t socially friendly.
Through it all, I’ve realized the very real connection between eating and good health. The majority of experts agree that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds and nuts and beans are important for a healthy body. They all agree that our bodies need protein and calcium and other nutrients to function well. They simply disagree on the best sources. A month ago, after watching several nutritionists, doctors, and environmentalists, I decided a few things about how we were going to eat moving forward.
First, we realized that changing our diet once again won’t be too drastic as we have already made several changes over the past few years. We had already switched to almond milk and maple syrup. We already incorporated large quantities of organic fruits (especially berries) and green leafy vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel sprouts) into our diet, eliminated processed foods, switched to whole grains, switched to avocado and olive oils, and we consume a wide variety of beans and raw nuts daily. Second, a plant-based diet is good for the body and the planet. Third, I made an investment of time, mental effort, and money to try out transitional vegan foods such as plant-based meats, cheeses, and eggs. I stocked up on the vegan essentials like a variety of seeds, quinoa, nutritional yeast, Kombucha (for probiotics), and Tufo. And finally, I watched a lot of YouTube vegan cooking shows, and this week purchased my first vegan cookbook.
In the month since we switched to the plant-based diet, I have lost six pounds and I feel really good. I’ve eaten animal protein three times in small quantities, not because I craved it, but once because I wanted to experience the “best” Philly cheese steak while in Philadelphia and the other two times were to appease my husband who is determined not to dispose of the animal protein we currently have in our freezer. So, during the last two weeks, I consumed a small piece of fish and one chicken thigh. We’ve agreed to eat an animal protein from our freezer once a week until everything is gone and I’m okay with that.
I’ve made an appointment to see my doctor this coming week where I will discuss my new plant-based diet that accompanies the intermittent fasting he suggested. I’ll ask about getting new labs done, too, so we can monitor my progress and ensure I am getting all the nutrients my body requires, especially vitamin B-12.
Many people with health issues similar to mine have attested to the health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. They testify to reducing their cholesterol levels, lowering their blood pressure, and reversing type II diabetes. All I know is that what we were doing wasn’t working and so our journey towards healthy eating continues and I have high hopes that a plant-based diet is the solution.