For the last few years, my weight has been a real struggle for me. What with college class schedules, working two, sometimes three jobs at a time, and trying to find time for a social life and a boyfriend, life gets pretty hectic. And I know thats no excuse to not find time to work-out and eat healthy, but seriously.. I just want to sleep when I can, eat something without the invested time of shopping and cooking, and when I don't have responsibilities, I just want to veg out in front of my computer or tv. But that has to stop. Over the last few months, I've slowly been building up to a change in lifestyle. First, my friend Rachel made the decision to run a half-marathon, and she's been training her butt off to get there. So with that bit of inspiration, I started spending a bit more time on Pinterest looking at the fitness pins rather than the recipe pins. Though I still haven't actually made the changes I need to, I've slowly been storing up my willpower and inspiration. Then, Rachel made a new group on facebook for people who are trying to get fit and be healthier, which I have joined. So now I've got the support group I need and some motivation. I just needed a plan.
And I believe I found that today. My grandparents have been vegan now for a few years, and they've been begging me to read "The China Study", which is the book they base their lifestyle on. Today, I started reading it, and found some really interesting things. He details a lifetime worth of scientifically based experiments dealing with the relationship between consumption of animal proteins and the occurrence of various diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. The results are pretty compelling. For example, in one study, they took two different groups of rats and exposed both of them to equal amounts of a certain dangerous carcinogen known to cause liver cancer. To one group, they fed a diet of 20% animal protein (approximately the amount of animal protein the average American eats) and to the other, they fed a diet of only 5% animal protein. In the group consuming 20% animal protein, 100% of the rats got liver cancer or cancerous lesions. In the group consuming only 5%, none of the rats exhibited signs of cancer. Isn't that amazing? Especially in the environment we live in today!? Its nearly impossible to limit our exposure to carcinogens completely, but if we can limit our chances of actually getting cancer from those sources? By something as simple as diet? It seems worth a shot, right?
If you're interested in looking into this book, its kind of a difficult read. Very scientific, but more readable than I expected it to be. However, if you're more interested in the abbreviated version, there is a documentary on Netflix that addresses this study called "Knives over Forks"
And I'm curious to see how this kind of diet will affect my body. I don't have diabetes, or high cholesterol, or heart disease, like so many cases cited in this book, but I do have a few bothersome ailments that I'd like to see disappear. I've had headaches almost every day for longer than I care to remember. I've tried documenting them to find the root of the cause, but I can't seem to find a common thread. I have them whether I get 5 hours of sleep or 12. I have them whether I drink caffeine or not. I have them whether I read or look at a screen or not. I have them inside or outside. I just can't figure out why. But who knows? Maybe its diet related. I already addressed my complete lack of motivation and energy in my last blog, and I'm really hoping this dietary change will improve those problems as well.
So yes. For the month of August, I will be vegan. Not because I'm concerned about the exploitation of animals, but out of curiosity. And if it doesn't do anything by the end of the month, I can always go back. I'll use the time between then and now to continue planning and learning more about this lifestyle. Including how to cook! Its a whole new culinary art for me. Hopefully by the first I'll be able to gather up some good vegan recipes and inspiration! If some of you are wondering, no, the carnivore I live with will not be joining me in this venture. The man loves his steak way too much. But maybe I can convince him to try a few vegan meals at least.
If anyone has some good vegan recipes that they want to share, share them in the comments! I'll need a whole month of them, and salad is gonna get old real fast!
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