It’s now officially 5-weeks since we stopped eating meat in our house with the exception of fish on occasion, when we head out for sushi. Yes, you heard that right; we stopped eating meat except fish. However, I might give up on fish as well soon. We started eating whole foods, we came close before by severely reducing the already small amount of processed foods we purchase, except this time we have taken it a step further by eliminating processed foods by purchasing dried beans instead of canned, going to the year-round farmers market for most of our food, then to Trader Joe’s and Sunflower market for the rest of our foods. Between the three places we purchase all fresh foods to make some yummy vegetarian meals. Thank goodness I paid attention in school and am good at research when I took my in-depth nutrition classes so I make sure our family gets enough protein, essential vitamins and minerals that make us strong and give us energy while eliminating the horrible side effects from eating meat like heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes mellitus, all of which is embedded into my family medical history. Obesity is also another horrible side effect from eating meat; however, I don’t have to worry about that. I have been active all my life and have never had that problem. I was worried about the kids not trying some of the different foods because we are cooking with some vegetables that they have only had a few times or have never had like kale, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, micro greens, turnips, tofu and other foods. So far we have not has a problem, Tommi and Zoe have eaten all the wonderful meals with some voted out of the repeat lineup for not tasting as good as others.
We have made some healthy vegetarian menus for every meal, eating 6 small whole food meals a day while getting protein, calcium, iron, carbohydrates, vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 B12, C, D, E, K, biotin, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, fluoride, iodide, sulfur, molybdenum, fiber, healthy fats and other essentials that I did not name. Yes, you can get all your dietary needs without consuming meat. I have eaten meat for about 30 years, minis the time I was a baby and the time I lived on my own at 15, when I was too broke to afford meat. So at age 35, after getting the results from my full panel blood screen and my family medical history, I decided it was time to make a change. My family medical history is loaded with all the things I hope to avoid and my full panel blood screen came back perfect, everything was either on the level or close to the level of the low end for everything.
Because I am anemic, getting enough iron is an essential element essential in the structure of hemoglobin, the red blood cell molecule that carries oxygen to the tissues. Also, another thing to remember for all the people suffering from IBS (which we don’t have a problem with) FIBER, it plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system. Absent or low dietary fiber may result in severe constipation and diverticular disease of the colon. So unless you want to poop in a bag connected to your body, eat your fiber. Eat less processed foods and more whole foods. We all need fat in our diet; it’s all on how you choose to get it. The best types of fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids which are HDL, known as “Good Cholesterol”. Animal products have an abundance of the saturated fats LDL known as “Bad Cholesterol”, hence why we have eliminated it.
With that said, no I do not crave meat at all. I feel great, I have more energy, I wake up with ease even thought I still make coffee every morning in our French press, mostly because my mom bought us a year’s worth of coffee from around the world. Thank mom! I just like to drink it and after our coffee is gone, I will be contributing and buying coffee from a cafe located just down the street at Origin’s Coffee and Tea. Origin Coffee and Tea maintains the Fare Trade Organic standards and are a part of the Rainforest Alliance. They are also a non-profit coffee shop which helps in the fight against sex-trafficking by being passionate and by volunteers that are selfless people. Everyone works for free to set victims free. Look them up, volunteer your time and get involved by playing some music, giving your time, hanging some art or whatever else you can bring to the table. More to come on that in another blog.
Please check back for some great recipes.
