Have you ever wondered what it would really be like not eating meat? Why not consider a plant based diet for a period of time? Vegan should not be considered a “bad” word. Have you ever noticed (or maybe try this) tell someone you are considering a plant based diet, I bet you will get a different responds than if you declared, I am vegan.

Let’s take a closer look at what a “Plant based Diet, might look like. When you think of a vegetarian/vegan, what comes to mind: Thin, rabbit food eating, hippies?

Some common concerns might be: 

1.    How to get enough protein.
2.    What will I eat, if no meat, what else is there?
3.    Giving up cheese is impossible.
4.    Why bother?
5.    Animals are a renewable resource.
6.    I will be hungry all the time.   

These are all real concerns to a lot of people, especially if you have grown up  eating meat and meat products.  Just the thought of making yourself standout from the rest of your pack, is amazingly brave.  I applaud you for even thinking about how what you choose to eat affects the world around you. Let’s take some of the fear away by looking closely at the above six fears.

1.    Bessy the Cow is not the only form of protein in town. Yes it appears she does have a monopoly on the market at the current time, but the times, they are a changing.  Here is a list you may find interesting: Protein table (100grams of each)
Beef        27
Pork        21
Sunflower seeds 21
Tofu  firm      17
Chicken 16
Buckwheat  13
Miso soup 11
Lentils      9
Black beans 9
Quinoa    4
Portobello Mushroom 4
Brown long grain rice 3
Broccoli 3 

2.  Vegans eat EVERYTHING in the world EXCEPT animal products. The choices really are limitless.

3. Cheese is yummy, why would anyone intentionally cut such tastiness out of their life? Check out this Rice Cheddar. http://www.galaxyfoods.com/galaxy-products/rice-cheese/rice/

Like anything else in life, we tend to stick with what we know. That’s probably why some of us have been meat-eaters for so long. The old “Fear of the unknown,” rears its ugly head. Remember that old adage, variety is the spice of life? This is such the case with trying different cheeses.  The first thing you might notice is that with these non-dairy cheeses, some may seem moist to the touch and may not feel as firm as you may be used too. The big thing is the texture; you really have to try a cheese a couple times to separate the texture from the taste of the cheese. Keep in mind that different brands can taste worlds apart from other brands, and kinds, i.e. soya cheese brands vs. rice cheese brands. Switching from dairy based cheese to non-dairy cheese is kind of like switching from whole milk to skim milk. At first the skim milk looks and taste weird or watery, not the same at all. Then after drinking skim milk for awhile the whole milk tastes thick and fatty tasting.

4. Why stop something you have been doing all your life? It may not seem to matter a great deal in the short term, that we follow our passions/addictions rather than our common sense. But this does affect how we feel and function now, and it does make a difference out the long term, both in our health/the health of the planet, and in our economy. 

5. May I suggest this thought provoking book, a must read?  http://www.thankingthemonkey.com/ .

6. I have said it before and I believe it bears repeating, Fibre is your friend. Fibre fills you up and makes you feel full, longer. High fibre foods control your appetite with fewer calories. A fun fact about fibre that you might not have known, it traps cholesterol in the intestine and carries it out with the wastes. Know what has lots of fibre: beans, whole grains, fruits and veggies all do. Do you know what does not have fibre, animals and animal products do not have fibre. Eating animals/animal products is pointless. Why collect airmiles and then shop at places that you can’t get your airmiles, shoping anywhere else is pointless. Ok in my head it sounded like a good analogy.

With so many tasty recipes out there why not check out some Vegan cook books. Here are a couple good ones. http://www.theppk.com/books/vegan-with-a-vengeance/ ,  http://talronnen.ca/cookbook/

Trying a plant based diet for a while does not have to be an all or nothing kind of thing. I am a big fan of baby steps and practice makes permanent. Maybe practice mindful eating and really be aware of just how many animal products you are eating each and every day. Is there some place you could swap an animal product for a non animal product? This new change in eating does not have to be a All-or Nothing, kind of thing. Don’t be afraid, a good quote I like is from Martin Luther King Jr. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

If you are not quite ready to give a plant based diet a test-drive, how about considering how the meat arrived on your plate? Surprisingly it really does matter how the chicken spent its life before arriving on your plate. Do you know the farmer? Would you purchase a car without knowing how it was used prior to your turn? Would you buy a car that was mistreated and abused or would you rather a car that was previously loved? The history of the chicken prior to your plate is important, so important you can taste it. Did your chicken come  from a mass produced factory farm? Did the chicken spend its life in a tiny cage, where it was not able to turn around, or even flap it’s wings? Chickens need fresh air, sunshine, to be able to run around, peck the ground, raise their young, need I go on.

Get to know your farmer. Food should be considered medicine from God, not toxins from a factory. 

If you chose to eat meat,  just chose wisely.