December 10, 2020

Today is my ten year “veganversary”! Ten years on an all plant based “diet”! Celebrating 3653 days and about 11,000 “vegan” meals. Just getting started.

This first photo was from about ’97-’99, maybe close to where I maxed out at 50-60+ pounds heavier, somewhere around 220-235. It’s easy to forget how trapped I felt, not realizing how easily I could get back to feeling better. My body was rebelling and I ignored the signals for many years. I was lethargic, I had lame vision, appendicitis, sinusitis, skyrocketing cholesterol levels, took statin lowering pills, and developed an aggressive form of follicular thyroid cancer. These health concerns happen so slowly, it seems normal and this is the new normal in a culture living mostly on SAD, Standard American Diet.

Simply watch some tv and notice all the pharmaceutical ads as evidence that our economy is built on this mess.

In ’97-98 we were busy having children, working two full-time jobs and overtime, living in and trying to finish building our “starter castle”. A big house, newer vehicles and big bills left us somewhat slaves to our stuff and debt.

Cancer in ’04 was the symptom that finally shook me hard enough to get focused on repairing the situation. Yet even that took many years. We’d already downsized homes by then, but damage was done physically. That guy in this photo had no clue that people could run 100 mile races and keep moving well beyond 24 or 30 hours and he had no idea that meat, eggs and dairy were not only optional but a root cause of many problems internally and globally.

Ninety minute documentaries only scratch the surface of the nutrition and well-being topic. Our biochemistry is an infinitely complex orchestra, yet it’s super simple. Humans thrive best on nominally processed plant sourced foods! How simple is that truth? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fungi, herbs etc. are all any of us ever needed.

There are two types of foods, plant based and animal/blood based. Plant sourced foods are 100% nutritionally complete for humans. Plant sourced foods have the highest level of antioxidants and anti inflammatory effects. Plants heal, while animal sourced foods, “in excess”, increase risk for chronic diseases. For me, this means the right amount of animal sourced calories is zero. This implies that dis-ease or “lack of ease” is often a preventable situation. This is where the truth can be “spun” as victim blaming. Meat, eggs and dairy have no fiber. Humans have a long digestive tract and fiber is important to keeping things moving through fast enough.

We are omnivores, a brilliant “design” that can keep us alive in times of plant food shortages. Plant foods heal the damage caused by animal sourced foods. Consuming any animals, their eggs or secretions, is hardly any different from consuming your neighbors pets, or your neighbors for that matter. Meat is meat, whatever color or source. It’s dead flesh. Period. Basically it’s all the same crap.

Once cooling systems were invented, animal based foods for human use could have been phased out. Had that occurred, the world would be a very different place now, with much more wilderness, cleaner air, cleaner water, healthier people, healthier soil, more biodiversity etc. We are part of the environment and our general ill health reflects the health of our ecosystem. It ain’t pretty. Dairy and eggs are effectively liquid meat nutritionally, with a host of problems associated with them. Organic crap is still crap. “Blood foods” cause problems, while plants heal those negative effects.

We were meant to enjoy life, to live mostly with “ease” vs disease. The earlier in life you do this, the easier it can be in my opinion. It’s far easier now than ten years ago to thrive on plant based foods. Businesses have adapted as “plant based” goes mainstream. It’s possible to halt and reverse autoimmune diseases, reverse and heal coronary artery disease, reverse type-two diabetes, improve respiratory health, improve vision and brain health and much more with a whole foods all plant based nutrition plan.

Plants vs animals is effectively the choice between life vs death. What do you want to ingest? Let food be thy medicine. Most Americans are only consuming a few foods; lots of corn, soy, pigs, cows, chickens, eggs, cow dairy etc. From the plant kingdom you find a nearly infinite variety of flavors and options, including the plan- based seasonings that give dead flesh the flavor you love! Think about eating raw meat, what would that taste like? Or raw eggs, or milk from a cow’s tit?

Some people will need to let their body slowly adjust to pulling all of the amino acids needed from a plant based meal plan, so phasing in is wise for some folks. And, it’s important to insure your body is getting B12. If you are not consuming water from streams and/or consuming plant foods right out of the ground or directly from the plants, regardless of your diet, a low cost B12 supplement is wise. I’ve been doing this for a few dollars per year for ten years, running over 60 ultra marathons and regularly donating blood products with no issues.

The paradigm shift to plants and away from animals in your mind is vital. The diet change is very simple, delicious and easy for most people. Although, complex digestive issues can result in a lack of nutrient uptake. Some people may need the help of medical professionals, blood tests, etc.

Our bodies are self healing. Fueling, stress management, mindset, emotional well-being, human connection and healthy motion are all vital to assisting this process. Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. Just because you can ingest animals, their embryos and breast secretions doesn’t mean you should.

If you do this with awareness, you should be amazed by all of the positive unintended consequences that come your way by going “vegan”. The hour you start is the hour your biochemistry starts to improve. Many people have simply watched a few documentaries and then made these life changing adjustments. Check out Forks Over Knives, Game Changers and Earthlings. I bet most people can’t get all the way through Earthlings. Regardless of which websites, books, people you follow, etc, ongoing self education is a key to long term success. I like nutritionfacts.org for this purpose, a non profit based on credible science.

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