By Jonathan Edwards
I was never going to be vegan, I had eaten a high animal protein diet since my early 20s and had really no intention or thought of going down that path.
One day, about 4 years ago, a friend of mine suddenly announced that he was plant-based after watching two movies (Cowspiracy and Earthings) on a flight.
He said that it was immediate and by the time he got off the flight he was vegan. What?!?
I made a mental note to NEVER EVER watch those movies—I loved my meat!
Then, 2 years after that, out of the blue my 70-year-old father texted me have you seen “dairy is f%^king scary?”
I had no idea what he was talking about and so I called him. It turned out that my 70-year-old, meat and potatoes father living in New Zealand had gone vegan. No way! What kind of topsy turvy, upside-down world was I living in?
So I watched this 5-minute YouTube clip that dad recommended from a young lady named Erin Janis all about the dairy industry. I couldn’t believe how much worse it was than I ever thought possible. I was truly horrified.
In 5 minutes, my eyes had been opened and “bam!” I was now on a mission to read and watch everything I could about living a plant-based lifestyle and the positive impacts on the environment, animals, and most surprisingly to me—my health.
Within one month of going vegan, my cholesterol had dropped from in the danger range to near-optimal (and within a year it was in the ideal range). I couldn’t believe how good I felt and I had a brand new passion for nutrition after a lifetime of only caring about nutrition to the extent that it helped me in my constant struggles with weight.
All the stuff I thought was going to be hard wasn’t. I have never enjoyed food so much. I don’t miss or crave anything, and I’m in the best health of my life at age 41.
People ask me—what do you eat? I can get that people wonder this. Because I too used to wonder it myself. Being vegan looked so restrictive and boring.
But on the other side of having made the jump, I’m clear it’s just like anything—the idea or notion about it is completely different from the actuality of it. I have always liked to eat the same stuff every day anyway, so I have just found a few meals that I love.
Right now, I like to chug a protein shake after exercise, and then mid-morning it’s steel cut oats, granola, blueberries, and a tablespoon of maple syrup. For lunch/dinner (I only eat twice a day usually), it’s ramen with veggies and tofu and this super yummy turmeric and almond dressing—that I found at Trader Joe's—drizzled on top. Yuuuummmmm!
So if you are wanting to make the jump to going vegan, or just dabbling, I invite you to give it a try. The water is just fine!
