6 Reasons why I Became Vegan

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Growing up in Quebec, family meals almost always included meat and potatoes. At the dinner table, I always choose the smaller piece of meat with the least fat possible! I was never a fan of meat, but I ate it, out of habit, for over 40 years! Since childhood, I have always been a picky meat eater. I have never liked eating ribs, liver, chewy steaks, pork chops, chicken drumsticks and wings.

I brought my parents to Portugal and I lost them in Porto!!

When I moved into my own apartment, I had to learn to cook for myself. When I cooked meat, I always chose chicken breasts or tender beef cuts. Later in life, I was buying only organic meat, that is until January 2020. I was very hesitant to go vegetarian or vegan because I was afraid of not providing enough protein for my active lifestyle.

Nobody likes feeling “hangry” all the time! But think about it, the biggest animals on the planet eat hay and plants: elephant, cow, moose, rhino, hippo, bison, horse, and deer. We are a large animal too! Did you know that cows pollute more than cars? First, to raise cows, you need a huge piece of land. In contrast, it takes 20 times less space to produce the equivalent of protein from beans. Second, cow are responsible for a substantial portion of global warming. They release large amounts of methane by flatulence and burps! I don’t want to go into too much details here; I invite you to read a very good article from The Washington Post.

My decision to adopt a vegetarian / vegan diet was based on research. Over the years, I have read a lot about plant-based diets and watched different documentaries on Netflix about it. When I finally made the decision to change, I had a list of favorite recipes and menus. Here are some of my favorite programs:

I also bought different recipe books and my favorites are the Oh She Glows series from Angela Liddon. Some of her recipes are so simple. You don’t need to eat only tofu! I eat different legumes, lentils, quinoa and a lot of vegetables, which we need anyway. Read more here: The 17 Best Protein Sources for Vegans and Vegetarian.

Since adopting a vegan diet in January 2020, I have realized 6 changes:

  • My inflammation is gone! I was often in pain. My inflammation was too high and I didn’t know how to reduce it. Even rolling on my foam roller and stretching did not reduce it. I was saying to myself, “I’m too young to be in pain.” It is not a matter of age. I thought I was being too hard on my body, working out too often but that’s my job! What about athletes? They work out harder and more often than me! After only 3 weeks on the vegan diet, my inflammation was gone; no more pain and my naturopath doesn’t mention it anymore.
  • I have more energy than ever! If you personally know me, you know I’m a high energy woman and yoga helps me to stay balanced. Well, now I feel more energized in the afternoon. I don’t crash at 2 pm like before.
  • My meal prep is easier. I don’t need to think about getting meat out of the freezer the night before. Everything I cook is fresh and from my fridge.
  • I have more money in my wallet! Because I was buying organic meat, I was spending a lot of money.
  • There is always tofu and beans at the grocery store! In time of the pandemic, it was always a challenge to get toilet paper and meat. I’m glad I have been vegan because I don’t need to fight for my tofu!
  • Grocery shopping is even easier and faster. I visit two  aisles and I’m done: vegetables area and the organic section.

If you have health conditions such as arthritis, high cholesterol, heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, and cancer, a plant-based diet should be very helpful for you. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to try!

Try some of my plant-based recipes here. Get my Instant Pot Recipe Booklet here.

I want to hear from you. If you are on a plant-based diet, how are you feeling? You can send me an email here.

Read my latest blogs:
5 Reasons Why We Should Stop Eating Animal Derived Foods
10 MUST Foods to Add to Your Daily Diet
6 Easy Ways to Add More Vegetables to Your Diet
12 Food Additives to Stay Away From